Religion as We Know It: An Origin Story
Product ID: 171304694
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A brief, beautiful invitation to the study of religion from a Pulitzer Prize winner. How did our forebears begin to think about religion as a distinct domain, separate from other activities that were once inseparable from it? Starting at the birth of Christianity―a religion inextricably bound to Western thought―Jack Miles reveals how the West’s “common sense” understanding of religion emerged and then changed as insular Europe discovered the rest of the world. In a moving postscript, he shows how this very story continues today in the hearts of individual religious or irreligious men and women. Review: Soothing and thought-provoking - This is a wonderful little book for anyone interested in religion and/or what all of this means and how we can have peaceful lives. It's a bit "meta" in the sense that it describes the process of editing the Norton World Religions Anthology, but enough information is given so you understand the problems, solutions, etc. You don't need need to be familiar with the Anthology to get a lot out of this book, and there is a lot of material which just stands on its own and does not reference the process of editing the Norton Anthology. Some topics and problems discussed: what is the concept of "religion?" How has the concept of religion been developed in the West? How might that concept frame and change what a religion means, both in the west and for other places and times? How has Christian scholarship and history developed (in a very broad sense) and how has this led to secularization? Note, Miles connects Christian scholarship with Jewish developments, and, to a lesser extent, Islamic developments. I think this makes sense in that he is trying to explain a foundational framework for understanding religion that has developed, which, admittedly, is just one way to look at all of this. All of these topics are interesting, but the closing section on religion and science, and how to make sense of our lives, was really insightful and moving. Short and sweet! Review: Lots of information here, but takes a while to get to it - The history of religion is a fascinating story which continues today! This book is a bit academic, and much of the verbiage could be shortened to make for more interesting reading. The author is extremely well versed in his subject and I bought the book because of a NYT review but I do with the reviewer had been more forthright about how much we had to plow through to get to the beautiful meaty nuggets of the story. Much is said about the writing of the Norton Anthology but I wish there had been even more about religions. Very interesting, nonetheless but I like that sort of stuff. I think others with less patience might abandon ship.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,171,108 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,610 in General History of Religion #3,176 in History of Religions #24,527 in Theology (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 35 Reviews |
J**T
Soothing and thought-provoking
This is a wonderful little book for anyone interested in religion and/or what all of this means and how we can have peaceful lives. It's a bit "meta" in the sense that it describes the process of editing the Norton World Religions Anthology, but enough information is given so you understand the problems, solutions, etc. You don't need need to be familiar with the Anthology to get a lot out of this book, and there is a lot of material which just stands on its own and does not reference the process of editing the Norton Anthology. Some topics and problems discussed: what is the concept of "religion?" How has the concept of religion been developed in the West? How might that concept frame and change what a religion means, both in the west and for other places and times? How has Christian scholarship and history developed (in a very broad sense) and how has this led to secularization? Note, Miles connects Christian scholarship with Jewish developments, and, to a lesser extent, Islamic developments. I think this makes sense in that he is trying to explain a foundational framework for understanding religion that has developed, which, admittedly, is just one way to look at all of this. All of these topics are interesting, but the closing section on religion and science, and how to make sense of our lives, was really insightful and moving. Short and sweet!
E**N
Lots of information here, but takes a while to get to it
The history of religion is a fascinating story which continues today! This book is a bit academic, and much of the verbiage could be shortened to make for more interesting reading. The author is extremely well versed in his subject and I bought the book because of a NYT review but I do with the reviewer had been more forthright about how much we had to plow through to get to the beautiful meaty nuggets of the story. Much is said about the writing of the Norton Anthology but I wish there had been even more about religions. Very interesting, nonetheless but I like that sort of stuff. I think others with less patience might abandon ship.
N**S
Vital Reading for Phenomenologists, Sociologists & Social Constructionists
Miles may be the world's leading authority on the topic from outside the theological box. In this, as in his editorial masterwork, The Norton Anthology of World Religions, he looks at religion from the perspective of a mechanism of social organization and phenomenological explanation in greatly diverse cultures, rather than from the long dominant Western notion that all religions are defined like "our" religion. Because there are billions of people out there who do NOT see "religion" -- let alone belief -- like "we" do.
J**N
A fascinating, thought-provoking read
Very readable and insightful. Great for discussion afterward.
F**A
really it's an update of a part of an earlier work
interesting
S**S
Brief
Jack Miles has written a lot about religion, and his latest book titled, Religion As We Know It, may be the briefest and most accessible. While he points readers toward The Norton Anthology of World Religions, for which he is general editor, it seemed to me that he’s using this little book to include things he couldn’t write in the anthology. Readers with a general interest in religion are those most likely to enjoy this book. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok)
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