The Evolution of God by Robert Wright (ISBN:0316734918)

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		The Evolution of God
	
				(15 reviews)			
(208 Readers)

			Robert Wright		
	
In this sweeping narrative that takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden...more
 In this sweeping narrative that takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism, but future harmony. Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking re-examination of the past, and a visionary look forward.   less

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							Rich
						
							few weeks ago						
Is our collective moral imagination the source of god (or gods)?  Robert Wright surveys the evolution of the conception of god in the 3 Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam & Christianity).  A bit dry in spots, but a good read overall.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Iintriguing perspective on how man has created and manipultated 'God' for his own purposes, though not always consciously.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
An interesting read on how the world went from multiple gods to "God."

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
interesting and compelling.  most books of this ilk presuppose that believers are deluded or using belief to political ends. the authors, it seems to me, would rarely, if ever even consider the possibility of actual belief as a catalyst in history.  i know too many people who's amazing lives bend toward belief in practice to dismiss the possibility of genuine believers among the ancients.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Excellent book.  Great perspective on the way that religion has changed through history.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The author touched on religion, or our perception of religion, on other continents - specifically Africa.  It was interesting see the correlation of different cultures ideals compared to the Western definition of religion.

Slow read, don't expect to fly though this - deep stuff.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Thoroughly satisfying.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A very interesting and challenging book that presents the emergence of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) within their pre-historic and historic context. The result is quite different from the picture painted by the religious authorities themselves, but hews closely to available evidence and very clear logic.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
It was going so well -- and then it crashed and burned. I mean, at one point, Wright tries to equate belief in the existence of an electron to the existence of God (but not the New/Old Testament/Koran God -- a different God that Wright vaguely describes). Even after throwing in the entire kitchen sink, it's still unconvincing. But the historical stuff about religion is...more
 It was going so well -- and then it crashed and burned. I mean, at one point, Wright tries to equate belief in the existence of an electron to the existence of God (but not the New/Old Testament/Koran God -- a different God that Wright vaguely describes). Even after throwing in the entire kitchen sink, it's still unconvincing. But the historical stuff about religion is very interesting.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The book starts a little slow as it delves into the minutia of first the Torah and then the Bible.  However; if you make it to the latter part of the book you see how the author has been building, piece by piece, the arguement about how the environmental conditions of an age directly impact the religions that emerge and how they are interpreted. I finishes by taking this methodology to talk about...more
 The book starts a little slow as it delves into the minutia of first the Torah and then the Bible.  However; if you make it to the latter part of the book you see how the author has been building, piece by piece, the arguement about how the environmental conditions of an age directly impact the religions that emerge and how they are interpreted. I finishes by taking this methodology to talk about Islam and Christianity and their recent crash into each other and what they must do to move forward in an advantageous direction.  An impressive feat.   hide

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