The Great Transformation The Beginning of Our Religous Traditions

Amazing!

I'm still reading it, but it is taking a while. So far, so good.

I loved Armstrong's book on Buddhism, and yet I was disappointed by this book. It seemed to be a forced effort to bring about five books into one volume by trying to shoe-horn a wide range of civilizations into a common pattern of spiritual development. For me, a better conclusion about the Axial Age would be that as civilizations develop they come up with more sophisticated ways of using...more

I loved Armstrong's book on Buddhism, and yet I was disappointed by this book. It seemed to be a forced effort to bring about five books into one volume by trying to shoe-horn a wide range of civilizations into a common pattern of spiritual development. For me, a better conclusion about the Axial Age would be that as civilizations develop they come up with more sophisticated ways of using religion to justify changes to economic circumstances and support for the curent secular power structure.   hide

Excellent book. Essential reading for those looking to understand the sometimes contradictory nature of religion and for those who believe that religion causes or promotes violence.