History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Additional History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam Information

"Strange as it may seem, the idea of 'God' developed in a market economy in a spirit of aggressive capitalism," Karen Armstrong asserts in her fascinating work A History of God. Armstrong considers herself a "historian of ideas," and with this broad view she gives a compelling account of the correspondences among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the historical, philosophical, intellectual, and social developments through the ages that both shaped them and were shaped by them.

Religion is "highly pragmatic," Armstrong finds. Any particular idea of God must work for the people who develop it. Consequently, as the times have changed, so have our ideas about God. "Understanding the ever-changing ideas of God in the past and their relevance and usefulness in their time," she says, "will help us to develop a new concept for the future."

Today an increasing number of people have difficulty with the idea of a God that behaves as a larger version of themselves. Armstrong sees this as inevitable, and welcomes believers to a notion of God that "works for us in the empirical age."

What Customers Say About History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam:

DOUBTFUL THE AVERAGE AMERICAN READER CAN DIGEST ALL THIS SCHOLARLY WRITTEN INFORMATION. FULL OF DETAILED HISTORICAL INFORMATION. SHOULD BE READ AS IF IT IS A TEXT BOOK OR PERHAPS AN ACADEMIC PAPER FOR SCHOLARS. CAN BE USED AS A REFERENCE BOOK IF THE AVERAGE READER, AS I AM, CAN MUDDLE THROUGH WHILE SEARCHING FOR DESIRED INFORMATION. THE AUTHOR DOES DESERVE A LOT OF CREDIT FOR HER EXPERTISE IN THIS FIELD.

My, my, Ms Armstrong, what a talent you are.I don't believe I have ever come across an author who has impressed me more. Not Knut Hamsun, not Paul Auster, not Naipaul, not Kierkegaard, not any Greek, Roman or German philosopher. Extremely intelligent and accessible work

Karen Armstrong's most famous book, "A History of God", is a very substantive book that has many merits that are unfortunately dragged down by Karen's anti-West bias. For example, Armstrong repeatedly makes the claim that many of the stories in the Hebrew Bible were not meant to be taken seriously, even though she provided very weak evidence to support this view. Don't get me wrong; some of the chapters in Armstrong's book are very captivating and informative, but her obvious anti-West bias that creeps up time and time again definitely degrades the substance of Armstrong's book. Also, she sometimes makes sweeping claims that are not backed up by convincing evidence. Overall, this books is definitely worth reading for those interested in religious studies, despite a couple of the aforementioned flaws. A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

This is a very powerful look at religion through in-depth look at how history effected it. It isn't an easy read but well worth it for those that seek answers.

Robinson's quick reply was, "I don't believe it does either, but that is the lowest grade I can give you". Years ago a fellow student, after being handed back an essay, said, "Dr. I felt the same way about this book. Robinson, I don't believe this paper deserves an F". Dr. I should have read the other reviews before I made the purchase, and I wouldn't have to write this review. I suppose I am one of those hanging on to my guns and religion.