Ten Theories of Religion

by Daniel Pals

Why do human beings believe in divinities? Why do some seek eternal life, while others seek escape from recurring lives? Why do the beliefs and behaviors we typically call “religious” so deeply affect the human personality and so subtly weave their way through human society?
Ideal as a supplementary text in introductory religion courses or as the main text in theory and method in religious studies or in sociology of religion courses, Ten Theories of Religion , Fourth Edition, offers an illuminating treatment of this controversial and fascinating subject.

Genres: Education

448 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2021

Reviews

[laila* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Put me in coach—I know em all. 4 bc I feel like we didn’t need to Know All That. And sometimes wish it was more primary. But helpful and made me look smarter than this complete ASSHOLE in my religion class. I do not like him. Condescending asshat.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not finished with this amazing book but wanted to be the first one to rate it. Dan gave us this book when we met for dinner at the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting. I will continue to read one of the theories each day which is about all the information my aging brain can take in--and probably more than it can absorb. What a lot of reading and research went into each account and analysis of the theories. I find it enlightening to look at my own faith and "theory of religion" through these accounts of how each theorist thought religions began and how they are similar. I began with the names that were most familiar to me: Daly, James, Freud, and Marx. I have gone on to Durkheim and Eliade and for me the most complicated so far, Weber. I will persist to four more essays. Maybe I will be inspired to read a primary source like James' The Variety of Religious Experience. It has been a very worthwhile experience to dig into a field with familiar terms but so much that I did not know--like standing outside my own experiences and looking at them from someone else's perspective.

[Donice C. Jenkins (DJ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is religion? This book gave a good overview of how several important thinkers tried to answer that question. Regardless if you agree with any of them, their perspective on the matter will likely change yours.

[Wm. Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

good overview of various theories with analysis and critique.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid. Complicated but solid.