The belief in a governing celestial principle has long been an essential element of human
society worldwide. More than 80% of the world's population has a religious affiliation and even
in secular states religion continues to play an important role. Politics and international
relations today cannot be understood without accounting for the religious context of a
society's history. The essays in this volume explore religion and spirituality as both a
societal force and an individual experience. Contributors include: Reza Aslan Benedetta Berti
Jessica Frazier Armin W. Geertz Ariel Glucklich Martin Goodman Wouter J. Hanegraaff Gary
Lachman Julius J. Lipner Diarmaid Macculloch Janne Haaland Matláry Simon May Richard Miles
Candida R. Moss William O'Reilly Robin Osborne Elaine Pagels Wolfgang Palaver Marco Pasi
Daniel T. Potts Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Göran Rosenberg Malise Ruthven John Scheid Mona
Siddiqui Pär Stenbäck Jayne Svenungsson Harvey Whitehouse A.N. Wilson and Adrian
Wooldridge.
