false 4286013 1 <p>”Most Americans are convinced that faith in God is the foundation of civil society. <b>Society Without God</b> reveals this to be nothing more than a well-subscribed, and strangely American, delusion. Even atheists living in the United States will be astonished to discover how unencumbered by religion most Danes and Swedes currently are. This glimpse of an alternate, secular reality is at once humbling and profoundly inspiring &#151; and it comes not a moment too soon. Zuckerman’s research is truly indispensable.” <br>&#151;Sam Harris, founder of the Reason Project and author of the <i>New York Times</i> best sellers <i>The End of Faith</i> and <i>Letter to a Christian Nation</i></p><p>Before he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman as if humans all over the globe were “getting religion” &#151; praising deities, performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world from sin. But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don’t worship any god at all, don’t pray, and don’t give much credence to religious dogma of any kind. Instead of being bastions of sin and corruption, however, as the Christian Right has suggested a godless society would be, these countries are filled with residents who score at the very top of the “happiness index” and enjoy their healthy societies, which boast some of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world (along with some of the lowest levels of corruption), excellent educational systems, strong economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer.</p><p>Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of all ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen months, beginning in 2005. He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live their lives without religious orientation. How do they think about and cope with death? Are they worried about an afterlife? What he found is that nearly all of his interviewees live their lives without much fear of the Grim Reaper or worries about the hereafter. This led him to wonder how and why it is that certain societies are nonreligious in a world that seems to be marked by increasing religiosity. Drawing on prominent sociological theories and his own extensive research, Zuckerman ventures some interesting answers.</p><p>This fascinating approach directly counters the claims of outspoken, conservative American Christians who argue that a society without God would be hell on earth. It is crucial, Zuckerman believes, for Americans to know that “society without God is not only possible, but it can be quite civil and pleasant.”</p> 4333566 1 10 2008 Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment total:49|5:10|4:13|3:15|2:7|1:4| 49 165 235 25 0 5 false false Wed Oct 22 11:32:31 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 22 11:40:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Tue Oct 28 07:28:14 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 28 20:07:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Nov 14 11:37:26 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 17:39:44 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 22:46:58 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 15:01:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 09 17:55:47 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 15:56:04 -0800 2008
I also notice an end note...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 06:14:56 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 06:20:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Dec 23 07:44:52 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 09 11:39:19 -0800 2009
The author questions the impact of religion, not God, within world cultures; the title is misleading - ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 18:21:36 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 00:07:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Feb 03 12:27:46 -0800 2009 Sat Apr 18 11:51:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Feb 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 13:37:44 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 15:44:18 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Mar 09 15:14:27 -0700 2009 Sat Feb 28 16:13:49 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 09 15:14:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 06:02:50 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 06:16:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 22 08:51:21 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 22 08:58:06 -0700 2008 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," ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Dec 17 16:19:59 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 16:20:16 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Fri May 22 03:15:12 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 03:18:01 -0700 2009 The author was interviewed on San Francisco's PBS radio station's excellent Forum program. Listen to the archive here.]]> 2 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 10 13:25:59 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 12:25:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 08:09:54 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 08:12:36 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Mon Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Feb 15 09:17:54 -0800 2009 Fri Aug 28 22:50:31 -0700 2009 Well, somewhat more than that, but an odd mishmash of statistics, unsystematic interviews and anecdotes that tries to prove that Denmark and Sweden are almost completely religion-free. A-historical and unconvincing. He needed to talk with more...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 05 11:50:08 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 11:51:29 -0800 2009 http://www.fromthesquare.org/?p=336

Check out the author's awesome op-ed on our blog.]]> 4 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 07:49:43 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 07:49:43 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4286013