aMost Americans are convinced that faith in God is the foundation
of civil society. Society Without God 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 -- and it comes not a moment too soon.
Zuckermanas research is truly indispensable.a
--Sam Harris, founder of the Reason Project and author of the "New
York Times" best sellers "The End of Faith" and "Letter to a
Christian Nation"
Before he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman
as if humans all over the globe were agetting religiona -- praising
deities, performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world
from sin. But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, donat
worship any god at all, donat pray, and donat 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 ahappiness indexa 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.
Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of
all ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen
months, beginning in 2005. Hewas 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.
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 asociety without God
is not only possible, but it can be quite civil and pleasant.a
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