Browsing Area Book of the Week, March 4, 2013.

God is Not One: the eight rival religions that run the world—and why their differences matter by Stephen Prothero.  Library Call Number: BL80.3.P76 2010.

 

          Prothero sets out with the interesting premise that religions are not all pointed in the same direction—at the same omniscient, omnipotent Being—but are, on the contrary, beginning at different philosophical points and experiences of faith and order, and expanding from there.  By contrasting their differences, he hopes to paint a fuller picture of different cultures and what they seek in their faith.  The book is controversial, especially in the inclusion of Confucianism—which can be argued is a philosophy and not a faith—and atheism, which is shown only at its furthest extreme.  Still, the author has written an illuminating book with plenty to ponder.  Readers may come away from the book with a feeling that, like the blind men with the elephant, they have not yet reached a full comprehension of what God means.  They may, however, find a larger appreciation of the beliefs of others.

Browsing Area Book of the Week, November 7, 2011.

        Dying for Heaven: Holy pleasure and suicide bombers—why the best qualities of religion are also its most dangerous by Ariel Glucklich.  Library Call Number: BP190.5.T47G57 2009.

     From the Library Journal review, (11/1/09):

          With profound clarity, insight, and skill, Glucklich (Hinduism, Georgetown Univ.; Sacred Pain) e nters into the fray of post-9/11 discourses on religion…by examining the social, psychological, and historical roles of pleasure. Moving away from an oft-perceived Islamic-West dualism, Glucklich probes the very nature of what it means to be religious and the attractiveness of becoming religious. In nine chapters, he digs into the role that such concepts as pleasure, happiness, humor, and ridicule play in the social and religious realities of our worlds (Islamic or not), complete with examples from Mozart to the KKK….He successfully elucidates both the emotive and the visceral foundations of not only the suicide bomber but also our Western perceptions and reactions…Extremely well written, and at times quite funny (e.g., when Glucklich writes about humor), this book is an absolute necessity for a public seeking to understand religious nuance and zealotry; it deserves careful attention and a broad readership. Highly recommended.  -–Anthony J. Elia, JKM Library, Chicago, IL.