Book Title: “

Subtitle: “ The Eight Rival Religions That Run The World-And Why Their Differences Matter”

Author: Stephen Prothero

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What Is “God Is Not One” All About?

“God Is Not One” leads you on a journey of realization. A realization that, although most religions of the world share basically the same ethical principles, they do not share the same basic elements of doctrine, ritual, mythology, experience and law. The idea that all religions are essentially the same and that there is a religious unity prevalent  in the world has been an idea that has existed for a long time. This well researched book takes a look at the eight most powerful religions of our time and suggests that the idea of religious unity is nothing more than wishful thinking.

The Author Stephen Prothero puts this wishful thinking down to our “allergy to argument” which suggests that in regard to religion we simply do not want to create any conflict. The history of religious conflict certainly gives us good reason to keep our opinions to ourselves. Controversial Professor Prothero takes the view that if we are to be tolerant of other religions then we should know what we are being tolerant about. In “God Is Not One” he spells out what the great religions are about and shows how large the rifts are that separate us.

Why You Should Read “God Is Not One”!

In this book you will learn about what makes the major religions tick. What their base ideas are and how their different perceptions have been manifest in this third dimensional world we live in. “God Is Not One” is for people who do not want to continue living in an illusion and want to find out  the facts regarding the eight rival religions that rule our world. Only at this point of understanding can you truly become tolerant of other religions. This is not a book just for religious literacy students or professor’s. This book is for anyone who seeks the truth about religion and how it affects our world.

Pros and Cons of “God Is Not One”!

Pros:

*Well researched and informative regarding major world religions.
*No Holds Barred look at the good and bad sides of these religions.
*Easy to read. This is not a text book. Will keep you engaged to the end.
*Very well set out with a good problem and solution format.

Cons:

*Due to breadth of subject, does not include smaller esoteric religions.
*Does not focus on the spiritual side of unity so much although Stephen acknowledges this in his introduction.

“God Is Not One” Conclusion.

Professor Prothero writes for the general readership. He helps us make the connections between these ancient traditions and contemporary politics, economics, and culture. As with “Religious Literacy” and “American Jesus“, ”God Is Not One” looks deeply at how and why we create perceptions of religion and how it affects our world. Overall this is a great book and a great read. I would recommend this to anyone religious or non religious who has ever acknowledged the difference between god and religion.

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It is often thought that all religions are essentially the same and that they are all headed for the same spiritual goal. What Professor Prothero points out is that the different doctrines, rituals, and worldviews perceived by these different religions are not in fact headed in the same direction. Huge differences exist within religions and “God Is Not One” shows what these differences are and makes it obvious that we need to be aware of the different perceptions each religion has of itself. The major religions the Professor refers to are Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoruba Religion, Judaism, Daoism and atheism.

There seems to be some confusion in relation to the title “God Is Not One”. The statement that god is not one seems in direct contradiction of what the whole idea of god is. This is where we need to remind ourselves of the difference between God and religion. People are often confused by the issue of god being independent of religion. God is one but the perceptions of god created by hundreds of years of tradition, ritual and the very different origins of tribal and pagan customs seems to create extremely different ideas of not only what god is, but the ways in which we can aspire to become closer to him, her or it. It is the perceptions or beliefs created by these eight rival religions which presents conflict in our world.

In the context of “God Is Not One”, Stephen is correct in his title in respect to the different ideas and expectations created over time by these organisations of men which we call religions. Time has a way of changing the purity of the original Guru’s ideas. In fact these Guru’s were also men and were influenced by the environment and by their personal experiences at the time they lived. “I am the son of God and the son of man”. Men who have evolved to a high spiritual level.

I think Professor Prothero has done a fantastic job in researching and putting together this easy to read book covering many of the controversial issues relating to religions worldwide and showing how they impact on our world society on a physical plane. God may be one but our eight rival religions are definitely not.

I highly recommend it! Please watch the video below for a preview by the author on “God Is Not One”.

 Professor Stephen Prothero is a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University and the author of numerous books, most recently “God is Not One”.  He has commented on religion on dozens of National Public Radio programs, and on television on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, and PBS. He was also a guest on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” A regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, he has also written for the New York Times, Slate, Salon, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. Professor Prothero received his BA from Yale in American Studies and his PhD in the Study of Religion from Harvard. He lives at Cape Cod.

Stephen Prothero has had great success with fhe following previous bestsellers:

“Religious Literacy”

This was a fascinating, well written book. ”Religious Literacy” discusses how Jesus has been co-opted and claimed by numerous groups in the United States. He discusses the Jesus Movement’s Hippie Jesus, the Black Jesus, the Oriental Jesus, the evolving Jewish understanding of Jesus, and the Sweet Savior Jesus of the 19th century church hymns.

“American Jesus”

The author is able to engage the reader in the subject of religious studies, without being religious, self-righteous, or condescending. He brings up many more points about basic knowledge of facts and subjects that have been abandoned by the educational system that results in a less-than-informed citizenry and the dire consequences of a population that may end up voting against their own interests. ”American Jesus” is an excellent book, easy to digest and even easier to spread the word about.

Both of these books won numerous awards and aclaim through the religious literary world. 

S. Prothero has argued for mandatory public school Bible literacy courses, along with mandatory courses on world religions. In a May 2010 interview on CSpan’s Book TV, Stephen defined himself as “religiously confused.” His style of writing makes for easy reading without the feeling you are reading a text book.

In our politically correct world, people try to underplay important differences in doctrine, ritual, and worldview and paint all religions as one. Proffessor  Prothero explains what makes each of the world’s major religions distinct and why we should both be aware of this, and more importantly, why we should care. Stephen Prothero introduces the eight major religions of the world with a unique method of problem/ solution that each religion has to offer. He, thankfully, is respectful of the eight rival religions he addresses in God Is Not One and shows you both the good and bad sides of each.

“God Is Not One” is fair, well-researched and full of great information that really matters. It has been recommended that this very readable book would be the perfect standard introduction to world religions for any high school or undergraduate course.

“God Is Not One” certainly brings up some intriguing and interesting questions.