Acts of Faith

Finally, social scientists have begun to attempts to understand religious behaviour rather than to discredit it as irrational, ignorant, or foolish - and Rodney Stark and Roger Finke have played a mayor role in this new approach. Acknowledging that science cannot assess the supernatural side of religion (and therefore should not claim to do so), Stark and Finke analyse the observable, human side of faith. In clear and engaging prose, the authors combine explicit theorising with animated discussions as they move from considering the religiousness of individuals to the dynamics of religious groups and then to the religious workings of entire societies as religious groups contend for support. The result is a comprehensive new paradigm for the social-scientific study of religion.