Colloquium: Religious Origins of Western Institution
Lecturers: Rodney Stark and Laurence R. Iannaccone
Western primacy in political, economic and social progress might be thought attributable to its Judeo-Christian heritage. What religion made explicit, in the doctrine of the soul, was a conception of radical equality which helps to explain why religious institutions have often been at the forefront in the struggle for liberty, democracy and social justice. The religious emphasis on individual responsibility might also help explain why economic freedoms have been protected in the West. In addition, the religious traditions of the West, which embraced logic, and deductive thinking, might be thought in part responsible for intellectual and scientific breakthroughs.
Religious beliefs are stronger in the United States than in other first world countries. Where churches are not established, and where they must compete for adherents, attendance at religious services is higher. Competition also affects the nature of successful religions, with more rigorous religions expanding and more relaxed ones declining.
Economic insights might also help explain forms of religious extremism, such as martyrdom and terrorism, both from the supply and the demand side.
Rodney Stark is a University Professor of Social Science at Baylor University. He is the author of numerous books examining religion such as For the Glory of God and The Victory of Reason, and the co-author of The Churching of America, an empirical study of the rise of religion in America. Laurence Iannaccone of George Mason is the leading scholar on the economics of religion.