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Oct 22, 2008

Mindy marked it as to-read

I always find it telling that the US has the highest religiousity level and yet we also usually have right around the highest poverty level among Western countries. You would think that Jesus' socialistic message would make that different, but NOOOOO. Witness all these religious Joe-Six-Pack-Plumber-Palin people. All the Republicans have to do is say the word "socialism," and they run screaming away from Barack Obama. Pitiful.

15 comments like (7 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2009

Charles rated it:

I was really amazed/amused by some of the things Zucherman reveals in this book. Reading about the ideas that the Danes he interviewed had about religion was so heartwarming it gave me a small bit of faith in humanity.
It was interesting to look at the factors that may have contributed to the secular nature of these societies but by far it was most interesting to see the excerpts from the personal interviews he did.
It was funny to see people over and over again say, when asked if More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 28, 2008

Samantha rated it:

you know, i am not sure what i was expecting, and i guess it's my fault. i should have seen this inevitably would not hold my interest, seeing as how i hold any sociological study to be utterly boring, filled with mind-numbing statistics and flat stories the authors pull from their daily lives to make SOME sort of point, a point that was already made in their head.....

but seriously. this book is horrible, and i have no pateince for it:

"god, sweden and denmark are so More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2008

Sean rated it:

As an atheist/secular humanist, I am very receptive to Zuckerman's thesis (i.e., that functional, healthy societies can exist without belief in deity or religion) and my imagination is fired (and, frankly, my envy stoked, as it were) by the idea that the Scandinavian countries are living representations of that thesis. Even so, I was frustrated by Zuckerman's approach--meandering excerpts from interviews with individuals, interspersed with high-minded personal anecdotes, neither of which I found More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 10, 2011

Marije rated it:

A well-written sociological study of religion in Denmark and Sweden, as experienced by someone from the United States. Zuckermann isn't afraid to wonder and speculate freely, and to let his personal preference for the Scandinavian secularity shine through.
He alternates sociological and historical theories of religion with personal observations with transcripts from interviews he conducted with hundreds of Danes and Swedes (149 fomal, semi-structured interviews and countless spontanuous co More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Adam rated it:

The Danes and Swedes live in countries that consistently rank among the world’s best in terms of social conditions. They have low crime and high economic equality. They have some of the lowest rates of infant mortality and highest life expectancy. They have one of the most educated populations on earth and as well as highest levels of happiness. They also are some of the most secular societies in existence today.

Sociologist Phil Zuckerman spent over a year there interviewing and trying to as More...

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Jun 24, 2011

Jorge rated it:

Society without God by Phil Zuckerman

Society without God is a social study of how secular societies such as Denmark and Sweden are not only essentially "godless" but thrive as societies. Social scientist Phil Zuckerman does a wonderful job of capturing the cultures of these Scandinavian nations and provides interesting insight on how they have become secular. Through a series of interviews and references to social studies the author provides strong support for his social t More...

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Feb 07, 2010

Kelly rated it:

I think that this book was a dissertation that was evolved into a non-fiction mass market book. I read the introduction which was interesting, highlighting how the Danes and the Swedes are national populations that are the happiest on the planet, have the amongst the lowest major-crime rates, and are a society that pretty much exists without the presence of (a) god.

I found the academic style of writing a bit tedious (a ongoing narrative literature review), but the facts were inter More...

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May 17, 2011

Zbhall rated it:

This book was presented in a very boring and unconvincing way. The thesis about what it means to be happy or have a just society and how it relates to the idea of a god/religion is interesting, but the book is just so repetitive.

1. Zuckerman talks about how great society in Scandanavia is.
2. He shares some quotes from interviews with locals.
3. He writes some statistics from surveys or studies showing how irreligious Swedes/Danes are and/or how great their countries are More...

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Dec 20, 2008

Izlinda rated it:

This book was rather repetitive. I don't know if that's just the way sociology texts are when it's heavily based on case studies... Sometimes I felt like tossing the book down on the table when he starts excerpting interviews that basically say the same thing.

I also notice an end note that cited Wikipedia, the Danish version. Still! My professors would scalp us if we did such a thing, and this is an associate professor of sociology at Pitzer College at the time of publication. More...

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Jan 09, 2009

Suzette rated it:

The book is a good read but I had a hard time primarily because it is an ethnography. (I just graduated from college and have read so many ethnographies, I'm a little worn right now:)

The author questions the impact of religion, not God, within world cultures; the title is misleading - religion and God are different topics. After challenging the impact of evangalists such as Jerry Falwell within American society, readers are introducted to other countries that do not embrace religi More...

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Jun 13, 2011

Jacquie rated it:

As a sociology grad, an American atheist, and the wife of Swedish atheist, this was a thought-provoking read for me. I didn't need any convincing that individuals and communities can be good without god; the points that were more interesting to me were related to Zuckerman's argument that religious belief is not innate and to his examination of the relationships among religion, culture, government, and politics in both the U.S. and Scandinavia. In the U.S., religion and government are clearly se More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 25, 2010

Manday rated it:

This book is poor science, even from a qualitative methods perspective. Too frequently there is a theory or proposition put forward as if its fact when something at its base is erred. The biggest challenge the book faces is purpose. Its supposed purpose is to prove in the face of increasing religiousity around the world that societies without religion can be functional and moral. The problem with this is two-fold. First, the world is NOT in general becoming more religious. While the US is the mo More...

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Aug 10, 2009

kelly rated it:

An important note: The author is NOT arguing that high levels of societal health are CAUSED by low levels of religiosity. His point is merely to counter the claim by some conservative Christians that a godless society is an evil, immoral one. This is clearly not the case in Sweden and Denmark, as his sociological data shows.

Random, interesting things I learned that aren't mentioned in the description of this book:

* It's acceptable for a church priest/pastor to be atheist More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 20, 2010

David rated it:

The US may be weirdly religious compared to the other industrialized democracies, but even in Western Europe, Denmark and Sweden stand out for their lack of religiosity. They're not atheist utopias, but they're as close as you can get in the world today. Zuckerman, an American social scientist, had 149 formal interviews on the topic of religion with these Scandinavians (in addition to countless informal talks) while he lived there. The result is this fascinating book, about what people in these More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2009

Dale rated it:

Zuckerman makes and substantiates a very specific claim: societies with low levels of religious belief are quite capable of being humane, well-run, well-organized, and can have low-levels of crime and high-levels of happiness. His case study is Denmark and Sweden. He would have found nearly identical results throughout Scandinavia, and similar results in Britain, France, Japan and elsewhere.

This is in stark contrast to the non-fact based claims of the religious right that societies n More...

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Nov 18, 2010

Michael rated it:

A somewhat polarizing book. If you are an atheist (or have atheistic leanings) this book will reinforce a lot of things for you. If you are an inward and outwardly religious person this book will do nothing for you. If you have the capacity to read this while always taking a step back and looking at the big picture, you will find that this book has its fair share of flaws.

http://fancybooklearnin.grigr.com/2010/0...

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Feb 18, 2009

James rated it:

An important and interesting book about Denmark and Sweden, the least religious countries in the world. Many Americans, especially the most religious, would probably argue that lacking religion leads to some sort of cultural bankruptcy. However, Zuckerman sets out to show that lack of religion does not lead to moral upheaval or chaos. In fact, these societies are considerably more tolerant and egalitarian, with less crime, and better standards of living.

I did find the book a bit More...

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Jan 30, 2010

Steven rated it:

Interesting interviews and personal anecdotes. I want to believe Scandinavian society is as comfortable with a lack of belief as the reasons put forward here, although I am skeptical.

Are a collection of personal stories enough to make the argument? On the flipside, what else can ? Stats, multiple-choice surveys?

I am unsure, but I'm happy there are people out there that are comfortable with a lack of God and lead fulfilling lives.

1 comment like

Jun 29, 2010

Nicole rated it:

The title "Society Without God" is a little deceptive. This is NOT another entry in New Atheist literature. It is, rather, a work in academic sociology -- particularly a work of comparative religion -- in which the author interviews many people in Denmark (and some from Sweden) about their religious beliefs and spirituality.

If the reader is willing to let go of the expectation conveyed by the title, and go with the academic sociology read, they will come away with some sa

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Mar 09, 2009

Jeanne rated it:

This book could have been so much better. He makes his argument and answers it in the first chapter. The rest of the book is full of repetitious facts that lead to monotony. If written better it might have been more illuminating and entertaining. Also he says that when doing studies one should have a non-random sample and how hard that is to obtain, but he doesn't even try. The people he interviews are ones he self-selects. Most are parents of his daughter or someone he met at a party.

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Jun 17, 2009

Kevin rated it:

Quite the nice tonic against the typical theist claim that, without religion, society would collapse into some amoral anarchy. Of particular interest is his discussion of "Cultural Religion" in the pre-final chapter, which argues for the distinction between cultural rituals with the trappings of religion and actual belief in a monotheistic god of the type described in the Torah/Bible/Koran.

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Oct 22, 2008

Logan marked it as to-read

I just read a review of this book that nearly guarentees my interest in reading this book (from Louis Bayard's Salon.com review):

"To a certain jaded sensibility, what makes Scandinavia particularly magical is what it lacks. "There is no national anti-gay rights movement," writes Zuckerman, "there are no 'Jesus fish' imprinted on advertisements in the yellow pages, there are no school boards or school administrators who publicly doubt the evidence for human evoluti More...

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Jan 15, 2010

Kathy rated it:

Interesting account of the author's experience in Denmark and Sweden. But not a lot of synthesis or historical context. Mostly just interviews with Danish citizens. But the thesis is robust: an areligious society can be a very orderly, moral and community oriented society, contrary to popular American sentiment.

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Apr 17, 2010

Sira rated it:

I take his point, but I knew it already and I was looking for something deeper. I suppose this could function as a good introduction to the idea, if you were not familiar with Scandinavian society, but if you've ever met a Swede or a Dane or ever an Icelander, you would already know that they manage just fine without religion.

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Dec 17, 2008

Jaymur rated it:

A fascinating book/study debunking the myth that a society can not be successful and healthy without god and/or religion. The interviews used throughout the book to gauge the view of average Danes and Swedes does it a little repetitive but a fascinating read overall.

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Dec 09, 2009

Simon rated it:

A short look at the relative lack of religion in Denmark and Sweden as a reflection on American society. I thought it was quite nice, if a little repetitive. It's mostly explained through the words of the people he interviewed.

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May 22, 2009

Richard marked it as to-read

The author was interviewed on San Francisco's PBS radio station's excellent Forum program. Listen to the archive here.

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Aug 01, 2009

Eliz rated it:

This would have been a good article in Harpers, maybe even a two-parter, but as a book it quickly got flat and repetitive. (And someone needs to tell Assistant Professor Zuckerman and his editor that people in hospice care are not actually dead yet. Twice he refers to a hospice nurse as “caring for the dead.”) The subject is interesting, but the presentation is sloppy and the conclusions lax.

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Aug 01, 2009

Ed rated it:

This book, written by a professor of Sociology, after living is Denmark and Sweden for over a year and after numerous interviews. After reading it, I am ready to move to Sweden.

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