Discovering God
Rodney Stark Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, Harper One, 2007
What if humanity has been slowly discovering the God who exists and reveals Himself? What if rather than inventing God, human beings have been discovering who God actually is and have encountered Him in many ways and on many levels throughout history? Is there a possible way of knowing for sure?
Rodney Stark not only affirms these notions but confidently takes on the pre-conceived notions of sociologists and historians of the past 200 years, whose ideas have prejudiced scholars toward a strong atheism throughout the modern era. Drawing on his many years of corroborating actual data from historical periods concerning beliefs and religious practices of various cultural groups, Stark confirms that ancient civilizations actually had very complex religious systems based on strong ideas of a God who reveals himself to individuals throughout history.
History actually shows that the common belief among societies is in a God who does make himself known through revelation. At times, leaders have attempted to monopolize the belief systems of their people, turning free religious thinking and experience into state controlled religious practice that at times compromised the raw beliefs of their people and caused internal rebellion and fractured religious relationships.
Temple systems of ancient civilizations such as Sumer and Egypt vacillated between strong periods of monotheistic beliefs and competing polytheistic periods that created a sorted system of gods and their hierarchies. Stark points out that monotheism created very strong moral and political systems that provided periods of strong cultural expression and identity where people groups flourished.
In fact, Stark identifies an important era in history in the period of circa 600 BCE identified as the Axial Age, where several religions and religious leaders appeared all developing a strong concept of sin in their cultures. Several of these groups were led by religious leaders who propounded "godless" religious practice, and others promoted religious systems that held strong belief in God. Among these were Judaism and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark points out that this Axial Age period parallels the exilic period of the Jewish people as they were living in exile in Babylon and Assyria. Stark points out that Judaism had a strong influence on the belief system in the Arab and Middle Eastern lands out of which later emerges foundations that give rise to the spread of Christianity and Islam. Prior to this, certain civilizations of the past experienced problems of social control that led to chaos and oppression. These were the ancient civilizations of Egypt and the Incas in Mexico and South America.
During the Roman Era, Stark describes a period of competing religious markets that created the crucible for the rise of Christianity and the hunger of people for a strong religious belief to support their very difficult and chaotic lives. At the behest of many emperors, Christianity took 300 years to slowly infect the Empire with a morality and view of God that everyday people could adopt and execute in their daily living. It was this strong steady rise of Christianity that helped Constantine rise to power. It also led to the institutionalization of Christianity and the eventual fracturing of the faith into various expressions of the 1500 years ensuing. Stark has done some very significant work with Roger Finke on the flourishing of religious practice and belief in cultures that allowed for and encouraged a free religious market economy.
Bottom line, Stark builds a case for assuming that God does exist and so identifying the faiths and people that assisted in this ongoing premise throughout history. He particularly identifies the religions that have been revelatory, have expressed consistency in their beliefs throughout their existence and have exemplified a progressive complexity. Of the religions of the world, Stark then identifies three in particular that fall into these categorical markers: Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark mentions that the only possibility that gave rise to the modern era was Christianity and Judaism, out of which a worldview built on their religious beliefs allowed for the belief in progress and greater knowledge in keeping with the God whom they knew and the world in which he communicated to them. In his own words, he states that:
In this sense, Christian theology lead to an understanding of the world that allowed for discovering, understanding and innovation that could only be bred in such cultural climates that held these important seminal beliefs that gave rise to inventions that changed the way humans live. Stark says much more on this in two other books. [For the Glory of God and The Victory of Reason]
Naturally Stark criticises recent atheists who refuse to believe that religion has anything to do with the development of the Western mind and the present Western culture. He argues that they have been greatly influenced by sociologists of the 19Th century who refused to see the integral part that religion and belief in God has played in the development of cultures and societies that are precursors of our own. Stark admits that his premise is that God exists, the alternative is to declare that no religion is true and to do so is to then put great stock in the fact that pure human reason led to such a discovery when the evidence proves otherwise. More scholars of late, says Stark, rather believe that there is evidence of God's existence; case in point being the resurgence of scientists who propound an intelligent design belief in the origins of the universe.
One would do well to read this very intriguing and ground breaking work where Stark exudes the confidence of the reader in being assured that behind human civilization has been a constant relationship and understanding of God that has led to the progress of civilization and the world that we now live in.
What if humanity has been slowly discovering the God who exists and reveals Himself? What if rather than inventing God, human beings have been discovering who God actually is and have encountered Him in many ways and on many levels throughout history? Is there a possible way of knowing for sure?
Rodney Stark not only affirms these notions but confidently takes on the pre-conceived notions of sociologists and historians of the past 200 years, whose ideas have prejudiced scholars toward a strong atheism throughout the modern era. Drawing on his many years of corroborating actual data from historical periods concerning beliefs and religious practices of various cultural groups, Stark confirms that ancient civilizations actually had very complex religious systems based on strong ideas of a God who reveals himself to individuals throughout history.
History actually shows that the common belief among societies is in a God who does make himself known through revelation. At times, leaders have attempted to monopolize the belief systems of their people, turning free religious thinking and experience into state controlled religious practice that at times compromised the raw beliefs of their people and caused internal rebellion and fractured religious relationships.
Temple systems of ancient civilizations such as Sumer and Egypt vacillated between strong periods of monotheistic beliefs and competing polytheistic periods that created a sorted system of gods and their hierarchies. Stark points out that monotheism created very strong moral and political systems that provided periods of strong cultural expression and identity where people groups flourished.
In fact, Stark identifies an important era in history in the period of circa 600 BCE identified as the Axial Age, where several religions and religious leaders appeared all developing a strong concept of sin in their cultures. Several of these groups were led by religious leaders who propounded "godless" religious practice, and others promoted religious systems that held strong belief in God. Among these were Judaism and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark points out that this Axial Age period parallels the exilic period of the Jewish people as they were living in exile in Babylon and Assyria. Stark points out that Judaism had a strong influence on the belief system in the Arab and Middle Eastern lands out of which later emerges foundations that give rise to the spread of Christianity and Islam. Prior to this, certain civilizations of the past experienced problems of social control that led to chaos and oppression. These were the ancient civilizations of Egypt and the Incas in Mexico and South America.
During the Roman Era, Stark describes a period of competing religious markets that created the crucible for the rise of Christianity and the hunger of people for a strong religious belief to support their very difficult and chaotic lives. At the behest of many emperors, Christianity took 300 years to slowly infect the Empire with a morality and view of God that everyday people could adopt and execute in their daily living. It was this strong steady rise of Christianity that helped Constantine rise to power. It also led to the institutionalization of Christianity and the eventual fracturing of the faith into various expressions of the 1500 years ensuing. Stark has done some very significant work with Roger Finke on the flourishing of religious practice and belief in cultures that allowed for and encouraged a free religious market economy.
Bottom line, Stark builds a case for assuming that God does exist and so identifying the faiths and people that assisted in this ongoing premise throughout history. He particularly identifies the religions that have been revelatory, have expressed consistency in their beliefs throughout their existence and have exemplified a progressive complexity. Of the religions of the world, Stark then identifies three in particular that fall into these categorical markers: Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark mentions that the only possibility that gave rise to the modern era was Christianity and Judaism, out of which a worldview built on their religious beliefs allowed for the belief in progress and greater knowledge in keeping with the God whom they knew and the world in which he communicated to them. In his own words, he states that:
In contrast, based on their commitment to Judeo-Christian theology,
Europeans assumed not only that the universe was created, but that its
workings are logical and consistent, thereby being susceptible to reason and inquiry. - Consequently, science arose only in Christian Europe primarily because only Europeans believed it could be done, and should be done. (pp. 396-397)
In this sense, Christian theology lead to an understanding of the world that allowed for discovering, understanding and innovation that could only be bred in such cultural climates that held these important seminal beliefs that gave rise to inventions that changed the way humans live. Stark says much more on this in two other books. [For the Glory of God and The Victory of Reason]
Naturally Stark criticises recent atheists who refuse to believe that religion has anything to do with the development of the Western mind and the present Western culture. He argues that they have been greatly influenced by sociologists of the 19Th century who refused to see the integral part that religion and belief in God has played in the development of cultures and societies that are precursors of our own. Stark admits that his premise is that God exists, the alternative is to declare that no religion is true and to do so is to then put great stock in the fact that pure human reason led to such a discovery when the evidence proves otherwise. More scholars of late, says Stark, rather believe that there is evidence of God's existence; case in point being the resurgence of scientists who propound an intelligent design belief in the origins of the universe.
One would do well to read this very intriguing and ground breaking work where Stark exudes the confidence of the reader in being assured that behind human civilization has been a constant relationship and understanding of God that has led to the progress of civilization and the world that we now live in.
posted by Luciano Lombardi at 1:57 PM
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