{"product_id":"for-the-glory-of-god-how-monotheism-led-to-reformations-science-witch-hunts-and-the-end-of-slavery-1","title":"For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery","description":"Rodney Stark's provocative new book argues that, whether we like it or not, people acting for the glory of God have formed our modern culture. Continuing his project of identifying the widespread consequences of monotheism, Stark 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. In the process, he explains why Christian and Islamic images of God yielded such different cultural results, leading Christians but not Muslims to foster science, burn \"witches,\" and denounce slavery.\n\nWith his usual clarity and skepticism toward the received wisdom, Stark finds the origins of these disparate phenomena within monotheistic religious organizations. Endemic in such organizations are pressures to maintain religious intensity, which lead to intense conflicts and schisms that have far-reaching social results.\n\nAlong the way, Stark debunks many commonly accepted ideas. He interprets the sixteenth-century flowering of science not as a sudden revolution that burst religious barriers, but as the normal, gradual, and direct outgrowth of medieval theology. He also shows that the very ideas about God that sustained the rise of science led also to intense witch-hunting by otherwise clear-headed Europeans, including some celebrated scientists. This conception of God likewise yielded the Christian denunciation of slavery as an abomination--and some of the fiercest witch-hunters were devoted participants in successful abolitionist movements on both sides of the Atlantic.\n\nFor the Glory of God is an engrossing narrative that accounts for the very different histories of the Christian and Muslim worlds. It fundamentally changes our understanding of religion's role in history and the forces behind much of what we point to as secular progress.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0691119503\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.0691119503.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Stark, Rodney\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41499417673786,"sku":"DBV.0691119503.G","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/0691119503-0_0a01d0ad-523f-4382-9572-ff2aacd68713.jpg?v=1783028620","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/for-the-glory-of-god-how-monotheism-led-to-reformations-science-witch-hunts-and-the-end-of-slavery-1","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}