God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Audiobook

" '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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" In a word, fascinating. I really learned a lot from this book, and in this day and age recommend it to anyone and everyone. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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! "

" Quite interesting views on differrent religions throughout the world. I didn't necessarily side with the author's thoughts. "

" Very complex reading. Loved the introduction but I'm not sure the book really explained what it meant to be any of the religions mentioned. "

" An interesting read on world religions intended to cover the ways that they differ, as opposed to the perceived contention by the author that the gestalt world view seems to be trending towards a perspective of unification. "

" Good book. I only read the parts I was interested in, though. "

" Exactly what I was looking for: an introductory comparative religion book. The author chooses 8 of the world's major religions and compares how different they are, in origin, design, aim, and practice. Easy to read and not too technical. "

" For the most part this was an interesting and informative read. However, when I read the chapter on Atheism I was a little irate. He has a pretty obvious disdain for Atheists. It was the only chapter that I felt was infused with blatant bias. "

" Accessible, informative, insightful. Highly recommended. "

" Gave me a better understanding of some of the more popular religions in the world including values and differences. Worth a read "

" The idea of an objective examination of the major religions was a good one. Unfortunately, the author did not always remain objective. His personal editorializing and criticizing was at times intrusive. That, coupled with a tendency to ramble made the book tedious and an effort to read. "

" After having to read Houston Smith's World Religions for my theology course and getting progressively angrier with his depictions of polytheistic and atheistic religions as "oh but they're *really* monotheists like us," this was a relief. When is this coming out in paperback? "

" Enlightening summary and overview of world religions, with a brief supplementary section on atheism. I believe this book would be interesting to believers and nonbelievers alike, for it reveals cultural as well as theological diversity and unity in the major world religions. "

" An interesting read on world religions intended to cover the ways that they differ, as opposed to the perceived contention by the author that the gestalt world view seems to be trending towards a perspective of unification. "

" This book does about as good a job as a secularist can do. Prothero is very respectful to all traditions he's covering and applies a consistent critical framework for exploration. Anabaptists even get a little love in the chapter on Christianity! :) "