resources-references, books, anthropology, comparative-religionsAs an atheist, I am still fascinated by the complexities of the world’s religions. They’ve had thousands of years to unfold into a rich set of practices and bring with them a long history during which they have evolved, spread across the globe and taken roots in the daily lives of billions.
My actual question: Religion’s cultural impact on our society is undeniable. I’d like to find books and other material that focus on the history of religion and what their followers believe in, without becoming too preachy about the subject itself. What should I check out?
Some more details on what I’m asking:
I don’t think it’s out of some deep rooted, subconscious desire to believe in a God after all. Instead, it’s a fact that we live in a world dominated by religion and its followers, and many of them are heavily shaped by religion and its teachings. It influences their decisions and behavior and I believe at some level, an understanding of what they believe and what they are taught by their leaders helps us not only gain better insight into what drives them, but prepares us to engage them in a more rewarding dialog with those who are willing to discuss religion with an atheist in a more productive way.
Topics might include: How did the major religions get where they are today? What major changes have they undergone when compared to centuries and millennia ago? When have historical events and politics shaped religion, as opposed to vice versa? How do their followers manage to integrate its ancient teachings into practical situations of every day life and how do they deal with conflicts that arise from those old laws? What conflicts exist within each major religion and what has their impact been on them? How do religious people of differing faiths manage to coexist in day to day life?
There is an existing question on here already, focusing on the origins of Christianity, but the scope of my question goes beyond that.
Perhaps I’m looking for an outside perspective into religion, written from a non believer’s point of view, who is able to remain objective and, when appropriate, take a critical view of it, without having militant overtones like Dawkins or Harris. Works that don’t judge believers for their faith, but instead spell out the status quo and how we got there. I’m not limiting myself to works from non believers though.
Whilst my recommendation is not directly focussed on religion, rather on philosophy, I can confidently say it has informed me about the genesis of ancient and modern religious beliefs and the political power that came from both religions and philosophies over the ages. To top it all the writing style is excellent and there is a shortish chapter on each major topic allowing you to dip in and out of this huge volume of knowledge.
This is pretty much a Nobel prize winning book for the author …..
History of Western Philosophy By Bertrand Russell
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415325059/
Joseph Campbell’s ‘masterwork’ was a set of books about the origins, types, history, and influence of mythology. Those books are titled “The Masks of God” from Viking Press:
* Volume 1, Primitive Mythology
* Volume 2, Oriental Mythology
* Volume 3, Occidental Mythology
* Volume 4, Creative Mythology
These will provide a strong basis for understanding the structure and form of ‘early’ religion. I cannot recommend them highly enough for a place to start. Following those books, I’d also recommend
* The Golden Bough - Robert Fraser
As an extremely interesting, if convoluted, analysis of the early mystery cults.
For a history and survey of the impact of christianity, I’d recommend
* A History of Christianity, Volumes 1 and 2 - Kenneth S. Latourette
For a history and survey of islam, try
* History of Islam - Oxford Press
Oxford press also has works on the history and impact of Judaism and Hinduism as well as Buddhism. Overall they’re a good resource.
I submit Stephen Prothero’s Religious Literacy. I have been reading it off and on for the last couple of months.
Mixed reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Religious-Literacy-American-Know-Doesnt/dp/0060859520
I think these two could be the most important books on the subject:
"The Lucifer Principle" by Howard Bloom
"God Wants you Dead" by Sean Hastings and Paul Rosenberg
They explain why humankind invented religion in the first place and why they haven't been able to shot it down.
A great example that I've read, at least as far as covering the origin history of one religion in a concise way would be Muhammed: A Biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong, a practicing Christian. I'm also aware of Bart Ehrman's works, who is now an agnostic after being a devoted Christian, but haven't read them yet.
Somewhat related, I enjoy watching the Canadian TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie. In fact, it's what inspired this question. It provides a nice, light hearted view into Muslim's every day lives and how they can coexist with people outside of their faith. Obviously, it's a work of fiction, but it's written by a Muslim herself.
It’s not a book, but I find this site to have an unusually unbiased approach to descriptions and histories of world religions: http://www.religioustolerance.org/
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