For one, thing, the media are dominated by the irreligious. So are universities. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
American churches work very hard at reaching out to people to bring them in. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“In his magisterial The Reformation, Diarmaid MacCulloch was quite correct that ‘Luther’s writing of 1543 is a blueprint for the Nazi’s Kristallnacht… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
It seems that not being religious is a form of risk-taking, consistent with other patterns of short-sighted behaviour in men. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
It can be demonstrated that in any society there is a distribution of religious tastes and concerns. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“The frequent claims that empty churches and low levels of religious activity in Europe today reflect a steep decline in piety are… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“The only common feature of the three successful Reformations was their rejection of papal authority; otherwise they were quite at odds.” — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
People value religion on the basis of cost, and they don't value the cheapest ones the most. Religions that ask nothing get… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
The more members of the clergy that are out there working to expand their congregations, the more people will go to church. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
The success of the West, including the rise of science, rested entirely on religious foundations, and the people who brought it about… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
The great myth that many social scientists want to encourage is that there is an incompatibility between modern technology and traditional religion.… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“Once the Lutheran churches were secure, Luther, like most other leaders of the Reformations, believed in freedom of conscience only for those… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Theology is in disrepute among most Western intellectuals. The word is taken to mean a passe form of religious thinking that embraces… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“As for doctrine, Luther asserted the absolute authority of Holy Scripture and that each human must discover the meaning of scripture and… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“Christianity was oriented to the future, while the other major religions asserted the superiority of the past. At least in principle, if… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Theology necessitates an image of God as a conscious, rational, supernatural being of unlimited power and scope who cares about humans and… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Evolution has primarily been an attack on religion by militant atheists who wrap themselves in the mantle of science in an effort… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
The overwhelming majority of social scientists were irreligious or even anti-religious. This led them to believe that religion was a disappearing and… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“As the historian Edward Grant explained, 'It is indisputable that modern science emerged in the seventeenth century in Western Europe and nowhere… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
That's true that I'm "not religious as that term is conventionally understood," though I've never been an atheist. Atheism is an active… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“for many people conversion is simply a matter of aligning their religious life with that of their family, friends, and neighbors who… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Many people who say they have no religion are simply saying they have no official religious affiliation. They may actually have strong… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Not only were science and religion compatible, they were inseparable--th e rise of science was achieved by deeply religious Christian scholars. — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“Not only were science and religion compatible, they were inseparable--the rise of science was achieved by deeply religious Christian scholars. ” — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
Regular church-goers are substantially more likely than non-attenders to read, to take newspapers and magazines, to listen to classical music, to attend… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
There are many critics who think the megachurches thrive on people who enjoy dramatic Sunday services with fine music but don't wish… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
“IN 1710, THE ENGLISH FREETHINKER Thomas Woolston (1670–1731) expressed his confidence that religion would vanish by 1900.1 Voltaire (1695–1778) thought this much… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
One thing about religious truths is that we have to take them on faith, and faith needs reassurance. What’s more reassuring than… — Rodney Stark Copy Share Image
High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“Keep in mind that democracy merely gives power to the people; it does not ensure that power will be used wisely or humanely.” — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“Laws requiring a certain frequency of church attendance, the taking of Communion, and baptism of infants soon appeared all across the Lutheran areas of… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“But Christendom was not merely a community of warriors or even a community of the nobility. It was a civilization! Unfortunately, for generations everyone… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“No doubt Western modernity has its limitations and discontents. Still, it is far better than the known alternatives—not only, or even primarily, because of… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
... All questions concerning the rise of Christianity are one: How was it done? How did a tiny and obscure messianic movement from the… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“By the seventh century, Christianity probably was far stronger and more sophisticated in North Africa and Asia than in Europe.” — Rodney Stark Copy Share
There was only one decline in church attendance, and that was in the late 1960s when the Vatican said it was not a sin… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“But following these Stone Age discoveries, progress was slow. It is estimated that in terms of the standard of living, things were pretty much… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
Mormons are an extraordinarily educated and professional population. They have all these virtues: They work hard, don't skip school, have no scandals. Consequently, you… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
Because God is perfect, his handiwork functions in accord with immutable principles. By the full use of our God-given powers of reason and observation,… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
Many people who say they have no religion are simply saying they have no official religious affiliation. They may actually have strong personal beliefs. — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“there is at least as much, and probably much more, variation on these matters among the Protestants of various types included in these merged… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
“What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews?’ Luther offered seven actions. First, to set fire to their synagogues… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
Leading Christian theologians such as Augustine and Aquinas were not what today might be called 'strict constructionists.' Rather, they celebrated reason as the means… — Rodney Stark Copy Share
