An Elaboration and Test of a Secularization Hypothesis in Terms of Open-Systems Theory of Organization

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Abstract
The relationship between secularization theory and open-systems theory of organization is explored in its application to explanation of Roman Catholic Church involvement in education and social welfare in the United States. It is suggested that an organizational model accounts for what can only be regarded as error by the secularization hypothesis. Four hypotheses are deduced, relating extent of church involvement to the minority status and ethnicity of the Catholic population, and the degree of modernization and overt hostility of its milieu. The test of the hypotheses relies on demographic and socioeconomic data; states are units of analysis. Correlation and regression are the principal techniques of analysis. With some qualifications, the model receives clear support.

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