Rating: 
Summary: A Timely Book
Review: THE BATTLE FOR GOD is the story of the rise of religious fundamentalism, especially among Christians, Muslims and Jews. The subject is now even more timely than when the book was first published five years ago.
Karen Armstrong shows that religious fundamentalism is a relatively recent phenomenon. Religious fundamentalists feel threatened by society's modern advances which are favored by secularists. The secularists in turn feel threatened by the rigid views of the fundamentalists. It is more important than ever for these opposing groups to find some common meeting ground. After reading Armstrong's book, however, I do not feel optimistic about this possibility occurring anytime in the near future.
THE BATTLE FOR GOD is a well-researched study of a complex topic. One inescapable conclusion to draw from reading the book is that religious fundamentalism is deeply entrenched throughout the world and it is a major cause of much of the planet's present unrest.
Rating:
Summary: The Threat of Fundamentalism
Review: In "The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism" Karen Armstrong has produced a tour de force. I was inspired to read this book by having heard the author speak about the same subject (very eloquently) at our local university. In reading the current work I was impressed by her grasp of history (something I wish were true of those she writes about) and the circuitous route of that history to the modern world as we know it. As she suggests, the fundamentalists of Islam, Judaism and Christianity are indeed part of the modern world and in fact could not exist in any other.
There are many stripes of fundamentalism, not just Islamic, Jewish or Christian, but (as Ms. Armstrong notes) Hindu, Buddhist, and other religions. Even scientists, atheists, and other rationalists can have a fundamentalist mindset. Communism, Nazism and other non-theological ideologies have actually caused more death in the 20th Century than religious disputes, but then these were, in more ways than one, secular religions. As Armstrong points out, militant religious fundamentalism exists at least in part as a reaction to the threat posed by militant modernity (and vice versa). The humbling of William Jennings Bryant at Dayton, Tennessee, during the Scopes trial is a case in point. Although Scopes was convicted of illegally teaching evolution against state law, the unthinking Christian fundamentalism of Bryant (who was in many other ways a liberal reformer) was exposed to ridicule by Darrow and Mencken. This insult was not lost on the fundamentalists, who developed more radical views in their bitterness and this eventually led to the strident assaults on evolution in the schools by creationists and proponents of "Intelligent Design". Similarly Osama bin Laden in a video (not covered in this book as it happened too recently) stated that his attack on the United States was in part hatched when he watched US ships fire on targets in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion. Christian, Moslem, and Jewish fundamentalism are the result of a fearful reaction to the threat which, the fundamentalists believe, the modern secular world poses to their way of life.
Certainly neither I nor Ms. Armstrong can exactly compare the creationist onslaught on public schools to the actual slaughter of innocent people by Islamic militants, but they are both a result of a deep resentment of the modern world's disdain of their most cherished beliefs. To be able to combat such acts they must be understood in that context.
To show how far from their supposed principles fundamentalists can go in pursuit of their goals Armstrong notes that several of the hijackers of the airliners that slammed into the World Trade Center acted in a most un-Islamic way prior to their mission, including drinking and entering nightclubs. Yet they thought that by sacrificing their lives in destroying the towers, they would enter the Islamic heaven. Many extreme fundamentalists believe that what you do on earth is no consequence if you are faithful in the performance of certain acts of violence in opposition to secularism. Extreme Christian fundamentalists also believe that they may need to help bring on the End Times, leading to the rule of Christ in a new age of righteousness. Some bitter fanatics would even resort to violence, much like the Islamic militants, as in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in response to the government destruction of the Branch Davidians. Extreme fundamentalists have indeed gone very far from their core teachings. In Christianity they tend to ignore Jesus' actual words (except for a few that fit their rather skewed view of reality) and yet claim to be true to every jot and title of the Bible. Millenarianists who "need" to bring on the End Times, or to protect themselves from a perceived (and sometimes real) threat by modernity, and believers who are convinced that they will be richly rewarded for an act of violence, are very dangerous to the society in which they live. How do we give people the maximum of religious liberty and at the same time discourage such dangerous tendencies toward nihilism?
This book is (as far as I know) the most complete current exposition on this very human difficulty. The abiding question of whether we can lessen the intolerance of both fundamentalism for the modern world and the modern world's intolerance for religious belief is very important for the future of our civilization. As an agnostic and a scientist who has contact with a number of religious groups it is my fervent hope that moderate and liberal religion can take more control of religious thought, and that modernity, as represented by the secular state and science, can be more tolerant (and even respectful) of religion. By moderate and liberal religions I mean those that exhibit one of the best characteristics of all major religions- compassion! After all it is not exactly true that any of us, in our very core, is certain of our facts. None of us was there when the foundations of the universe was laid down! Thus we should be able to respect the right of every human to come to their own way of finding meaning in life, as long as they do not advocate physical harm to others who do not believe as they do. Like it or not we live in a pluralistic society and to maintain the benefits of that society, while tackling the difficult problems that beset us, we need to not be at each other's throats.
Read this book if you would have some understanding of the historical background of the fundamentalist mindset. Even if you disagree with Karen Armstrong in her analysis, you will gain much insight as to how we got to this point in our history and how we may be able to pull back from disaster.
Rating: 
Summary: The fundamentals of Fundamentalism
Review: In The Battle for God, Karen Armstrong once again examines the history of the three big monotheistic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This time, her focus is on the development of fundamentalism within these three faiths.
To provide a history of fundamentalism, first it must be defined. It means different things to different religions, but Armstrong finds similarities between the different types. To her, fundamentalism arises out of a conflict between "mythos" and "logos"; or in simplest terms, faith and reason. As the 20th century shifted to a more "rational" world - one based more on scientific principles - it seemed like faith would be driven into a quiet corner, never to emerge again. Unfortunately, complete rationality has a certain sterile feel and creates a void which fundamentalism fills.
Armstrong focuses on several types of fundamentalism, allowing the reader to see their similarities and differences. In particular, she focuses on the fundamentalists in American Protestantism, Israeli Judaism, Egyptian Sunni Islamism and Iranian Shiite Islamism. Her history begins in the Renaissance and goes to the present day.
While it is clear that Armstrong is no advocate of fundamentalist agendas, she also shows an understanding as to the motives of the movement and does not merely dismiss fundamentalists as idiots or crackpots; indeed, she shows that such dismissals accomplish little and can actually give the fundamentalists greater strength.
As with any book on religion, this one is sure to not be liked by everyone. What seems to be a generally objective look at fundamentalism will probably be dismissed by others as anti-religious. Armstrong also aims her book at a relatively sophisticated audience, and the concepts she deals with are not always easy to grasp. For an American reader who can see the influence of religion in the 2004 presidential election, this book offers some good insights. It is not perfect, and it is not always an easy read, but it is a solid four star book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Confusing and Demoralizing Treatise on the Major Religions
Review: This book screams out, "Please God, I want to believe in you but I can't!" Armstrong was a nun and now doesn't know whether she is Buddhist or Muslim, so how can she be objective about the major religions? She is writes with very little insight. She presents an evasive, ambiguous, and confusing theory of religion. Not a good book to read if you are interested in any of the religions she discusses, or should I say dissects and rips apart?
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Excellent, though a bit of a challenge to listen to. And long... 6 hours, as I recall. And that's abridged. Worth it, though.
Rating:
Summary: A very confused lady
Review: The one star is for two reasons:
First, I can't give anything lower, which is stupid.
Second, she is an easy read.
That being said, Ms. Armstrong is one confused, mixed up, and disillusioned lady. It seems that all, or most of her books end up discrediting all religions but Islam. Maybe she gets a "kick" out of suicide bombers, terrorists, killers, torturers, beheaders, and the like. Even though she dislikes most fundamentalists, she loves the Muslims. What a convoluted brain! Or maybe she has her head so buried where the sun doesn't shine that she actually doesn't know what's going on in the world today.
Rating:
Summary: A solid work of synthesis
Review: Karen Armstrong provides in this volume a well-written analysis of the common roots of "fundamentalisms" in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Like most scholars, she sees such movements as both a product of and reaction to modernity. As in any broad work of synthesis, experts will notice small errors or inaccurate formulations in "their" territory. Armstrong relies on secondary material for almost all of her sources and at times the choices she has made seem dated or ill-chosen. As is always the case with hot topics, "advocates" will have much to complain about. While I sometimes found her "psychological" explanations off-putting and her mythos/logos dichotomy less than satisfying as an interpretive model, the book is a useful introduction and a generally successful synthesis of a broad literature. Some readers may find themselves occasionally lost in a sea of foreign names and dates, but by-and-large, this is a book meant for "educated amateurs" and I suspect individuals interested in the topic will not find it too difficult.
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