Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion

Rating:
Summary: Useful even in a sociology of religion course
Review: As a graduate student teacher, I use this book because it offers a non-threatening method of showing how different groups in a society can come up with alternative worldviews even if they share the same sacred texts and experiences. Specifically, I love how the author shows that cultural values are more influenced by how a group recounts a story in a comic or tragic manner rather than what the details of a story are. Just because the story may involve a nuclear war or a holocaust or the crucifixion of a leader does not mean that the story must espouse tragic/negative views of human nature.