Part I. Understanding Secularization: 1. The secularization debate-- 2. Measuring secularization-- 3. Comparing secularization worldwide-- Part II. Case Studies of Religion and Politics: 4. The puzzle of secularization in the United States and Western Europe-- 5. A religious revival in post-communist Europe?-- 6. Religion and politics in the Muslim world-- Part III. The Consequences of Secularization: 7. Religion, the Protestant ethic, and moral values-- 8. Religious organizations and social capital-- 9. Religious parties and electoral behavior-- Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Secularization and its consequences-- 11. Re-examining the theory of existential security-- 12. Re-examining evidence for the security thesis.