Discovering God

October 1, 2007
Stark (social sciences, Baylor Univ.) offers a fresh look at the history of religions with the characteristic style he developed in such works as "The Rise of Christianity" and "Cities of God". He brings this new perspective to the discussion of religion in primitive societies, ancient civilizations, and modern times, considering Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other religions. Many current treatments of the history of religion focus on its development as a result of human invention (see Todd Tremlin's "Minds and Gods: The Cognitive Foundations of Religion"). Stark examines the benefits/disadvantages religions engender within society, but his groundbreaking premise is the sincere consideration that revelations could originate with a higher being or power. In this way, he takes seriously the beliefs of religious founders and adherents throughout history. Written in an engaging style yet retaining scholarly integrity through an elaborate system of endnotes, charts, time lines, and a glossary, this work would serve well as an introduction to the history/sociology of religion. Recommended to public, academic, and seminary libraries.Dann Wigner, Wayland Baptist Univ. Lib., Plainview, TX

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2007
Skeptics such as Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett have just lost their monopoly on the topic of religious evolution. Only a believer, Stark asserts, can fathom the origins and subsequent unfolding of the worlds great faiths. In this wide-ranging investigation, Stark detects sacred realitynot pious deceptionat the heart of transcendent beliefs shared by Aborigines and Anglicans. In their myths of the high gods, Stark contends, early tribal peoples glimpsed divine truths obscured in later civilizations when pharaohs and emperors lent government support to temple priesthoods more interested in maintaining a comfortable lifestyle than in serving God. The eventual emergence of a religious marketplace in ancient Rome opened a wide range of metaphysical options. Yet in a culture of religious pluralism, the insistent claims of tightly knit communities of Jews and Christians appeared threatening to Roman leaders, who defended the status quo by persecuting adherents to these unsettlingly intense faiths. Yet it is in these revelatory faithsand not the meditative religions of Eastern Asiathat Stark discerns the fullest manifestation of God. Some readers will resist Starks comparative judgments; others will dispute his religious interpretation of modern science. But serious students of religion will recognize this as an essential sourcebook.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)