God

A Human History

By: Reza Aslan

Narrated by: Reza Aslan

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of Zealot examines humanity’s quest to make sense of the divine in this “timely, riveting, enlightening, and necessary” (HuffPost) history of our understanding of God.
“A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. Now, Aslan takes on a subject even more immense: God, writ large.

With thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as one long and remarkably cohesive attempt to know the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As a result, we bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature—our compassion, our thirst for justice—but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence.

More than just a history, God is an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse in order to develop a more universal spirituality. Whether you believe in one God, many gods, or no god at all, God: A Human History will challenge the way you think about the divine and its role in our everyday lives.

Critic reviews

“Timely, riveting, enlightening and necessary.”—HuffPost

“Tantalizing . . . Driven by [Reza] Aslan’s grace and curiosity, God . . . helps us pan out from our troubled times, while asking us to consider a more expansive view of the divine in contemporary life.”—The Seattle Times

“A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“[Reza Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing.”—Los Angeles Review of Books

“Aslan is a born storyteller, and there is much to enjoy in this intelligent survey.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Extraordinary . . . clear, concise [and] lively.”—The Spectator

“Breathtaking in its scope and controversial in its claims, God: A Human History shows how humans from time immemorial have made God in their own image, and argues that they should now stop. Writing with all the verve and brilliance we have come to expect from his pen, Reza Aslan has once more produced a book that will prompt reflection and shatter assumptions.”—Bart D. Ehrman, author of How Jesus Became God

“Reza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent ‘human history’ of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to mull over, and to explore further. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research.”—Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of Faith

His best work yet

absolutely loved it! Reza just keeps getting better with each book this one is absolutely worth reading.

Should Be Called a History of God through 800AD

My only criticism is that Reza Aslan essentially ends the discussion with Mohammed, and a brief review of Sufi Mysticism. There is no discussion whatsoever of the protestant reformation, Bahai, Joseph Smith, or any of the cults of the 1960s. If he called it a Human History of God through 800AD, I wouldn't complain, but he leaves a lot of fertile ground unloved. Furthermore, his conclusion that pantheism is only logical, should have just been omitted altogether. The story of humans and their relationship with God is ongoing. It didn't end with the death of Mohammed.

Did I lose my faith in Reza Aslan with God?

What made the experience of listening to God the most enjoyable?

The author of the book Reza Aslan actually narrated it, I enjoyed that aspect quite a bit. The book is well written and investigated, if you like history and religion you'll like this book.

What other book might you compare God to and why?

I would compare it to Zealot life and time of Jesus...,because even though I liked that book it had some issues that he has fixed in this book.

Have you listened to any of Reza Aslan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

nopethis is the first time.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Origins of the Force jajajaja, you are going to have to read the book to know what I'm talking about.

Any additional comments?

The book is pretty good a 8 out of 10, but it does has issues and stuff that I'm not on the same page with the authors ideas, some debatable stuff that I need to investigate with other investigators, and he does omit some stuff to maintain a narritive. But he does a great job answering the question that he establishes in the introduction about the origins of the concept of God/s and it evolution.

A must listen.

Absorve a new/old universal perspective of humanity and it's believes...

For all ears: agnostc, gnostic and sceptic.

Exceptional

The way Aslan outlines the course of religious history is beautifully detailed and clear. His performance is passionate while still distinct. A must read for any lover of religious or spiritual history.