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.
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"As indicated, this was an amazing book. First, Prothero summarized in a concise way the basic teachings of eight religions. He clearly outlined the major differences between them highlighting how they see the "human problem" and their solution: Islam: the problem is pride/ the solution is submission; Christianity: the problem is sin/the solution is salvation; Confucianism: the problem is chaos/the solution is social order; Buddhism: the problem is suffering/ the solution is awakening; Judaism: the problem is exhile/ the solution is to return to God. Prothero clearly states how ignorant most people are concerning various religious beliefs. How can one condemn a religion if you know nothing about it? In most cases, he says, it the "extremist" in ANY religion that gets the attention. In his book "Religious Literacy" Prothero demonstrated how little Americans know about THEIR OWN religious traditions. "God is Not One" is a MUST READ for those willing to learn."
— Joe (5 out of 5 stars)
“Prothero is the kind of professor who makes you want to go back to college…To describe Prothero as ‘quick witted’ or his interests as ‘interdisciplinary’ wouldn’t do him justice.”
— Newsweek“Enormously timely, thoughtful and balanced.”
— Los Angeles Times“God is Not One is 2010’s must-read for anyone religiously illiterate…Don’t know much about the world’s faiths? Get a copy now.”
— Daily Beast“Provocative, thoughtful, fiercely intelligent and, for both believing and nonbelieving, formal and informal students of religion, a must-read.”
— Booklist" 'God is not One' is almost better than 'Religious Literacy'. Taking a closer look at the 8 major religions was fascinating. Especially so were Judaism and the Yoruba tradition. I understood more than I thought I did regarding the basics of Islam. Daoism somehow seems murky and odd...it seems almost nonsenical. Mr. Prothero convinced me that religion really does matter, in spite of what some atheists will tell you. One such person, long ago, said religion is a 'waste of time', which is extremely short sighted. Whether you believe or not, it pays to have an understanding of the basics. "
— Livia, 2/4/2014" I really like Stephen Prothero's work, but this book wasn't as strong. I think that's partly because I know the basics of many of the world's religions, which is what this book covers. I was looking for more of an argument, which he gives in the introduction and conclusion, where he lays out his idea that the various religions are trying to offer different solutions to different problems. Unfortunately, he doesn't follow that argument throughout the book. Instead, he simply summarizes their main beliefs/actions. If you're looking for a good overview of eight major religions, this book is it. If you're looking for the argument he promises, you'll need to keep looking. "
— Kevin, 1/30/2014" Prothero is a brilliant scholar, and an even more brilliant writer. Through the exploration of the eight great religions of the world, and a special segment on the spread of atheism, Prothero does not lose his storytelling technique, encouraging religious literacy and provoking profoundly crucial questions to the understanding of humans relations to religion. All in all, this was a spectacularly informative and entertaining read. "
— Sagar, 1/28/2014" Ironically, this great book actually reinforced my opinion that there are far more commonalities in world religion than there are differences. But Prothero's eloquent point is certainly valid. "
— Jeremy, 12/23/2013" I had to read this for a comparative religion class at college and I actually really enjoyed it. Prothero does a good job of giving a brief over view of all the major religions. I'm actually going to keep this book and not sell it back to the bookstore. Its a great reference and super interesting if you feel like you don't know much about other religions around the world. "
— Margaret, 12/12/2013" Another book I'm reading as part of my quest to get a better understanding of religion. I consider myself to be an atheist, but I find religion endlessly fascinating. So far seems like an easy to read and quite accessible book. SO far so good. "
— Adrian, 11/17/2013" In a word, fascinating. I really learned a lot from this book, and in this day and age recommend it to anyone and everyone. "
— Kristen, 10/21/2013" A good description of eight major world religions, the diversity present within each group, and the differences in the ways that each approaches the world. "
— David, 10/16/2013" Prothero is not advocating the trinity or multi-theism with that title; he simply grabs people's attention then points to the importance and value of being respectfully aware of one another. Engaging, useful, well-organized- I really liked reading it. "
— Paula, 9/14/2013" Prothero seems more comfortable with some of the religions,but not all. The writing was a little uneven. And of course, it's always impossible to 'know' a religion from reading a book, but it helps re-enforce vocabulary. "
— Sara, 6/22/2013" I learned a lot about world religions after reading this book. There was so much information that I couldn't take it all in. I plan to read this book again and learn more! "
— Heather, 9/22/2012Stephen Prothero is a professor of religion at Boston University and the New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and God Is Not One. He and his work have been featured on the cover of Time magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Daily Show, National Public Radio, and other top national media outlets. He writes and reviews for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Boston Globe, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Salon, Slate, and other publications.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.