StarAstrologer - Books : The Battle for God
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 200.9
EAN: 9780345391698
ISBN: 0345391691
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 480
Publication Date: January 30, 2001
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: January 30, 2001
Sales Rank: 10205
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In our supposedly secular age governed by reason and technology, fundamentalism has emerged as an overwhelming force in every major world religion. Why? This is the fascinating, disturbing question that bestselling author Karen Armstrong addresses in her brilliant new book The Battle for God. Writing with the broad perspective and deep understanding of human spirituality that won huge audiences for A History of God, Armstrong illuminates the spread of militant piety as a phenomenon peculiar to our moment in history.
Contrary to popular belief, fundamentalism is not a throwback to some ancient form of religion but rather a response to the spiritual crisis of the modern world. As Armstrong argues, the collapse of a piety rooted in myth and cult during the Renaissance forced people of faith to grasp for new ways of being religious--and fundamentalism was born. Armstrong focuses here on three fundamentalist movements: Protestant fundamentalism in America, Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, and Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt and Iran--exploring how each has developed its own unique way of combating the assaults of modernity.
Blending history, sociology, and spirituality, The Battle for God is a compelling and compassionate study of a radical form of religious expression that is critically shaping the course of world history.
Amazon.com Review:
About 40 years ago popular opinion assumed that religion would become a weaker force and people would certainly become less zealous as the world became more modern and morals more relaxed. But the opposite has proven true, according to theologian and author Karen Armstrong (A History of God), who documents how fundamentalism has taken root and grown in many of the world's major religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Even Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism have developed fundamentalist factions. Reacting to a technologically driven world with liberal Western values, fundamentalists have not only increased in numbers, they have become more desperate, claims Armstrong, who points to the Oklahoma City bombing, violent anti-abortion crusades, and the assassination of President Yitzak Rabin as evidence of dangerous extremes.
Yet she also acknowledges the irony of how fundamentalism and Western materialism seem to urge each other on to greater excesses. To "prevent an escalation of the conflict, we must try and understand the pain and perception of the other side," she pleads. With her gift for clear, engaging writing and her integrity as a thorough researcher, Armstrong delivers a powerful discussion of a globally heated issue. Part history lesson, part wake-up call, and mostly a plea for healing, Armstrong's writing continues to offer a religious mirror and a cultural vision. --Gail Hudson
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Fundamentaly flawed. Armstrong makes demonstrably false claims such as "Paul never claimed Christ was God" or "Christ never said he was God". She never deals with the fact the Christ claimed--humbly--to both "Son of God" AND "Son of Man" (Daniel),the Messiah. If you read this book, read also the Kreeft and Tacelli's "Handbook" and other refutations of her historical assertions. And read the Gospels and Paul's letter's (Phil 2:6 for example)carefully seeking truth. Armstrong even goes so far ... Read More
Rating:  -
I enjoyed this book even more than Armstrong's "History of God", if only because far more of the contents were unfamiliar: I would guess that few English-speakers know much about the evolution of Jewish and Islamic "fundamentalisms", or how Shi'ite political thought has changed over time. Once I would have chosen the Death of a Thousand Cuts over lessons on the history of American fundamentalism; but as it's told here even that seems interesting. Two key ideas shape this book: one I found surprising ... Read More
Rating: -
This book is a fascinating and surprisingly readable history of emergent fundamentalism in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Armstrong traces monotheistic fundamentalism through the 20th century, and details the economic, social, and political circumstances that motivated its leaders, sustained it through generations, and sometimes lead its followers to violence.
The latter point is why this book is worth reading. Every day in the news we read about violent, religiously motivated attacks, ... Read More
Rating: -
This is the Go-To text on Fundamentalism in religions. Very insightful, very well written, very understandable. Characteristic performance by a good author.
Rating:  -
First and foremost, in `The Battle for God', Karen Armstrong demonstrates her knowledge of religious history by chronicling the manner in which religious adherents of the three monotheisms have struggled to preserve their faith against growing challenges presented to them since the Enlightenment. In doing so, she offers an explanation on how the modern Fundamentalist movement has come into existence, and why at the turn of the 21st Century it poses such a severe threat to the values of modern culture. ... Read More
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