I’m a beginner layman reader looking to learn about how religious thought developed throughout the ages from ancient times to the modern day.
Came across the history of God and A short history of myth, both by Karen Armstrong.
Evolution of God by Robert Wright.
A Little History of Religion by Richard Holloway.
Are any of these books a good start?
I also came across Mircea Eliade’s A History of Religious Ideas series, but I think it would be less accessible than the others mentioned.
I’m open to other suggestions, would like to hear your thoughts, thank you!
by anonymon35
3 Comments
It has been years since I read it, but I remember really enjoying ((Parallel Myths by J.F. Bierlein))
I actually would recommend Mircea Eliade’s *History of Religious Ideas*. It does have more of a scholarly approach, but I think it’s still pretty accessible to lay readers. I know that Karen Armstrong was a Roman Catholic nun, so there might be some strong bias in her work but I haven’t read it so I can’t say for sure.
I would also recommend *Introduction to the Study of Religion* by Professor Charles B. Jones. It’s a Great Courses lecture series so wherever you can get audiobooks like Audible or Libby. It’s a *very* in depth look at the history of religious philosophy and how people have thought about and interpreted it.
Religious history is incredibly broad so I think one might be hard pressed to find more than a couple good books of that scale. But this does happen to be a bit of a personal passion of mine. Are there any specific eras, ideas or religions you are interested in learning about?
Joseph Henrich, *The WEIRDest People in the World*