Immodesty’ in dress was outlawed. A woman was jailed for…

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

“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

“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

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

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

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

“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

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

“By the seventh century, Christianity probably was far stronger and more sophisticated in North Africa and Asia than in Europe.”

— Rodney Stark

... 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

“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

“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

“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

“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

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