"A triumphant success—of well-marshalled resources, careful argument, and lucid discussion. Sharot brings to his work a daunting—indeed dazzling—armoury of cross-cultural scholarship, impressively matched by rigorous, sustained and penetrating analysis. The book is not only a monumental contribution to our understanding of religion world-wide, but is also an exemplary exploitation of the insights of sociological analysis when applied to widely diverse cultural phenomena."

-Bryan Wilson,Emeritus Fellow of All Souls, University of Oxford, U.K., and author of Religion in Sociological Perspective

"Sharot makes a substantial contribution to the maturation of the comparative sociology of religion. A distinctive feature of the book is its accent on popular religion, a much studied phenomenon these days."

-Martin Marty,

"The many books on the world's religions typically emphasize doctrine ( religion "in the air"), while sociology of religion books typically emphasize behavior (religion 'on the ground'). Stephen Sharot does both in this masterful study, the product of many years of research. His book should have great classroom potential as well as a prominent place on religion scholars' bookshelves."

-Phillip Hammond D. Mackenzie Brown,Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of California Santa Barbara

"..the book reads smoothly and continues to engage the reader's attention. This book belongs in libraries of all sorts. It strikes me as a paradigm of analytical comprehension that should set a standard for the field."

-Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,September 2002

"This book belongs in libraries of all sorts. It strikes me as a paradigm of analytical comprehension that should set a standard for the field."

-Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,September 2002