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Nov 12, 2011

William rated it:

With all of the wars, crusades, inquisitions, witch trials, Jihadists, Creationists and the rest of it, God has got a lot to answer for. Armstrong's case for the defence is essentially that people are interpreting religion wrongly: to the founders of the religions faith was about mystery, symbolism, practice and good works. Early Christians, Armstrong argues, looked to the scriptures for inspiration not information, and would be shocked at what religion has become for many people today. (But not More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Aug 15, 2011

William rated it:

Armstrong is a scholar of comparative religion. In numerous examples, she shows how worship in virtually all world religions depends on a foundation of silence, or what she calls unknowing. This is the silence through which one gets intimations of the divine presence. I found the description remarkably like two kinds of Eastern meditation I have practiced over the years. There was no presumption on the part of early theists that they could grasp God. He was beyond human comprehension. Since know More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 24, 2011

Ginny rated it:

I'm not going to lie; this was a slog. A breath-taking overview of western religious culture going back to ancient French cave paintings and mentioning every major philosopher, theologian, and scientist since (as well as quite a few minor ones). This reads like a seminary dissertation. Initially I was bored to tears. But in the end, all that history culminates in a forceful argument in favor of the author's premise (as far as I can tell, though I suspect I'm not educated enough in theology or ph More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Dec 25, 2011

Mohamed rated it:

من الصعب أن تكتب تعليق مناسب لهذا الكتاب نظرا لضخامة كم المعلومات التي يحتويها والتي يصعب مراجعتها ،بالإضافة إلي القضية التي يتناولها و التي يقترب عمرها من عمر الإنسان علي هذه الأرض .

نستطيع أن نقسم الكتاب نصفين النصف الأول خاص بنشوء الوجود الآلهي في الفكر الإنساني وكيفية تطوره وخاصه عبر الديانة المسيحية واليهودية ، بينما يناقش النصف الثاني الاله الحديث وتداخل العلم مع الإيمان وهل مات الاله حقا أم لا .

النصف الأول لم أعجب به مثل النصف الثاني من الكتاب لكن من المؤكد لي أن ال More...

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Feb 19, 2011

Scott rated it:

Armstrong makes a compelling argument against what has been called the "new atheism". Debunking the use of a literal interpretation of the Bible as something wholly modern and something that would be completely surprising and foreign to followers of the Christian faith up until at least the Enlightenment, she argues that instead religion is not an intellectual concept or dogma, but rather it is something you do. That without an active involvement, religion loses its essential value. More...

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Nov 12, 2011

Shel rated it:

I was enticed to read The Case for God after hearing a snippet of the book on NPR that told how mystics of the past reached for God in silence, ritually acknowledging the inadequacy of words to describe deity. Afterwards, an interviewer questioned Armstrong on her views. She promptly corrected him. "It's not just a bee in my bonnet. I've been studying this for 20 years." I was hooked, curious to hear more from Armstrong.

My enjoyment of the work was no doubt enhanced becaus More...

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Jan 01, 2012

Stephanie rated it:

Karen Armstrong has a knack for tracing a thread far and wide--The Case for God is lucid, timely, and meaningful. She manages to follow a concept, beginning in 30,000 BCE and tracing through the ancients, medievals, renaissance and moderns, all the way to postmodernity, drawing on ancient mythology, every major philosopher, and all world religions. Her analysis is blended with history and poetry and, yes, it would be too much, if she didn't limit her scope, which she does perfectly.

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May 01, 2011

Sam rated it:

My opinion of Karen Armstrong is that she has an interesting point and that she is typically well documented and cohesive in the positions of her opinions. Her style of non-fiction writing is a constant emphasis of her point, that our idea of what 'god' is has changed throughout time and that fundamentalism is a trap and an idol.

This book shows what an influence individuals within and without the fold of Judeo/Christian thought have had on the religion itself and how those opinions More...

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Apr 21, 2011

Jud rated it:

I read this book and then wondered if there could be a joke along the lines of "an atheist and a fundamentalist walk into a library arguing about God, the librarian gives them this book, they read it, and then they leave the library unable to say anything."

The idea behind this book (and behind the "joke" such as it is) is that the modern notion of God--whether held by believers or atheists--is not the same as the notion of God held by those who "formulated" More...

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Apr 05, 2011

Keith rated it:

This book was not at all what I expected. What I expected was some sort of argument for the relevance of religion in a world where scientific reasoning dominates all discussion of truth, and it is that to some degree, but what it primarily is is a historical tour of Western religion, and in particular Western Christianity. As a scholarly work of history, it succeeds brilliantly; as an argument for religious relevance, I think it fails rather spectacularly.

This book is not for the faint More...

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Mar 22, 2011

Bob rated it:

Citing the Greeks, Armstrong's argument begins by stating that there are two realms of knowing. One is through "mythos" and the other is through "logos". The former allows us to access ultimate meaning, something logos can't do as it involves pragmatic reason related to survival. She calls ultimate reality God, but she is clear that God is not a being at all. In rejecting God as a personalized deity, she aligns her thought with that of Tillich ("God above God") an More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2011

Mehrsa rated it:

I would probably say that this is one of the best books I have ever read--certainly the most important. But also the most dense and difficult to read. It took me about 2 months (and I usually can get through books in a week or two max). I always read this book with a pencil and I think there are whole pages or sections in my book that are underlined. However, this book is not for everyone. If you cannot accept some gray in your religious belief or don't want to read something that will likely ch More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2010

Rachael rated it:

I largely enjoyed this book but I had to give it 3 stars because the position she advocates is an arguable one, to say the least, but the book gives no indication of that whatsoever. Armstrong argues that 'real' religion, or at least religion as practiced by the majority of humans for most of history, wasn't about belief propositions. Indeed, people knew that belief propostions couldn't be taken as historical fact. No, religion has been about some ineffable sense of transcendence, or a way of More...

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Aug 29, 2010

James rated it:

This is the best book on God that I've read so far. Karen Armstrong describes the premodern Abrahamic God, inconceivable and transcendent. Armstrong also educates her readers about the nature of the Scriptures. Apparently neither their authors nor the early theologians wanted them to be taken as literal or static, but rather as allegories that point to the Inconceivable and as objects of never-ending commentary and interpretation. Then she describes the development of the modernist God of t More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 23, 2010

Lisa rated it:

The Case for God is Karen Armstrong's reply to the literalistic extremes she perceives in the recent atheist arguments put forward by the likes of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. And for the most part, it is a relatively convincing one if, like me, you are inclined to keep mystery and poetry alive irrespective of whether their metaphysical underpinnings are under siege.

Her argument is a historical one; it contends that the current predilection for separating t More...

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Apr 10, 2010

Wade rated it:

My favorite book so far. Armstrong captures my feelings for the importance of both Mythos and Logos in life. This was a great historical overview of religion and spirituality. Reading this book has given me a greater appreciation for all church fathers (and mothers) throughout history; Moses, Abraham, Rabbi Hillel, Jesus, Peter, Gregory, Basil, Francis of Assisi, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Muhammad, Siddhartha, Lehi, Moroni, Constantine, Descartes, Copernicus, Newt More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2010

Will rated it:

This is a fine book that spins a modernist tale about how religion once was mystical and experiential but now is textual and intellectual. Armstrong builds her story primarily to attack modern fundamentalism (including the militant atheists) with an emphasis on Christianity. Toward the end of her narrative, she accuses the entire Christian Church of engaging in idolatry, defining God in its own image, and encourages a return to what she claims is the root of religion, an apophatic, mystical expe More...

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Feb 01, 2010

Judy rated it:

I had never heard of Karen Armstrong until I happened upon the debate in the Wall Street Journal between Armstrong and Richard Dawkins. Very interesting arguments on both sides were presented in that debate. Then out of the blue, my friend, Samatha, mentioned how much she likes Armstrong's books. So I thought that I would give one a try. I loved this book. Rather than a set of arguments, bolstered by "experts" in the field who agreed with her such as was the situation in The Cas More...

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Jan 23, 2010

Barbara rated it:

Karen Armstrong is a clear writing theologian. I have read some of her books in the past and chose to read this, her current book. I found it helpful in that she goes back to the beginnings of all religions in religious history to clarify theological doctrines, etc. Although Armstrong definitely believes in God I realized that I would profit more from her book if I returned to seminary. The book it too heady and detailed for me, although in the past I have always reveled in anything that has More...

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Jan 17, 2010

G-- rated it:

Karen Armstrong is always solid and thought-provoking with her historical take on the evolution of the concept of God. This book takes that approach, linking the belief in god to social and individual good.

Quite frankly, I do not always understand the finer philosophical points that she makes, but her overall theme is intelligent, wise and full of insights. I loved her chapter discussing the absolution of the "new atheists" such as Dawkins, suggesting that the rel More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 03, 2010

Jon rated it:

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong sounds like a religious apologetic or polemic tract, but it is not that at all. It takes a much more detached and scholarly viewpoint, and could function as a history or survey of how people think about God. I approached it from the context of a faith vs. scientific method debate that I have carried on for years with some of my friends, but one could also approach the topic out of a concern with the dangers of religious fundamentalism, or out of an interest More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2009

David rated it:

This book is really much more than a "case for God". Karen Armstrong, author of earlier books such as "A History of God" takes the reader on an odyssey of religion from the sunrise of recorded history, through the rise of Judaism and Christianity, to the modern times. In the process, she discusses at length the age-old "war" between science and religion, and explains why this "war" is utterly unnecessary -- the result of fundamental misunderstandings as More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 09, 2009

Patricktherogue rated it:

I reviewed this book on my blog: http://patricktherogue.blogspot.com/2009...

Here is part of that review:

'Armstrong asserts that these early versions of the world's religions were not interested in doctrine and the other most divisive aspects of religion, but in how to be good. They were reacting to the great waves of violence that were ripping the ancient world apart, trying to find a way out for mankind. She states that religion is at its worst where it draws up its stand More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2009

Bradley rated it:

By probably the best known contemporary religious scholar in the world today and a former nun, this book was even better than Robert Wright's book. A welcome antidote to fundamentalists of all persuasions. A great writer who is able to articulate the story of the evolving concept of God, showing that "She" is not who we think She is, while giving just the right dosage of scholarship to this book and the perspective of real authority without bashing anybody's religion or lack thereof. I More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2009

jordan rated it:

Can I really be the only person who finds Karen Armstrong, the author of fifteen books on religion, writing in her latest that one cannot comment on the divine with words but only with silence, more than a little ironic?

To be fair, Armstrong does offer several interesting insights. Her effort to find universal "truths" that run across faiths is worthwhile and thought provoking. One might even imagine that there are many members of exclusivist faiths for whom this would be a More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Mike rated it:

Another excellent, thoughtful book by Karen Armstrong, former nun, about religion. In this book, Armstrong argues that we have, in the past two hundred years or so, taken a "scientific" approach to defining and understanding God instead of approaching the idea of God through ritual and liturgy. In doing so, we have turned God into a being, an idealized person, bigger, stronger, more powerful. We have forgotten that ancient people thought of God as Being, the indescribable essence b More...

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Apr 05, 2011

Aasem rated it:

Overall, a very lucid and readable book. Armstrong's case is primarily built against the newage militant atheist as well as postmodern religious fundamentalist but in doing so she obscures further - perhaps inadvertently - the nature of ultimate reality we call God.

She successfully traces back the roots of post-renaissance apophatic theological shift in antiquity and medieval religion. However, her version of God presents another problematic of reducing God to a mere abstract symbol o More...

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Jan 25, 2012

Mark rated it:

This is a really tremendous book, though if you have even a passing knowledge of the history of philosophy since the Renaissance, I would recommend reading just Part One, skimming Part Two, and finishing up with the Epilogue.

The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I found that history of modern philosophy stuff in part two boring since I already knew most of it.

This should be essential reading for basically anyone who wants to talk about God/fundamental More...

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Jan 19, 2012

Zoe rated it:

When I began this book, I was quickly daunted by its scholarly, comprehensive approach to exploring the idea of God. I had to use the glossary at the back a lot, trying to take in Latin and Greek words like apophatic, meaning silent or wordless, or kenosis, meaning self-emptying. But I'm very, very glad I persisted.

The "God" that Armstrong is making a case for is not the man-in the-sky who oversees and micro-manages everyone's lives – the God that Richard Dawkins and th More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Larry rated it:

The Case for God is a well-researched historical study and not - as the title may imply - a persuasive argument for any particular belief. Well, that's not entirely true. By taking us on a grand tour of religious history, Armstrong hopes to persuade us to reverse what she sees as a grievous error of the past 150 years or so: the shift in emphasis from "spiritual practice" to "belief." Thus, her "case for God" is to return to a conception of God as a symbol of the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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