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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I was hoping the book would give me a good foundation in comparative religions and would be interesting. It was neither. The author is very knowledgeable, but is writing for those who have more than a basic knowledge of religions, which I do not have.
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This took me a long time to read but significantly less time than 4,000 years. It was a fascinating and very detailed history of the ways that we have conceptualized God back to the days of Abraham. Along the way, I learned some fun facts to bring up at a party (when you're the weird conversationalist at a party), but more importantly, this made me really think about what God means to contemporary Jews, Christians, and Muslims and what God has meant over time and what is "absolute" in theology.
A History of God is promoted as being an approachable read, and in many ways it is. But it wouldn't be the first book I would recommend to someone looking to explore these ideas as it is overflowing with concepts that can be overwhelming.
I particularly enjoyed the sections One God (2), The God of the Mystics (7), and Does God Have a Future? (11).
A History of God is promoted as being an approachable read, and in many ways it is. But it wouldn't be the first book I would recommend to someone looking to explore these ideas as it is overflowing with concepts that can be overwhelming.
I particularly enjoyed the sections One God (2), The God of the Mystics (7), and Does God Have a Future? (11).
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
An excellent book. A dense, difficult but an excellent account of how the belief in God has evolved over time, how it changed as mankind struggled to make sense of the world around.
It's essentially a history and collection of philosophical thought about God, from the super ancient times to late 21st century. Armstrong hasn't really put in her views but described these different thoughts and quoted extensively from their works. Throughout the narrative, she has expertly linked and compared each evolving school with earlier ones like a benign teacher hand holding the students.
It's a good template if you want to make up your own mind or want to make sense of many things happening in the world in an area that is intellectually stratified but potentially plebeian in its effects.
A difficult read. But a must read.
It's essentially a history and collection of philosophical thought about God, from the super ancient times to late 21st century. Armstrong hasn't really put in her views but described these different thoughts and quoted extensively from their works. Throughout the narrative, she has expertly linked and compared each evolving school with earlier ones like a benign teacher hand holding the students.
It's a good template if you want to make up your own mind or want to make sense of many things happening in the world in an area that is intellectually stratified but potentially plebeian in its effects.
A difficult read. But a must read.
This book is terrible.
I am a religious person, a casual scholar of religious history, (mostly ancient Israel orientated), and I have taken several courses on early religion with leaders of other faiths to give myself what I consider a well-rounded and open approach to religion and different ways of understanding religion. WIth that being said, I have never read a book so full of misunderstanding, mistranslations, and flat out twisting of references to get them to say what she wants.
I got about halfway through the first chapter, the author seems to ignore the wealth of information and research that is out there, from theological sources as well as peer-reviewed journals. A perfect example is when she talks about the building of stone altars and the renaming of an area as a carry-over from Caananite fertility cults, while more current research has shown evidence of these types of standing stones altars and renaming to have been practiced by Jews/Hebrews/Israelites from as early as 2000 BCE and as recent as 600 BCE. It seems to have died off with the increased orthodoxy of the Pharasies inside Jerusalem around this time.
Anyways, I quickly reached a point where I could no longer read the book, due to one inaccuracy after another. I find it hard to believe that someone who spent some time as a nun (as she claims in the introduction), could come away with so little knowledge of the history of religion or how God is viewed.
If you want to learn more about religious history or understand more about how to view God, than Bravo. But be aware, this is not the book to do it.
I am a religious person, a casual scholar of religious history, (mostly ancient Israel orientated), and I have taken several courses on early religion with leaders of other faiths to give myself what I consider a well-rounded and open approach to religion and different ways of understanding religion. WIth that being said, I have never read a book so full of misunderstanding, mistranslations, and flat out twisting of references to get them to say what she wants.
I got about halfway through the first chapter, the author seems to ignore the wealth of information and research that is out there, from theological sources as well as peer-reviewed journals. A perfect example is when she talks about the building of stone altars and the renaming of an area as a carry-over from Caananite fertility cults, while more current research has shown evidence of these types of standing stones altars and renaming to have been practiced by Jews/Hebrews/Israelites from as early as 2000 BCE and as recent as 600 BCE. It seems to have died off with the increased orthodoxy of the Pharasies inside Jerusalem around this time.
Anyways, I quickly reached a point where I could no longer read the book, due to one inaccuracy after another. I find it hard to believe that someone who spent some time as a nun (as she claims in the introduction), could come away with so little knowledge of the history of religion or how God is viewed.
If you want to learn more about religious history or understand more about how to view God, than Bravo. But be aware, this is not the book to do it.
Great introduction and a rich history of thinking. A touch beyond me on much of the assumed knowledge. On to her Islam.
It's apparent that Armstrong's theology is somewhat liberal (not saying this as a negative, for I too am liberal in many ways). But her view of the Judeo-Christian God is therefore biased. On a positive note, she gives fair treatment to all perspectives of the monotheistic and Abrahamic religions, both the good and bad. It is unclear however where she gets some of her facts. For example, she claims Mohammed peacefully united the various tribes of the Arab world. This, in spite of the historical fact (according the Koran) that Mohammed is known to have warred with the various tribes throughout Mecca and its surrounding cities, making many enemies even among his own people. Armstrong herself claims to embrace Darwinian evolution so her description of God is purely from a mystical and existential perspective. Trying to describe a Theistic worldview from a Naturalist worldview is like asking Richard Dawkins his view on Creationism. Somewhat highly academic and overall it isn't a bad book. But, as with any book, I would have liked it if it had been more balanced in perspective. Furthermore, at least 100 pages could have been easily shaved off the length of the book. I don't recommend this book if you are looking for a balanced view. But, if you are simply wanting to read one person's perspective of God, irregardless of her view, then I indeed recommend this book.