Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion

Stark, Rodney; Finke, Roger

ISBN 10: 0520222024 / ISBN 13: 9780520222021

Published by University of California Press, 2000

Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0520222024I5N00

Synopsis:

Finally, social scientists have begun to attempt to understand religious behavior rather than to discredit it as irrational, ignorant, or foolish-and Rodney Stark and Roger Finke have played a major role in this new approach. Acknowledging that science cannot assess the supernatural side of religion (and therefore should not claim to do so), Stark and Finke analyze the observable, human side of faith. In clear and engaging prose, the authors combine explicit theorizing with animated discussions as they move from considering the religiousness of individuals to the dynamics of religious groups and then to the religious workings of entire societies as religious groups contend for support. The result is a comprehensive new paradigm for the social-scientific study of religion.

About the Author: Rodney Stark is Professor of Sociology and Comparative Religion at the University of Washington. Among his many books are The Rise of Christianity (1996), The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation (California, 1985), and, with Roger Finke, The Churching of America, 1776-1990: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy (1992). Roger Finke is Professor of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of ...
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fair
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Edition: 2nd Edition