Armstrong's History of God

[julrich]

I learned a lot about Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam and Kabbalah from this book.  It also puts history into the frame of reference of religion instead of vice-versa.  I never heard of the "axial age" before.  I learned much that was new about the cross-over between religions.  It reveals things that don't get talked about much, like the real background origins of Shiite vs. Sunni conflict.  Western Christianity comes over as the narrowest, most arrogant, and backward of all the monotheisms.  Some of that might come from her disaffection from Catholicism in her own life as a former nun.  Karen Armstrong is one of the great voices for global peace in our time.

shalom
big julie