...I can commit to seven book reviews but perhaps over a slightly longer time period than seven days. I hope this mostly keeps in spirit with the challenge. In any event I applaud Ian's
@Digimonkey initiative. Here goes with review 1:
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Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun and studied at Oxford (she left organised religion but not her search for spirituality). Her book, The Spiral Staircase, is a good description of the struggles that led to her leaving the convent. - “Compassion has been advocated by all the great faiths because it has been found to be the safest and surest means of attaining enlightenment because it dethrones the ego from the centre of our lives and puts others there, breaking down the carapace of selfishness that holds us back from the experience of the sacred.†Which reminds me of Huxley's observation “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'try to be a little kinder.â€
“A History of God†details the evolution and concept of God over 4,000 years; a history of how humanity has perceived and experienced God focusing primarily on the three Abrahamic or monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The book appeals to both believers and atheists.
All three faiths trace their claims of Truth back to a single man, Abraham, who believed in a god named El - while Abraham did worship a single god, he also believed in other gods. It details how, at different times in history people perceived God in different ways and attempts at times to bridge the gap between a metaphorical and philosophical understanding of religious texts (Torah, New Testament, Koran) and a literal one. She appears to suggest that the former is often embraced by societies elites and the latter by societies grass roots.
It goes on to analyse the reaction to the emphasis on logos (rational, scientific thinking related exactly to facts and external realities) of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos (that which is timeless and constant) that had been essential to people's view of the world. Armstrong uses the word “mythos†as it relates to mystery and mysticism, rooted ultimately in traditional biblical and Islamic history “which gives meaning to life, but cannot be explained in rational terms.â€
The Bible says God created man in His own image. Karen states as fact the exact opposite: Man created God in his own image, then re-created him a lot of times in response to changing historical and cultural conditions.
I think Armstrong asserts that faith is at its best when it is mystical and transcendental and she worries about the inherent intolerance in monotheism (I believe in one true God; your God must be wrong).
The book is engaging though repetitive and dense at times but a great read none the less. It will definitely keep your cogs whirling long after you put the book down.
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