| Sociologist Wade Clark Roof, a professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara, studied the spiritual lives and religious convictions of the Baby Boom generation. In his book, A Generation of Seekers, Roof explores the social factors that shaped this group. He asserts that the anti-institutional ethos of the 1960s gave rise to a forceful individualism which posited the self as the ultimate source of truth and authority. For many, true religion came to mean "finding oneself" or finding "what works for me." Boomers were also introduced to alternate world religious traditions through technology and travel. As a result of this exposure and their individualistic understanding of religious authority, many Boomers concluded that all religions are equally good and true. |
A Generation of Seekers: The Spiritual Journeys of the Baby Boom Generation (HarperSanFrancisco, 1993) |
