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.