The Battle for God

About 40 years ago popular opinion assumed that religion would become a weaker force and people would certainly become less zealous as the world became more modern and morals more relaxed. But the opposite has proven true, according to theologian and author Karen Armstrong (A History of God), who documents how fundamentalism has taken root and grown in many of the world's major religions, such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Even Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Confucianism have developed fundamentalist factions. Reacting to a technologically driven world with liberal Western values, fundamentalists have not only increased in numbers, they have become more desperate, claims Armstrong, who points to the Oklahoma City bombing, violent anti-abortion crusades, and the assassination of President Yitzak Rabin as evidence of dangerous extremes.

Yet she also acknowledges the irony of how fundamentalism and Western materialism seem to urge each other on to greater excesses. To "prevent an escalation of the conflict, we must try and understand the pain and perception of the other side," she pleads. With her gift for clear, engaging writing and her integrity as a thorough researcher, Armstrong delivers a powerful discussion of a globally heated issue. Part history lesson, part wake-up call, and mostly a plea for healing, Armstrong's writing continues to offer a religious mirror and a cultural vision. --Gail Hudson

View other editions of The Battle for God.
View books by Karen Armstrong.

Superb review of a difficult subject - Rated
This book is excellent from start to finish. Karen Armstrong carefully and honestly describes the history of four regions of fundamentalism during the past two millenia:
- Protestant fundamentalism in the USA
- Jewish fundamentalism in Israel
- Muslim fundamentalism in Egypt (Sunni)
- Muslim fundamentalism in Iran (Shia)

Throughout she gives what I found to be a balanced view of the history of each movements, its influences, its leaders, its ambition and its legacy. The level of detail is superb and although some areas can be difficult to follow as it gets to the more recent history (20th century) this becomes less of an issue.

Generally, the book splits into two sections: pre 20th century history describing how each community (more Jewish and Muslim than Protestant) established itself in different regions of the world, and then the 20th century where so much history has been condensed into such a short period of time.

I can't recommend this book enough for anyone interested in the subject and looking for perhaps a little more perspective than offered by the news channels

This book misses out a millenia of fanaticism - Rated
Karen Armstrong is again as thorough as ever in her research into the fanatical side of religion. She is able to show how and why some sects became so radicalise - from the rather innocuous Scopes trial in America to Qutub in Egypt.

However my very big issue with this book is it seems to be rather arbitrary as to where to start. It basically picks up the story of the religions round about 1500 AD. How you can write a book called "the battle for god" with a sub heading about fundamentalism and ignore the 200 years of crusading in the Middle East! The assassins, the military orders, the fall of Acre or the Moorish expansion into Spain all seem like examples of fundamentalism to me but are ignored. The giants of religious manipulation for the purpose of violence such as Heraclius, Tamerlane, Baybars or Pope Innocent III are never even mentioned. Indeed many of the fanatical issues that rose to the forefront in the 19th and 20th centuries were specifically related to the events and people listed above.

It is almost as if this is volume 2 to a 2 part study...except it isn't.

However what is here is an excellent (if again unnecessarily dry) account of the rise of fundamentalism as in the general society in the West there is also a rise in secularism. It is very well researched and creates a huge window into the understanding of why things are unfolding in the way they are today.

A story for the sake of mercy - Rated
I love her effort. Armstrong always tries to find the stories behind events, and to stand in the shoes of all participants. Her choice to trace fundamentalism through several centuries and three different religions frames a search for unbiased understanding. She respects people's quest to find the fundamental roots of their religion. But she also shows the real consequences when people have tried to play God over others. She shows how people of all three major "religions of the book" face similar choices among different versions of their faith. Among these choices she urges mercy.

Interesting but flawed - Rated
Karen Armstrong's book does a great job of introducing the main religions and the potential perils associated with fundamentalism. It assumes however that certainty today means the same thing as certainty a few hundred years ago. Because of this Armstrong imputes things to the religions themselves which are really only modern developments within the religions themselves. this aside though Armstrong's book serves as a good introduction to the Western Religions in light of recent scary developments within all three.

Good Account of Fundamantalism, Short on Detail - Rated
The Battle for God is as balanced an account of the history of fundamentalism as I have read. Karen Armstrong traces the rise of fundamentalism in the three Abrahamic faiths. Her basic argument, which recurs throughout the book, is that fundamentalism is a response to modernism by groups, which have been "left behind" by secular modernisation.

She argues this point well when she describes the rise of Evangelical Christianity in 19th century America and the creation of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1950's. The book is well researched, with a good bibliography for readers interested in further reading.

She rightly devotes a lot of space to the Iranian revolution, which is the single event that cast Shiism as a violent, reactionary form of Islam in the eyes of the West. Baffling to most Westerners, she showed that the Iranian Revolution was a logical response to the alienation of the people by the Shah at the time (with the connivance of the US and UK).

Any book, which tackles such a topic will have to sacrifice detail for brevity. Therefore, her arguments are superficial when she posits that the loss of "mythos" in the West was the reason for the Swinging Sixties.

Furthermore, she argues that pre-modern societies were inherently conservative because their economies were agrarian and therefore could not sustain rapid innovation even if they wanted to. This argument ignores the fact that pre-modern Europe had to do develop a scientific rational system to become industrialised.

The Battle for God has given me a panoramic view of some of the reasons for the rise of fundamentalism. Karen Armstrong's book is a good introduction to the subject. However it only provides a superficial understanding of the subject. I will be doing some further reading, based on the excellent bibliography.