Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief

Stark is a first rate scholar who examines various theories of religion and examines various aspects of world religions from the rational choice vantage point and Christainity makes a good showing. Well documented and well argued. An excellent book!

This work assumes what should be obvious, that different religions are different. Also the author is honest about his presupposotions as a Christian, yet he even treats his own tradition with sceptical objectivity. A facinating work in the manner of Rudolf Otto.

I can't think of another book anything like this. It really is unique. Stark unflinchingly tackles some of the biggest questions in the world and--surprise!--doesn't come up with any of the stale old answers. That said, I don't think Stark was well served by the cover of the book, which suggests this is just another study of comparative religions. There are thousands and thousands of those, and, by golly, most of them are dull as ditch water. And too cowardly to admit their point of view. Whereas Stark can hardly wait to take a point of view. His perspective is firmly Judeo-Christian. One of the first things Stark mentions is that "God's revelations are always limited to the current capacity of humans to comprehend" (p 6). It is not God who evolves throughout time, or throughout the bible; only man's capacity to understand. Primitive man, to the extent we have records, believed in a High God. Yet, when mankind developed cities, a lush polytheism took over. Why? Stark suggests an answer in "the monumentalism so often found in despots" (p 104). In the small gods of polytheism, with all their failings, humankind was worshiping itself, just as the despots from time immemorial wanted to be seen as God-like. Hinduism even today continues to believe in multiple gods, while many of the religions of the east had no belief in god and can just as easily be described as philosophies. Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism and even the political philosophy of Confucius, taught people resignation. Desire was bad, and a cold pessimism seemed the only solution. Even in Hinduism the goal of life was to be released from the cycle of rebirth. Compared to them, Christianity argues in an historical Jesus, the reality of the miraculous resurrection, a final solution to the problem of evil, and life everlasting. And these are only some of the areas Stark delves into. For anyone who is seeking answers, this is a wonderful book.

_Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief_, by sociologist and religious critic Rodney Stark (who has written extensively on Christianity from a sympathetic perspective), is an account of the origins of religious belief and how such belief may be seen as progressing towards a "discovery of God". One of the advantages of this book is that unlike many of the recent books which have come out on the topic of religion, this book examines religion in a respectful and sympathetic manner. While the book surveys religion from "primitive" beliefs through the world's "great religions", it ultimately reveals the importance of religious beliefs and the manner in which such beliefs have led man to God. The book also is highly sympathetic to Christianity and its truth claims (so that some have seen it as an apologetic piece for Christianity) and although some of the author's interpretations may be suspect, I believe he makes an excellent case for the importance of religion. Further, the book covers "primitive" religions in a sympathetic manner and shows how primitive monotheism may underlie much of mankind's religious inheritance. In addition, the author argues for a free-market theory of religion, subscribing to "rational choice theory", and maintaining that under unimpeded conditions the best religions will thrive and survive. Finally, the book addresses the concept of whether God exists, finding evidence in support of the existence of God and for Intelligent Design in the universe. As such, this book offers an excellent and timely study in comparative religion and the evolution of religious belief from a sympathetic perspective that is certain to provide one with a profound understanding of the world's religious traditions. The author begins in the Introduction to this book by examining "Revelation and Cultural Evolution". The author finds fault with much of the study of comparative religion, arguing that the field has been largely taken over by militant atheists. In particular, the author argues that revelation serves as "divine accommodation" arguing that "God's revelations are always limited to the current capacity of humans to comprehend". The author also examines evolving conceptions of God and the idea of natural selection explaining the difference between such notions as found in Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer and relating these to the development of religious belief. The author then traces the evolution of belief from "primitive" beliefs to the world's great religions, noting such problematics in understanding God as dualism and the "problem of evil". The first chapter in this book is entitled "Gods in Primitive Societies" and deals with the origin and development of "primitive" religions. The author explains primitive beliefs as found in Neolithic cultures, the rotund mother goddess figurines found throughout Europe, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, and the fact that religion is a universal fea