Rating: 
Summary: A good read for the seeker
Review: WARNING: Reading this book may damage your fundamentalist perception! I picked it up because my Christian references insufficiently addressed my questions about the origin of certain perceptions or traditions in their faith. I also wanted to learn more about Judaism and Islam. This is a great gateway study for those who aren't satisfied with narrow and restrictive interpretations of history. Armstrong doesn't try to protect you.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was hoping for a deeper look at the motive behind the worship of the single deity called "Yahweh" or "Allah," but the motives I was provided with in this book were usually those of over-educated theologists and this ex-nun. The day a journalist relies so heavily upon the academic world for her quotations and answers to something that permeates society to this extent is the day I stop reading the newspaper. Billions of normal, everyday individuals since history began have found the God of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to be more real than anything else in their lives. The author seems to ignore this fact and rely much more heavily upon the hidden agendas and pompous writings of church leaders and theologians. Besides this "pet peeve" of mine, the author also sometimes ignores the obvious and manipulates historical record to seemingly make a point, even suggesting that people in "bad times" don't believe in a connected God -- something that is not only proven wrong statistically, but is actually the opposite of what facts suggest in today's society. Making such sweeping assumptions about humanity based on the history of theology is insane when there are millions of poor slobs outside the insulated world of academia that are proving you wrong on a daily basis. However, I have rejected the urge to only give the author 1 star because, although there is much missing in the book, her writing style and approach are refreshing. If only her history could have gone below the surface and explored the real reasons this God seems to connect with humanity while so many others have fallen by the wayside. After reading this book, I found that a few hours of sustained meditation and prayers offered me much more insight into God / Allah / Yahweh than the agonizing time I put into reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Helpful
Review: Karen Armstrong, a non-historian and at best a mediocre journalist, who seems to beleive her status as a former nun makes her an expert on the history of western religion, here delievers a rather banal and not particularly well researched work. No one would argue that the study of the human quest to find the divine is not worthwhile. Indeed, it is one of the great stories of our collective history. That said this book falls down on several scores. Firstly, it is a bit like those "guide to Europe" books. Her attempt to cover 4,000 years of history spread over three religions and three continents in less than 500 pages insures that you can learn a few facts about a lot of things, but gain an understanding of none. Secondly, the book is a bit like a travel book written by someone who has only visited a few of the places described. Armstrong lacks the background to discuss her subject, nor has she done the research to compensate. Not only does she give short shrift and rather odd descriptions of Judaism and Christianity, she is less than helpful on Islam. That brings us to the third problem: Armstrong's goal is not to give the reader a true picture of Islam, one of the world's most beautiful faiths, but rather to sanitize it beyond recognition. Like a Visigoth, she sellects those few things that, as a liberal westerner she finds appealing, and leaves the rest on the trash heap. By the time she is done describing it, we are left with a religion that few Muslims would recognize at their own. My greatest problem is that what Armstrong does is tell us a lot more about herself and her own feelings than about the real people who practice these faiths. Her rather self centered first person style may have rocketed this book to the top of the charts, but does little to inform the reader of anything other than what is going on in the mind of a middle aged ex-nun. First person is a fine introduction to a subject, but over 400 pages of it is a bit extreme. If you are truly interested in understanding Islam, I would suggest you look at the "Oxford History of Islam" or "A History of Islamic Societies." You may also want to look at Bernard Lewis's "History of the Middle East" or "The Crusade through Arab Eyes."
Rating:
Summary: Biased
Review: Somewhat interesting but very biased. Even on the A@E special tv review of this she made some biased unfactual statements ref Christianity - that Jesus himself had never claimed to be God...not true. A patchwork of biased information ref all the covered religions.
Rating:
Summary: More (and less) than what you would expect on the subject.
Review: As a reference guide alone, the book is worth the price. Much of the book is structured by reference to the major figures of each period, so if the reader doesn't like the way she has portrayed a person or a period, one can do independent research and compare notes.
Although a title such as this suggests that there's going to be a comprehensive analysis about everything God is and has been to humanity, there are some deliberate constraints on the scope. The subject here is to discuss the cause and effect relationship between humans and their God, primarily at the individual level. As she discusses throughout the book, the rise of monotheism had implications not only in the area of theology, but also in the notion of social justice and the duty to help the less fortunate in society. Armstrong describes how in all three faiths this call for social justice was a pivotal stage of development, melting away theological accretions and asserting that there was no one but God alone over the universe.
But once this singularity and transcendence of deity is determined, the other part of the dilemma raises its head: if God is that overpowering and nondependent on humanity, how are humans ever to know him? It's this dilemma that the men and women Armstrong profiles try to answer, by supposing that God either a) can be known as a philosophical reality, b) can be experienced as a mystic partner, c) cannot be known or conceptualized at all, or d) can be known through his energies, but his essence cannot be known. There are certainly more answers proposed, but I think this is the tension Armstrong is describing in presenting the differing visions of God.
As I said earlier, the book is a theological history, not a political one. I could probably count on one hand the number of popes or other political figures mentioned in the book. I don't think there's enough here to make any substantial conclusions about how she believes the religious authorities treated the less orthodox in their faith. The conflict with orthodoxy is, for the most part, a peripheral subject of the book.
All in all, it's a great book to start with as a survey of monotheistic theology, and if you remember that that's all that it's trying to be about.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly boring
Review: This book was so dry and boring I have to admit I did not read the whole thing, it was torturous.
Rating:
Summary: An Impressive Torrent of Detailed Information
Review: I read many books, but keep very few -- donating most of them to the local library or giving them to friends. However, this is one of the few books I have retained on my bookshelf. The author has an amazing breadth of knowledge of the religions that came out of the Middle East and swept over the planet. Believers, agnostics and atheists will find the information in this book both interesting and enlightening. The only people who may find this book unpleasant are fundamentalists, as the author does not try to prove one religion more 'true' than another. Her grand perspective rises above that kind of preachiness. Indeed, she goes back to the early days of Middle Eastern religion, talking about the High God "El", then moving forward in time to show how ancient beliefs became subsumed into the religions we know today. This book is a bit of tough read, simply because it contains so much information on every page. Fortunately, it contains a glossary and an index, which I found helpful whenever I got lost. Some mention is made of other religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, but this is not an encylopedia of comparitive religion. Rather it focuses upon what its title claims, presenting the evolution of the idea of "God" as it is understood by Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Rating:
Summary: If you're open minded , this is a must read book
Review: I've always wanted to find a historical perspective and comparative views of the 3 Gods that Muslins, Christians and Jews have. Are they the same? Do they remain the same in time?
How will this change? Heavy intense reading, but very good.
Rating:
Summary: Worth your time
Review: This was a fascinating read. The careful scholarship makes it a reference work, while literate style makes it a moving experience. I have read a lot of books about religion, from Sir James Frasier to Joseph Campbell, and Karen Armstrong has a grasp of the origins of Christianity and a vision of its future that moved and informed me in a new way. I found it interesting and powerful.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary work
Review: The research that has gone into this book is extraordinary and impressive. Karen Armstrong paints a fascinating picture demonstrating how all religions not only influenced each other but also developed similar concepts in line with societal change. This book not only promotes understanding of different religions but also creates a context for much greater understanding and tolerance. As such, fundamentalists will not enjoy this book, but all others will find it a worthwhile and first class read. Strongly recommended, this book genuinely contributes to peace and understanding in our time.
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