Book Review

A History of God
by Karen Armstrong

Reviewed by Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOACH-on-Campus Assistant Editor

Picture God as you imagined Him in kindergarten—sitting on His throne on a carpet of clouds, casually stroking his beard, He watches over the world wondering what He would like to see happen next. As Karen Armstrong notes in the introduction to her book, A History of God, this is still the vision that many of us imagine when we think about God. "My ideas about God were formed in childhood and did not keep abreast of my growing knowledge in other disciplines," Armstrong writes. Armstrong started her adult life as a nun, eventually leaving the convent to study religious history. She explains that part of her decision to leave was because of her inability to have a mystical encounter with God. She posits that her alienation from God was part of a larger societal disenchantment with the idea of God. In a world where science has disproved a "Creator God", and visions and raptures are seen as mere neurological quirks, does God really have a place? "God seemed an aberration," Armstrong writes, "something that the human race has outgrown."

Armstrong argues, however, that the history of religion shows that humans are "spiritual animals," and that belief in God is something that comes naturally to humanity. What those beliefs are, however, have evolved over the centuries and are very different depending on the historical context. Armstrong reviews the theological history of the three major Western religions--Christianity, Islam, and Judaism--discussing the ideas of some of the major theological thinkers. The book covers a wide range of history, from Mesopotamian pagan gods to the "God is dead" movement of the ’60s and ’70s. As a result, the book’s coverage can be spotty at times and it often skims over large parts of history. However, the book does do a very good job of providing an overview of the development of religion in the Western world and providing a balanced view of each religion’s history.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is how it so keenly points out that beliefs about God transcend religions. There seems to be no prototypical "Jewish," "Christian," or "Islamic" belief about God, but rather, what exists is a wide range of philosophical beliefs within each religious tradition. God is sometimes seen as being rational and abstract—more of a philosophical construct than an actual "being" in the human sense of the word. Other theologians have presented God as paradoxical and mystical, something that can only be understood through intense meditative exercise. Still others have returned to the personal God, one which can easily be accessed and has a definite presence within the world. Ideas about the nature of God seem to go in and out, disappear and then be suddenly revived.

This book serves as an excellent overview of the philosophical traditions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and provides a nuanced introduction to the study of religious history. It has challenged my views about God and has made me interested in studying these issues in greater depth. As Jews, we are often hesitant to discuss God (as Amy Eilberg noted at least year’s KOACH Kallah, Jews often associate "God-talk" with evangelical Christians), and I think this book, A History of God, by Karen Armstrong, provides a valuable resource for opening up discussion about God.

[Posted 9/18/06]