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Why God?
- Explaining Religious Phenomena
- Narrated by: Andy Rose
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
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Why God?
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Publisher's Summary
Why is it that the majority of people, from all socioeconomic, education, and ethnic backgrounds, ascribe to some sort of faith? What draws us to religion? What pushes us away? And what exactly is religion anyway?
Defining religion over the past century has, ironically, led to theories that exclude belief in God, proposing that all systems of thought concerning the meaning of life are religions. Of course, this makes it impossible to distinguish the village priest from the village atheist, or Communism from Catholicism. Worse yet, it makes all religious behavior irrational, presuming that, for example, people knowingly pray to an empty sky.
In this audiobook, renowned sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a comprehensive, decisive, God-centered theory of religion. Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter of Why God? builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies.
The book is published by Templeton Press.
Critic Reviews
"Impressively informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking… an exceptional work of outstanding scholarship…" (Midwest Book Review)
“An excellent theory as to how and why religious belief is an enduring aspect of human life.” (Tyler O'Neil, PJ Media)
"Refreshingly free of jargon and a corrective to more hostile accounts of belief." (Nick Mattiske, Journey)
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