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reformers like Martin Luther experiencing fire in their Further Reading
soul, acquiring a mission, and then spreading their mes- Armstrong, K. (1993). A history of God:The 4,000-year quest of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. New York: Ballantine.
sage and changing the world. But there would be no reli-
Bianchi, U. (1975). The history of religions. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
gious movements were there not also stirrings and Bishop, P., & Darton, M. (Eds.). (1987). The encyclopedia of world faiths:
hungers in individual souls, and at least partial and often An illustrated survey of the world’s religions. New York: Facts on File
Publications.
wholly enthusiastic responses to God or the gods. Braun, W., & McCutcheon, R. T. (2000). Guide to the study of religion.
At the other extreme, religions have to be appraised as New York: Cassell.
Brown, P. R. L. (1971). The world of late antiquity: From Marcus Aurelius
mass movements. Millions of Muslims make pilgrimages
to Mohammad. London: Thames & Hudson.
to Kaaba in Mecca, as Christians went on crusades; they Burkert,W. (1996). Creation of the sacred:Tracks of biology in early reli-
form armies in support of kings who they think rule by gion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bush, R. C. (Ed.). (1993). The religious world: Communities of faith. New
divine right, or they stimulate revivals, awakenings, and York: Macmillan.
renewal movements.They can be attached to movements Carmody, J.T., & Carmody, D. (1993). Ways to the center: An introduc-
tion to world religions. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
already existing: Often nations are ready to war against
Denny, F. M. (1985). An introduction to Islam. New York: Macmillan.
nations, but they mobilize when they are convinced that Despland, M., & Vallée, G. (Eds.). (1992). Religion in history:The word,
God or the good is on their side, and that enemies of the idea, the reality. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
God—Satan, if you will, among others—are on the
other side.
Religions often undertake revolutionary missions.
While their main function may be conservative, urging
respect as they often do for the wisdom and achievements
of sacred ancestors and offering ballast and sanity in
times of disturbance, they may also take it to be their mis-
sion to upset the world.Thus the Hebrew prophets of the
eighth century BCE, acting on the basis of a covenant they
claimed God had with Israel that was now being forgot-
ten, called the people to repent, change their ways, and
do works of justice and mercy.They may form resistance
movements against modern dictators, or provide con-
science for individuals who need courage and divine
authorization. So religions make history both in their
integrating roles and when they are prophetic and dis-
ruptive. Since they deal with invisibles, with soul and
spirit and unseen forces, they may not be as easy to track
and chronicle as are wars, earthquakes, famines, or catas-
trophes, but they do as much as such phenomena to alter
the human landscape through history and into the
present.

Martin E. Marty

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, a site
sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.