Reddit mentions of Rave Culture and Religion (Routledge Advances in Sociology)

Rave as a religion. Here's a book and here's another book written on the subject. Pretty interesting stuff!

> Most religions are intricately tied to the belief in a higher power.

Depending on how you define religion, that might be true. However, sociologists who study religion note that rave culture, such as Burning Man, include all the elements of religion and it's adherents talk about the religious nature of the rave experience. The same is true of followers of jam bands. The more sociologist study the behavioral elements of religious expression, the more they see religion in what would not normally be considered religious events if one holds to the preconception that religion must be about beliefs in higher powers.

A sociological and anthropological standard is that a sociological construct is what it's participants claim it is. When guys who spend their lives building cars say that the race track is their cathedral, then sociologists need to take it seriously and examine the race track in terms of it's religious importance.

This is why many sociologists are starting to discount the idea that religion is really a stand alone category. Human beings have an uncanny ability to make just about anything sacred.

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Religion-Routledge-Advances-Sociology/dp/0415552508