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Summary: A dismissive view of the God of the Universe
Review: Armstrong's book is typical of its genre. The Author dismisses the God of the Bible, His strength, His majesty and His glory. She focuses on the god made in her image and how that god might have dealt with things. All miracles are, of course. fantasy, and she rejects any conservative scholarship regarding authorship of the Bible and makes the various gods of various religions all equal and presents Yahweh as a "tribal god", confined to Canaan. It's an awful book for anyone with sense.
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Summary: Great begining but it looses it's purpose
Review: This is a wonderful book for those people, such as myself, who have always wondered how the God of the Old Testament came to be. I was awe-struck at the detail that Ms. Armstrong presents and the masterful way in which she weaves the tale of the birth and coming of age of the God of Abraham. Then, at the half-way point, it becomes a book on Islam, which is her specific area of expertise and interest. As the chapters went by, I lost interest because we were no longer discussing God but Muslim theology.
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Summary: Illuminating study of the evolution of the idea of God
Review: Armstrong describes the fascinating story of the evolution of the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These faiths have more in common than their modern day addherents might suspect. All three were heavily influenced by Greek thinking.This book is a must for any reader who wonders how the traditions of our ancestors reached the forms we inherited. Also, those who are perplexed by the paradoxical nature of God will discover that they share this struggle with other seekers over the last 4,000 years.
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Summary: Disappointing, skeptical, and highly personalized "History"
Review: Karen Armstrong certainly impresses in her ability to synthesize large amounts of material and explain complex ideas in a simple and comprehensible way. However, while the scholarship is impressive, the book as a whole disappoints because it appears to be wracked, particularly in sections of the book relating to Christianity, with what we might surmise are some of Ms. Armstrong's own faith challenges. For example, the discussion of the formation of early Christian thought is very biased against what most Christians actually believe about this period -- and the book presents its viewpoint as if it is written in stone and had been scientifically established, which is incorrect and misleading. Ultimately, the book is at its most succesful in conveying the very personal doubts of the author with respect to various religious systems and ideas that have comprised historical monotheism in its three dominant forms. In sum, although the book is definitely informative in sections and very impressive in its breadth of coverage, I ultimately found it to be a profoundly sad and personal work.
Rating:
Summary: Superb. A well- researched study.
Review: This book answered many of my questions. The author presents the writings about God in the epochs they take place, in a historical context. Without being blasphemous, Ms. Armstrong weaves a pattern of God being molded by man. I consider myself to be religious and a believer in God. This book helped me to see the way others may view God. I learned a great deal and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This was the first Armstrong book I have read, and I now plan to read the others.
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Summary: Not about "God", but about Judism, Christianity, and Islam.
Review: Don't be misled by the title of this book, I opened it up thinking I might read some discussion about how the concept of God was created and/or evolved within the Human mind, instead I got a history lesson and facts ad nauseam about Judism, Christianity, and Islam (e.g., Adam said this, then Abraham did that). Karen Armstrong was a former member of the clergy, it shows.
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Summary: A mystical approach
Review: Armstrong purports ot write an extensive treatment of monotheism. She writes from a mystical point of view and is opposed to logic and rationality. The book contains unfortunately many speculations that have long been refuted by archaeologists or scholars and that Armnstrong seem to have picked up in old books. An example of this is Armstrong take-over of the documentary hypothesis about the Thorah (The books of Archer, Gleason provide a good treatment of this subject.).
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Summary: The God of the Old Testament Finally Makes Sense!
Review: A superb explanation of the evolution of how people have conceived of "God". Helped me understand why the God of Genesis is so different from the God of later books. The last third of the book, especially the chapter on "Is God dead?", helped me to better reconcile my own atheist views with my Catholic childhood. Only one caveat about this terrific book: it is not "light" reading, you may not need a college degree to fully appreciate her work but a strong Liberal Arts background sure does help
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Summary: Intelligent, Well-Documented, Informative, Un-Biased
Review: Doing the impossible, exploring the depths of the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in an un-biased manner, is what Karen Armstrong has accomplished. The reader is provided with a concise look at each faith and their relationship to one another in an intelligent manner. Ms. Armstrong remains above the stereotypes which plague this genre, and gives her readers a look into the religions of the world with knowledge and intelligence. A must read for those who want an insightful work
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read.
Review: Excellent analysis of a complex subject. I was pleasently surprised by the author's ability to dissociate herself from stereotypes and common prejudice. A must read for everyone
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