Changes

2. '' The Secularization of the European Mind'' by Owen Chadwick – This book is considered “academic” in that Chadwick’s style can be somewhat convoluted and erudite. Chadwick bases most of his conclusions off of the moral philosophy of the Enlightenment, which comes with its own set of problems. For many, a turn away from religion was not based on new philosophy, but rather on a disdain for State-sponsored activities.

4. ''The Cambridge Companion to Atheism'' by Michael Martin – This work is a collection of eighteen essays by the world’s leading scholars on atheism and irreligion. It deals with atheistic beliefs from antiquity to the modern age. The essays contained within present varying perspectives of irreligious beliefs – from philosophical to societal.

5. ''Religion and the Decline of Magic'' by Keith Thomas – This book primarily deals with the epic battle between religion and magic from the medieval period until around the seventeenth century, and it does so in an endlessly fascinating way. When did magic, miracles, and superstition become concepts that could be differentiated between, and why did some become sinful and others acceptable? When did fortunetellers and “cunning men” become witches and demons?

6. ''Divided by Faith: Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early-Modern Europe'' by Benjamin Kaplan – This work asks a very basic question: After the Protestant Reformation of ~1517 brought into question most of Europe’s (Catholic) religious beliefs, how did people of different/evolving faiths coexist? The answer is: not well. Kaplan's work is, at once, fascinating and all-encompassing.