America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists

America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.

Rodney Stark (2012), West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press.

In 2007, I entered the social work profession as an aspiring social worker. It was not long before I experienced the "antireligious biases of academia" (Stark, 2012, p. 46) and "learned" that religion is associated with social problems like terrorism and violence at macro and micro levels, domestic violence, exclusion of people and groups, and mental health challenges. Although these beliefs did not originate within the mainstream social work profession, they are widely embraced in it. As prolific sociologist Rodney Stark points out in his very intriguing book America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists, these beliefs about the socioeconomic detriments of religion are commonly held in American society. I argue this is also true in societies and the social work profession elsewhere (e.g., in Canada, some parts of Europe).

In sharp contrast to these mainstream and academic beliefs, Stark contends that religion is a "blessing" to America on both micro and macro levels (p. 3). Further, Stark makes clear that religion benefits all society's citizens, not just those who are themselves religious. For instance, Stark argues religious persons are more civically involved (e.g., in community affairs, politics, volunteer activities, donations to charity, etc.) than those who are non-religious, but their actions improve entire communities and society in a variety of social, political, and economic...