Why Practice Occasionally?

Abstract Occasional practitioners have diverse motivations for participating in religious practices on certain occasions. This chapter presents a taxonomy of types of occasional practitioners based on situational roles and motivations. Initiators bring about the practice and may be motivated by cultural heritage, specific relational connections, or a desire for spiritual connection. Some initiators may also be invisibly routine, meaning they practice privately rather than publicly and therefore appear to be occasional practitioners. Other initiators may be involuntarily occasional, meaning they desire to practice routinely but barriers beyond their control prevent them from doing so. Supporters include advocates who encourage the practice without being in a position to initiate it, inner-circle supporters who have central roles in enacting the practice although they would not have initiated it, and outer-circle supporters who tend not to have specific responsibilities. Catalysts, such as the infant being baptized or the deceased, bring about the practice but can neither directly initiate nor support it. How individuals relate to religion may change over time—annually, over the life course, or in response to certain events. None of these types of occasional religious practice can be easily dismissed. These practices are meaningful and purposeful for participants, most of whom are comfortable with their relationship with religion and who are content to identify as “not very religious.”