In 'How the West really lost God', Mary Eberstadt takes issue with the standard explanation for the decline of the family. The conventional explanation is that the decline in Christianity is responsible for the decline of the family, but Eberstadt argues that, in fact, the reverse may well be true. Drawing on population data, both historical and contemporary, from countries throughout the world, the author shows that family decline actually preceded...

"This book develops a theory of secularization and existential security, demonstrating that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past fifty years, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before"--Provided by publisher. "Seminal nineteenth-century thinkers predicted that religion would gradually fade in importance...

A follow-up to the best-selling "Ethics for a new millennium" outlines a system of secular ethics that both transcends religion and incorporates religious tolerance for the overall improvement of human life on individual, community and global levels, offering an accompanying guided meditation practice for cultivating key human values.