Jack Huberman’s What in God’s Name? is an encyclopedic treasury of religious absurdity. Armed with healthy skepticism and extensive knowledge of the world’s religions, Huberman explores the less than palatable aspects of various religious dogmas—and the social and political strife that so often accompany religious zealotry.

What in God’s Name? exposes the absurd and the disturbing with wit and humor, as well as an eye to the real-world implications of extremist religious doctrine. From justifying hundreds of thousands of ritual burnings of “witches” over the years, to crusades and other euphemistically named-in-the-name-of-God genocidal acts, to the silencing of scientific greats like Copernicus and Galileo, Huberman’s book is at once astonishing, hilarious and profound. Not only will this religious treasury appeal to trivia buffs (who will delight in learning about everything from the peculiarities of animism in the pre-Columbian Americas, to the rituals of pagans across the globe, to the contemporary madness of the Christian right), it will also appeal to those who hunger for a rational, insightful discourse on religion. Huberman is no atheistic zealot—he aims only to explore too-often superficially examined dogma, scrutinize histories of intolerance and persecution in the name of a higher power, and bring to accountability the individuals who have thrived though the tyranny of a supposedly divine mandate.

What in God’s Name? is expansive in scope, hard-hitting and often laugh-out-loud funny. It is essential for those who question who question conventional wisdom and wish for an uncensored study of religion.