God Is Not One

The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter

By: Stephen Prothero

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

In God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World, New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Delving into the different problems and solutions that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Yoruba Religion, Daoism and Atheism strive to combat, God is Not One is an indispensable guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia—and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. Readers of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong will find much to ponder in God is Not One.

A long-winded but helpful overview!

Before reading this book, I had been tossed between the two extreme perspectives on religion in general - that either all religions are essentially the same in their exploration of the divine OR that all religions are poisonous and anti-intellectual. The type of secular perspective on religious literacy that Prothero advocates is an enlightening middle path similar to the concept of cultural mining advocated by Alain de Botton. I will be following up on several of the new perspectives I encountered here!

good but disappointing

loved prothero's audio course Religions of the East. i listen to it repeatedly. but this book is mostly a rehash of that course and his writing is not as interesting as his teaching.

Was looking for something a little higher level

While it had very good coverage of the 8 religions, I often times found myself not paying attention as I had gotten lost about what he was talking about. Higher level and not so much detail probably would have been better.

Informative, but disappointing.

In the introduction, Prothero makes the point that it is well intended, but ultimately disrespectful (at best) to speak of all religions as essentially the same; a different path up the same mountain. Despite his success at pinpointing the different goals for each religion, and the processes for achieving those goals, Prothero fails to adequately explain why the "different paths up the same mountain" metaphor is wrong, harmful, or otherwise misguided. Is it wrong to conceptualize nirvana as the "buddhist's version of heaven?" If so, why?

If the ultimate presription is understanding, why not use the mountain metaphor as a rallying point for all people, regardless of belief? Understanding can only occur if we can identify with each other's plight.

Good book but not what I was looking for

I think it's a good book but I am still on the look for a true academic work about religion, specially the Christian and Muslim avenues, the author tries to cover way too much leaving us in a very shallow swimming sea of facts.