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Bearing False Witness

Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History

by Rodney Stark

In this stunning, powerful, and ultimately persuasive book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what, in fact, is the truth? | read more»

Buy The Book

About the Book and Author

Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion, argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. | read more »

Author Q&A: Rodney Stark

The fallout from these anti-Catholic myths has been extensive and damaging. Stark sets the record straight. | read more »

Praise for "Bearing False Witness"

"Rodney Stark has done justice to neglected historical truth, and I am deeply grateful for his steady toughmindedness." —Michael Novak, winner of the Templeton Prize, author of "The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism" | read more »

Read an Excerpt From "Bearing False Witness"

"No matter how much importance one places on these negative aspects of Church history, it does not justify the extreme exaggerations, false accusations, and patent frauds addressed in the chapters that follow." | read more »
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