59 Quotes by Rodney Stark

Regular church-goers are substantially more likely than non-attenders to read, to take newspapers and magazines, to listen to classical music, to attend symphony concerts, operas, and stage plays.

Theology necessitates an image of God as a conscious, rational, supernatural being of unlimited power and scope who cares about humans and imposes moral codes and responsibilities upon them, thereby generating serious intellectual questions such as: 'Why does God allow us to sin?' 'Does the Sixth Commandment prohibit war?'

That new technologies and techniques would be forthcoming was a fundamental article of Christian faith. Hence, no bishops or theologians denounced clocks or sailing ships-although both were condemned on religious grounds in various non-Western societies.

No other single innovation had so much impact on history.

People value religion on the basis of cost, and they don't value the cheapest ones the most. Religions that ask nothing get nothing.

America is an unusually religious nation.

[Some men are shortsighted, so] going to prison or going to hell just doesn't matter to these men.

The overwhelming majority of social scientists were irreligious or even anti-religious. This led them to believe that religion was a disappearing and unimportant factor in human affairs.

It has been said of many modern Christian theologians that their primary aim is to find ways to express disbelief as belief.