Discovering
God: The origins of the great religions and the evolution of belief
(By Rodney Stark)
~ A Review by Vimal Kodai ~
Dr. Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark raises
various issues about the beliefs in God
while he maintains a clear but concise picture of the evolution of such a
belief with the passage of time. Discovering God: The origins of the great
religions and the evolution of belief is a book that has been written
after thorough and arduous research was done on many subject matters evolving
around the theme of the origins and nature of great religions on our planet.
Having examined various religious beliefs and all the several origins of the
beliefs surrounding the idea of the presence of a divine being, Stark is very
admirable as he masters many aspects of this subject with true conviction. He
is an author whose insights and aspirations about such a topic is far from
being underestimated. His research and profound studies on this theme gives
rise to a perfect intuition about how the idea of Discovering God can be very illuminating and truly enlightening. He
perceives religious beliefs and the evolution of religions as a ideal which
surpasses the very touch which we, humans, can always rely upon while we can
always depend on possessing such a perception which is only truly adapted to
the glory of this divine presence’s omnipotence. Stark has a theoretical model
which is setup in such a way that it will address the evolution of human
cultures from its biological roots to its mechanical and social perceptions.
Stark adopts a frank
and structured emphasis on the plausible evidences of a divine being. This has
been instated and well-framed by human beings. Mr. Stark examines many stages
that are initiated by the primitive societies of the ancient times, he focuses
on the idea of our becoming accustomed to cultures that have evolved from
extensive accounts on how creation came into being, the author even emphasizes
on the universal features of human societies; and, he explores contemporary
approaches to the biological, cultural and theological implantation of
religions on our planet.
While he fetches for
many thematic solutions that are always pervasive in the minds of humans, he
handles the idea of How to Discover God
with such enthusiasm that his book does not escape from the readers’ mind
without any boundaries. The writer has a very socio-theological way of handling
the many appointed religions on our planet.
While being adapted
to the idea of “Credibility”, and by accepting such a theme as the basis and
source to the acceptance of a divine being, Rodney Stark states: “It is one
thing to possess a religious culture, but it is something else to convince
others to accept it.” (p. 51) Stark also feels that mysticism and mystical
experiences have revealed parallels to the paranoid darkness in which many humans
identify themselves with the supernatural and unbalanced forces. Thus, as he
even states that in every society, people differ in their religious tastes, he
mentions that the intensity of our faiths and beliefs depend upon our religious
preferences.
As he frontiers the
many areas which encompass religions and religious beliefs, the writer of Discovering God: The origins of the great
religions and the evolution of belief attacks many key themes that evolve
around many extensive accounts of how creation came into being; these are
namely: many cultural evolutions, inventions of God, Ghost Theories, Fairy Tales, Revelations, Catholic Saints,
Epic of Gilgamesh; Aztec, Mayan & Inca religious practices, tribal
practices in Tigris-Euphrates Valley, Greco-Roman Cybelene narratives, Greek Gods, Cults and Mithraic faiths; The
Pharaoh God, Monotheism, Rulers and
Priests, Sacrifices and its several origins and purposes; Roman religions,
Moses, Polytheism, Missionizing, Religions in the Indus Valley, Vedic Gods, The Vedas, Sin and Salvation,
Upanishads and Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Chinese Gods, Religion in ancient China, Gods and ancestors, Priest and Rituals, Taoism, Confucianism, Folk
religion, The Rise of Christianity, The historical Jesus, The theological
Christ, the Christian Doctrines, Sacraments, The Pagan intellectuals, Mecca and
its admirable traditions, The Prophet Muhammad, The Medina, The Qur’an, Allah,
Building an Arab State, Muslim Sectarianism, Social Control of religions and
Divine Inspiration.
Another Edition of the book by Dr. Stark
With such themes and
main topics well-addressed in this book of his, Rodney Stark provides a concise
and thorough study of many profound religious beliefs of our planet. This book
analyzes many various religious roots and many religious faiths all with a
melodiously honest approach. Stark’s broad study and in-depth analysis of the
subject matter undertaken in his masterpiece does not leave his readers without
any further doubts. The latter is able to maintain a perfect discipline while
going through each and every chapter of this writer’s esteemed book.
