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Zusatztext " For the Glory of God . . . is an important book. It is immensely learned, consistently contentious, and filled with brilliant, if sometimes eccentric, insights. . . [F]or those who are open to a very different interpretation of the development of Western Civilization ... For the Glory of God is strongly recommended." Informationen zum Autor Rodney Stark Klappentext "I unequivocally recommend this book. Iconoclastic toward the conventional iconoclasts, it is likely to meet with considerable furor." --David Martin, author of Does Christianity Cause War? "This important and brilliant new book makes a number of points desperately needed to be understood by academics, teachers, and lay people. The conventional wisdom on science, religion, witchcraft, slavery, and sects is unfortunately both firmly and falsely fixed. This book will clear up the muddle for anyone open minded enough to learn from it." --Jeffrey Burton Russell, author of A History of Heaven Zusammenfassung Argues that, whether we like it or not, people acting for the glory of God have formed our modern culture. This book shows that the Christian conception of God resulted - almost inevitably and for the same reasons - in the Protestant Reformation, the rise of modern science, the European witch-hunts, and the Western abolition of slavery. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Dimensions of the Supernatural 1 CHAPTER 1 God's Truth: Inevitable Sects and Reformations 15 CHAPTER 2 God's Handiwork: The Religious Origins of Science 121 CHAPTER 3 God's Enemies: Explaining the European Witch-Hunts 201 CHAPTER 4 God's Justice: The Sin of Slavery 291 Postscript: Gods! Rituals! and Social Science 367 Notes 377 Bibliography 419 Index 465
