The Case For God

[Neon Genesis]

I recently finished reading Karen Armstrong's new book, The Case For God, and I really enjoyed it. I loved how she explained in detail the history of religion all the way back to the cave men up to modern times, but she doesn't do it in this dry and boring way, rather it's told like a story in progress. I also liked how she not only explained how faith has evolved in people's understanding of God and what it means to be religious, but she explains the situations and mindset of the people that lead up to their present beliefs. Another aspect I loved was how she didn't ever fall into the trap of stereotyping like some Christian authors do. Like I thought she did a very fair and balanced look at the history of atheism and I was interested in seeing how the meaning of the word atheist has changed with the times from being a form of an insult to being a badge of honor for modern day skeptics. She didn't fall into the trap of blaming atheism as being solely responsible for Hitler and Stalin like a lot of Christian apologists did but she was very understanding and actually very passionate about secularism and it's importance in society.

 

I thought she gave a fair criticism of the New Atheists while also praising them for the good that they and other atheists have done for society. While she doesn't prove the existence of God as she argues that's not the point of religion, I think Armstrong does a wonderful job of explaining why religion isn't always a force of evil for the world while at the same time criticizing when it's warranted and also being understanding of atheists and she helps disprove a lot of misunderstandings about what faith and religion are in both religious and secular circles. I think this is a really good book for anyone interested in the theist vs atheist debate. It might not change your own personal position on the theological debate, but I think it will help change perceptions about both believers and non-believers and give you a radically different look at religion than how people commonly view it today. Has anyone else read it and what are your thoughts on it if you had? Are there any other Armstrong books you would recommend me reading? So far I've only read this one and The Bible-A Biography and I've also seen the documentary, A History Of God.

[Mike]

Thanks for the review. This book caught my eye at the bookstore, but I think I'll wait till it goes softcover before I buy it. I never finished reading it (which is very typical of me), but Armstrong's "The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions" is an interesting study in comparative religion.

 

Peace to you,

Mike