Separate and unequal

Interview | Author Rodney Stark compares world religions and finds they are not all the same | Marvin Olasky

Rodney Stark's 28 books on the history and sociology of religion include The Rise of Christianity, Historical Causes of Monotheism, and For the Glory of God. Now a professor at Baylor University, he has championed the idea that government establishment of religion leads to public apathy, but vibrant competition among and within religions leads more people to adhere to them.

Stark's new book, Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief (HarperOne, 2007), offers insights into the development of Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist doctrines and takes aim at some myths concerning the spread of Christianity and Islam. The importance of competition remains a central theme, but Stark explores many nooks and crannies.

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December 08, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 45

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