How Religion Evolved: Explaining the Living Dead, Talking Idols, and Mesmerizing Monuments

by Brian J. McVeigh

Why did many religious leaders--Moses, Old Testament prophets, Zoroaster--claim they heard divine voices? Why do ancient civilizations exhibit key similarities, e.g., the "living dead" (treating the dead as if they were still alive); "speaking idols" (care and feeding of effigies); monumental mortuary architecture and "houses of gods" (pyramids, ziggurats, temples)? How do we explain strange behaviour such as spirit possession, speaking in tongues,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1412862868
• ISBN13: 9781412862868
• Release Date: July 2016
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.1"