God: A Brief History

by John Bowker

Book Overview

Not just in words, but in art, dance, music and silence -- this book is the perfect overview for viewing divinity from every perspective. The history of God cannot possibly be told. How can you write... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789490129
• ISBN13: 9780789490124
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Introduction to Comparative Religion

Bowker's aim with this book is to provide an overview of God and how human beings relate to him through history. This is an enormous task that many scholars bawk at, and instead choose to remain only with a certain world view, believing it is the only correct one there is to reaching the truth. Thankfully Bowker avoids a parochial viewpoint (he is a Christian) without scoffing unfairly or patronisingly at the idea of God or those who believe in him. He starts sensibly by not trying to define what God is, but rather proposing a way that God may interact with us, all of us (humanity) down through time by using language, signs and the body. Then he examines, with a high degree of fairness and objectivity, the way various world religions have tried to make sense of this experience and also the mystery called 'God.' For me Bowker's strength is that he avoids the error of asserting his (the Christian) vision of God is the only and perfect way of reaching God. History shows instead there are many different paths to God - some which even deny the existence of the God as understood by the adherents of Abrahamic faiths - yet all seem to reach the same end point. As one Muslim publication I read once said 'There are many paths, but one end point.' My only gripe with the book is I would like to have seen more on the current debate between religion and science. A couple of pages at the end or beginning covering this important and topical issue would have made the book a little better. But otherwise this is an excellent book, and one I will give to anyone (even those of my own faith, Christianity) who claims 'it is my way (to God) or the highway.'

A HISTORY of the HUMAN SEARCH

This is not really a "history of God." It is more a "history" of the "human search" for God. Big difference. This book is about what God means to people in every generation and in every part of the world who have deepened and extended their knowledge of who God is. This is not a comprehensive history of all that has been thought and believed, it is more an understanding of who and what God is to humans around the globe. This book explores the ways in which a belief in God began and how it has developed in the major religious traditions of the world. If you believe there is only one true God, you are going to have some problems with the way God is presented in this book. There is even an argument for atheism and a section on the positive role of witches. This book is really not just about God, it is about a wide variety of topics including ritual, myth, music, science, art, sacrifice, architecture, The religions of India, Asia, Abraham and "In the End." Since many religions have their own dating systems, the dates in this book are given according to the western calendar. This is really a brief overview of all the religions in the world. "The claim is sometimes made that belief in God is like belief in fairies or Father Christmas: we may believe in such things when young but grown out of them when we are older and wiser. Phenomenology at the second level shows why that claim is wrong." I enjoyed the section on Rumi because I've read some of his poetry and now I understand what a sulfi is. Apparently is it a man or woman with a broken heart. Someone who is always sensitive to the heartbreak of the world and who is always sensitive to Divine Beauty. Once the heart breaks open, it goes on breaking forever and there is beauty and majesty and agony in the experience. "I was snow. I melted in you rays. The earth drank me: mist now, and pure spirit,I climb back to the sun." A fascinating book on the human search for God. ~The Rebecca Review

a good book

If one can get past the errors that the previous post states about Hinduism, then you will find a good read into the way that we have seen, or even created, God throughout our existence. It can be a little scattered or confusing though as the author tries to fit so much, but if you take your time, it will be worth it.