Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLantern
...Basically not looking for a book that will bash it, but not one that glorifies it, a neutral stand point. Specific religion doesn't matter, but the more included the better.
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Well, sociologists and an increasing number of historians will argue that pure "neutrality" is a myth: humanity—by its very nature—is prone to organize information and construct history according to a narrative framework that will always prioritize a given perspective of meaning. I'm just saying...
Anyhow, I would suggest that you are probably best to consider something in the realm of sociological approaches to religion. I am not very well read in sociology generally, and I don't feel qualified to make any recommendations for general studies, but I can recommend some books that have made an important impact in my own discipline, which is Second-Temple Jewish history, religion and literature.
Most notably: Jan Assmann (yes, that is his real name...)
Religion and Cultural Memory: Ten Studies (Stanford: Stanford UP, 2006)
In the realm of Jewish history and religion more specifically:
Philip R. Davies,
Memories of Ancient Israel: An Introduction to Biblical History, Ancient and Modern (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008).
also,
[URL="http://www.amazon.ca/Scribes-Schools-Canonization-Hebrew-Scriptures/dp/0281051879/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283371605&sr=1-6"]Scribes and Schools: The Canonization of the Hebrew Scriptures[/URL (London: SPCK, 1998)
I would also recommend titles by Lester Grabbe, but they are sadly ridiculously expensive. A very good book on the topic of the development of Jewish religion is Lester L. Grabbe,
Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period: Belief and Practice from the Exile to the Yavneh (New York: Routledge, 2000).
Perhaps a more affordable option may be his
Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?, although it is not exactly germane to your topic.
One of the reasons I think studies in Second Temple Jewish religion are helpful is because these were the roots for modern religion in the Western World. Understanding where Judaism emerged from, or how this contributed to the early development of Christianity helps in our understanding of how and why these religions practice as they do today.
I'm sure that others have some equally compelling recommendations.