The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Softcover

Armstrong, Karen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006383483 ISBN 13: 9780006383482

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001

Synopsis

Paperback. Pub Date: 2001 Pages: 464 Publisher: the Harpercollins of Pb itain's Greatest religious historian chronicles the rise and rise of fundamentalism.One of the the most potent ForCEs bedevilling the modern world is religious extremism and the need to understand IT has never been greater.Focusing in detail on Protestant fundamentalism in the United States. Jewish fundamentalism from sixteenth century Spain onwards and Muslim fundamentalism over the last four hundred years. Armstrong examines the patterns that underlie fundamentalism. These evolve from the clash between the conservative pre-modern mind that is governed by a love of myth. and the progressive rational society that relishes change. Fundamentalists view the contemporary world with horror. rejecting its claims to truth. and a state of war now exists over the future of our culture. They are not terrorists. ra...

About this title

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

Review:

‘The quality of this remarkable book lies as much in its detail as in its sweeping vision’
Daily Telegraph

‘Armstrong displays all her usual talents: she has an eye for colourful evidence, a wonderful gift for clarity of exposition and an unerring sense of pace and voice and narrative.’
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Literary Review

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0006383483
• ISBN 13: 9780006383482
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464