BLIND FAITH BOOK REVIEWS:

There are many articles scattered in the professional literature dealing with issues of religion and medicine. Sloan has performed a valuable service by assembling and evaluating in one volume the most important of these. Written primarily for the layperson, Blind Faith is also highly recommended for the physician, clergy member, and scientist and will become an important resource for anyone interested in these issues. It serves as a no-nonsense scientific assessment of the alleged benefits of religious practice on health outcomes, providing a welcome dose of skepticism and exposing overinflated and unsubstantiated claims. At the same time, it recognizes the support that religion offers many people in times of illness and suggests that patients are best served when medicine and religion function within their appropriate spheres.

Donald A. Sandweiss, M.D., JAMA

Blind Faith is a "compelling book about attempts to blur" the boundary between religion and medical practice.

Marc K. Siegel, MD, New York Post

“a provocative yet judicious and timely book based on meticulous scholarship. … Professor Sloan has provided an in-depth examination of key questions including how to preserve the coexistence of faith and science without violating the sacred domain of religion and the necessary autonomy of science and medicine.”

Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation

“Reason has regained its voice. Richard Sloan speaks the truth in Blind Faith. It is an eloquent description of the scientific method, and a condemnation of those who pander to a superstitious public with shoddy and deceptive studies that purport to show that religion is good for your health. … This book should be read by everyone who loves truth.”

Robert L. Park, author of Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud.

 “Dr. Richard P. Sloan has written an important book that should garner the attention of medical practitioners, clergy, and the faithful alike. He offers an honest and unsentimental assessment of one of our cultures most powerful shibboleths - that combining religion and medicine represents the highest standard of health care…. This carefully reasoned study will give attentive readers pause about the many ethical and professional issues at stake when physicians make faith a subject of their medical practice.”

Reverend Robert Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, USA

 “Sloan believes the emerging efforts to link religion with medicine could result in “a potentially explosive mixture. … Highly recommended as an instructive and informative book for scientific and humanistic collections.”

Library Journal (starred review)

 “This book is an important look at a growing movement. Sloan’s voice needs to be heard above the din, lest the system goes completely awry”

Christina Wantz Fixemer

"Sloan takes a close look at the growing encroachment of religion in yet another sphere of American life: medicine…. Sloan has done well to sound the alarm, while providing an excellent primer on how medical evidence should be collected."

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)