Cover of Dominion

Dominion

by Tom Holland, Mark Meadows, Joan Eloi Roca · first published 2019

30mentions
20recommended by
23HN commenters
2020–2026first – last mentioned

87% recommend13% neutral

Why HN recommends it

Thorough, well-researched history of how Christianity shaped Western morality and culture, tracing it from Roman times. Suits readers who want a nuanced account of where modern values come from.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears, and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition, remain recognisably its heirs. Seen close-up, the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable. Widen the focus, though, and Christianity’s enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science, in secu

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Mentions per year

70 2007: 0 mentions2008: 0 mentions2009: 0 mentions2010: 0 mentions2011: 0 mentions2012: 0 mentions2013: 0 mentions2014: 0 mentions2015: 0 mentions2016: 0 mentions2017: 0 mentions2018: 0 mentions2019: 0 mentions2020: 1 mention2021: 3 mentions2022: 5 mentions2023: 6 mentions2024: 7 mentions2025: 3 mentions2026: 2 mentions200720172026

What Hacker News says

  • PathOfEclipse · Oct 5, 2022 · Recommends

    …was as anti-Christian as they come, as was his Nazi movement. We will also have to disagree about the roots of universal human dignity. Here are some readings I might suggest: https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Making-Western-Tom-Holland/d... https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Reason-Christianity-Freedom-C... https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Activism-Chinese-Societies-... And here is a good short video with snippets…

    on ““The Onion” Files a Supreme Court Brief” ↗
  • johnnycerberus · Jan 14, 2021 · Recommends

    Dominion by Tom Holland, actually everything by this author The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

    on “What we know sex with Neanderthals was like” ↗
  • sethc2 · Mar 29, 2021 · Recommends

    …you’d probably realize that your moral basis itself is founded upon the work church did. If you’re someone who is open minded you should try to hear good arguments from another perspective. I’d recommend Dominion by Tom Holland perhaps - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465093507/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm... What I’ve found is people who actually don’t believe their opinions strongly avoid books challenging those opinions,…

    on “Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time” ↗
  • samcgraw · May 22, 2026 · Recommends

    Those interested may find Dominion[0] an excellent read. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Christian-Revolution-Remade-...

    on “The Spread of Christianity Animated” ↗
  • throw0101a · Aug 27, 2022 · Recommends

    I would recommend: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WEIRDest_People_in_the_Wor... As well as Dominion by Tom Holland: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holland_(author) * https://historyforatheists.com/2020/01/tom-holland-dominion/

    on “The Best Books on the Great Divergence” ↗
  • prometheus76 · Nov 2, 2023 · Recommends

    Check out a book called Dominion by Tom Holland and you might be surprised to find the true source of your current moral structure. He discusses Roman history and contrasts it to Christian culture, which developed out of the carcass…

    on “Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education” ↗
  • roca · Oct 17, 2024 · Recommends

    …things you would call fantastical. https://www.amazon.com.au/Resurrection-Christian-Origins-Que... > you simply haven't realized how much religion has made your country worse. https://www.amazon.com.au/Dominion-Christian-Revolution-Rema...

  • flanked-evergl · Nov 28, 2024 · Recommends

    …by GK Chesterton - Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton - Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America by Mary Grabar - A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell - Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland

    on “List of books that will induce a mindfuck” ↗
  • graemep · Nov 16, 2025 · Recommends

    …and cultural context? Can you find anything in the New testament that supports this? Do you know about the history of how Christianity shaped European culture? There are excellent books on the subjects (Dominion by Tom Holland is brilliant on the lats of these).

  • jimbokun · Dec 10, 2025 · Recommends

    If you are serious about these questions, read Dominion by Tom Holland. He makes a very long and thorough historical case that Christianity has contributed more good than bad over the centuries. (I don’t know what comparable works are for other religions.)

  • graemep · May 20, 2026 · Recommends

    …different values and histories so you cannot generalise across all of them and I am sticking to what I know. I also think taking a long term historical view makes it look a lot more positive. Have you read Dominion by Tom Holland?

    on “Anthropic co-founder to present AI encyclical alongside Pope Leo XIV” ↗
  • trees101 · Feb 10, 2022 · Recommends

    …had a Muslim friend who used to comment on how "Christian" my country was, whereas I'd always seen it as highly secular. The British historian Tom Holland is very good on this topic. His recent book "Dominion" is basically an examination of how Christianity so pervasively shaped the West. He's got some good interviews on YouTube if anyone wants a shorter introduction to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIJ9gK47Ogw,https://www.yout....

    on “The data are clear: The boys are not all right” ↗
  • bennysonething · Oct 31, 2020 · Recommends

    I agree. After reading a few Tom Holland books (not really historical fiction) like Dominion, under the shadow of the sword, millennium, Rubicon you start to realise how awful ancient civilizations were. Slavery was just a just an accepted norm. Likelyhood of disease or famine killing you was…

    on “Why Are We Living in a Golden Age of Historical Fiction? (2019)” ↗
  • chadanon · Mar 14, 2022 · Recommends

    Look up Jonathan Pageau. Also checkout Tom Holland's "Dominion". A "Christian Atheist" is a modern phenomenon, and our materialist culture is the heart of that perspective and one that's deeply misunderstood and flawed. I'd argue St. Paul and other biblical era…

    on “Ask HN: I'm So Lonely” ↗
  • fsloth · May 28, 2023 · Recommends

    I can warmly recommend Tom Holland's captivating "Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World" for the history of how christianity diverged from judaism and became the dominant religion in the west.

    on “Ask HN: What's the Best Book on Religion” ↗

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