Rating: 
Summary: Explains why religion still plays a big part in politics now
Review: In light of what has happened to this world since Sept 11 and my desire to understand more about religious fundamentalism, I picked up this book. For an antheist like me, it's eye-opening. It provided a very clear and objective perspective on the historical events and implications of the development of the 3 great monotheistic religions of the world on how extreme fundamentalists with a political propaganda came into existence today. To some religious folks this may not be new. But I would recommend this book if you start wondering how religion can still play such a big part in politics in today's technology driven, materialistic world. Reading this in the context of what's happening these days are kind of scary too. It feels like human being are going in circle. Those who were worse off usually would needed more spiritual help in their lives, to explain to themselves the meaning of lives. I personally believe that's how religion all started. People centuries ago were less capable of controlling their environment and guaranteeing their own ways of life. They needed to believe in a superhuman to find the meaning of lives. That also explains why more and more people in the modern civilization are secular in their thinking (myself included), because we all grew up in a capitalistic society where materials and technology were the predominant truth. The book revealed that 'mythos' (mystical religions beliefs) and 'logos' (logical thinking - politics, technology, systems..) were the main driving philosophy behind all the great cultures and we're living in one that's predonminately driven by 'logos'. In history, when people with power (whether they started from religious of political background) started mixing 'mythos' and
'logos', tragedy usually ensued. There were plenty of historical examples in this book. I could think of religious fundamentalists today, or Hilter and Mao just decades ago, when they started applying their ideology, whether it be religious or not, on the practical matters of ruling a country. We may have forgotten how short the current great boom of American and Western civilization has been - only 50 years or so since the last World War. Technology and standard of living has advanced so quickly that it may be very shocking to many of us, who all grew up in peace time, to find out one day, if the world indeed is going in circle, that human is still human, that power and ideology still drive people to do stupid things that human beings have always done - some of them in the name of religion, some of them in the name of better lives for the rest in the future - by killing one another. To that front, if it's true, that's a sad awakening. I hope I was over pessimistic...
Rating:
Summary: "We can not be religious in the same way as our ancestors."
Review: IÕve always been interested in comparative religion, but in the aftermath of September 11, it has felt urgent to understand what brings people to beliefs that are so obviously grotesque distortions of any religious tradition. I picked up Karen ArmstrongÕs book because after reading several articles about Islamic fundamentalism, it seemed to me she was the only writer I encountered who had a clue what she was talking about. While others spouted platitudes and engaged in useless debates about whether Islam was a religion of peace or war (virtually all religions are a mixture of the two), Armstrong offered clear and fascinating analyses of how Islamic fundamentalism developed and what its relationship was to the politics of the Middle East. The book, a comparison of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic fundamentalism, has more than lived up to my high expectations. The world isnÕt less dangerous after reading it, but it makes a little more sense, and I feel better equipped to cut through the platitudes and nonsense. Armstrong argues that in the modern world "we can not be religious in the same way as our ancestors," and yet without any religion at all, life feels as if it has no meaning. And so all of us, whether devout, agnostic, or atheist, search for meaning, for "new ways to be religious." Fundamentalism represents one of those searches, but it is a way that grows out of fear. One of the things I found most interesting about this book is that Armstrong emphasizes that this "fear" isnÕt simply some bizarre paranoia. ItÕs often quite legitimate. American Protestant fundamentalism grew up among poor, rural, badly educated people who felt that powerful and sophisticated people were laughing at them and their beliefs. And, to be fair, they were right. And so, in a virtual parody of the people who were looking down on them, they began to argue that their beliefs were "modern" Ñ the Bible was historically and scientifically verifiable. Jewish fundamentalism developed in the aftermath of the Holocaust, which left many Jews with valid reasons to fear annihilation and hope that a picayune observance of "GodÕs law" would save them. Islamic fundamentalism developed in societies asked to modernize too quickly and in ways that had horrendous social consequences. Many Islamic fundamentalist movements, ironically, began as positive attempts to provide social services like health care and education that governments were not providing, but political repression radicalized them and made them more aggressive. All three fundamentalist religions, Armstrong says, have positive aspects. TheyÕve helped people operate in a confusing modern world without losing their sense of the meaning of life. But all three have also shown a dangerous tendency to lose the compassion that is at the core of any authentic religion, and to degenerate into "a theology of rage and hatred." Armstrong concludes that fundamentalists need to become not less religious, but more so Ñ more faithful to the compassion that is the heart and soul of religious faith. But at the same time, secularists and people with more liberal notions of faith need to recognize the real fears that fundamentalists face, and deal with the problems that spawn those fears. Fundamentalists are not going away. We need to understand them.
Rating: 
Summary: I call them zealots
Review: Understanding the differences of any religious fundamentalist is enlightening provided they do not attempt to thrust thier indivdual views upon others. I believe in the total separation of church and state. Unfortunately most religions don't, which is why we have our current terrorist problems. Do not fear. The new religion of technology and democracy, coupled with free enterprise will be the true savior of the world. Read "Transfer: the end of the beginning," for an enlightened view of the next decade. It will be frightening to some, while at the same time a great relief and convenience to all law abiding civilized people of the world. Read Armstrong, then read Furland.
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Summary: Easy to misunderstand this book
Review: I wasn't going to review this book until I read the opening series of reviews by offended "believers" who pan a book they do not understand with ad hominem arguments and by crediting the author with absurdly distorted "liberal" (as in Clinton-esque liberal, even though Armstrong is British) notions. "The Battle for God" is a study of fundamentalism in 3 major world religions, as it developed over centuries. One of the author's theories is that "fundamentalism" is a reaction to changes in the world which seem to threaten old belief systems with annihilation -- scientific & technological progress, secularization of political life, capitalism, among many others. It's interesting that "fundamentalists," whatever they call themselves, take offense at this loose categorization, and then proceed to rail against the very ideologies Armstrong touched upon in her definition. Then again, Armstrong contends that fundamentalism is half-baked and dangerous theology, misreading the traditional basis it presumes to be reclaiming, while departing from the basic tenets of humility, humanity and compassion that all 3 religions were founded upon. The "believers" only add support to her claim by responding with obtuse, illiterate and/or ad hominem attacks on the author. The modernity of Fundamentalism emerges as a paradox which confuses both fundamentalists and "liberals" alike. It's an impressive insight Armstrong provides when she demonstrates how, for example, discomfort with the theories & discoveries of science leads to the adoption of pseudo-scientific procedures for a new discipline, "creation science." Who needs faith when you have a science to prove your beliefs are correct? I found the book informative and theoretically persuasive, and it's timely reading for people like myself who wonder about the mindset of Arab terrorists. Certainly it would be foolish to accept this book as the "gospel truth" without doing further research to corroborate Armstrong's findings; one imagines that she would be the first to agree.
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Summary: An atheist perspective of religion
Review: Religion has more often than not been taken for personal vengeance in human history, although evaluating religion in the same light is an error in itself. This book is another attempt at presenting the atheist's view (who, by surprise, had been a nun in her past life) mingled with a dismal portrayal of history of humanity.
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Summary: Roots of Fundamentalism
Review: Before the enlightenment, people were as much or more concerned with the "why" of history than the "what". Stories about ancestors were rich in moral and emotional content, even when the factual basis of those stories was sketchy, embellished or even manufactured. Even as recently as the middle of the last century when I was growing up, no one really looked too closely at George Washington's adventure with the cherry tree or Abe Lincoln's study habits. These stories were neither intended nor understood as history. These stories were from the world of mythos. In the modern, scientific era, a different way of looking at the world, logos, has taken hold of our consciousness. Where mythos helps us to find meaning and connectedness, the modern world promotes logos as a tool for description and manipulation of the universe. As science and modernism crowds out religion and myth, many people feel cut off and alienated from their societies. When we lose the explanatory power of mythos, we lose touch with meaning and direction. For all its ability to tell us how, science is absolutely at a loss when we ask why. One type of response to the loss of mythical understanding of the world goes under the name fundamentalism. In The Battle for God, historian Karen Armstrong traces the development of fundamentalism as a response to modernism and logos in the three Abrahamic religions. Surprisingly, and contrary to the way that many people would characterize it, Armstrong sees fundamentalism as an essentially modern, logos-based movement in reaction to the emphasis on secular orientation that accompanies modernism. Essentially it is an attempt to use modernist methods to recapture the comfort and meaning that people found in their historical and religious mythos before the modern era. Armstrong is at her best when she describes with great empathy the roots and branches of the various forms Islamic fundamentalism that have emerged in the twentieth century. Anyone whose view of the Ayatollah Khomeini has been shaped exclusively by CNN and U.S. State Department press releases will be surprised at the sympathetic picture that emerges from Armstrong's treatment of the Islamic revolution in Iran. If it does nothing else, this book can teach us to be wary of demonizing opponents. Armstrong is less good when she describes the evolution of Jewish and Protestant fundamentalism in the twentieth century. The difference, in my opinion, is that the empathy that she so readily finds for Islamic movements is frequently missing when she writes about Jewish and Christian fundamentalists. Her clear distaste for most of the leading personalities associated with these traditions is quite apparent. Overall The Battle for God provides a significant insight into the disorientation caused by exclusion of mythos from the modern world, and how fundamentalism and religious activism are not throwbacks to a pre-modern sensibility, but a completely modern response to that disorientation.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for a casual reader
Review: No doubt about the research and effot put in this book. It has a lot of information about the fundamentalism in world's three prominent religions and a lot of hard facts on them. But definitely this book is not suited for a casual reader like me as the amount of data presented completely fails to keep the interest of a casual reader. I would recommend this book only to a serious reader interested in data rather than their treatment or analysis.
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Summary: A wonderfully intelligent discussion of fundamentalism
Review: I've been a fan of Karen Armstrong since I read "A History of God" last year, so I was really looking forward to reading "The Battle for God". It didn't disappoint. I couldn't put it down, which is an unusual quality in a religious tome. Ms. Armstrong nicely traces the history of the three monotheistic religions from the Middle Ages, and does a wonderful job of showing (without any judgement) just what drives some of us to fundamentalism. Reading this book certainly helped me be more understanding about where fundamentalists are coming from and what's driving them. Whatever side of the fundamentalist fence you're on, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Well Researched, Well Written Look at Fundamentalis
Review: Karen Armstrong has contributed another fine volume to the understanding of the Western religions, specifically, in this case, on the growth of fundamentalism. She focuses on Jewisth fundamentalism in Israel, Muslim fundamentalism in Egypt and Iran and Christian fundamentalism in America. This volume bears all the hallmarks familiar to readers of Ms. Armstrong, such as thorough, broad-ranging reasearch, a passion for different forms of spirituality and a plea for understanding. She presents a balanced account of this growth, beginning with a long look at the impact of modernity in the West (starting in the pivotal year 1492) before tackling this complex century. The reader is, thus, able to understand the why and how of the upsurge of fundamentalism at its origins until it has represented itself in recent times as a religion of such fear, anger and hate. It is a fascinating topic that is handled beautifully and fairly. An interesting and important read.
Rating:
Summary: A Useful Analysis and History of Fundamentalism
Review: You don't have to be religious to respect her analysis and covering of the history of fundamentalism movements in three major monotheistic religions. Detailed in history and parallel analysis, give you a good sense of the common elements of fundamentalism in its causes, cures, and ills.
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