World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic

by Douglas Groothuis

Understanding the beliefs and practices of other faiths is essential not just to the task of interreligious dialogue, but also to grasping one's own faith. In this brief volume in IVP Academic's Introductions in Seven Sentences, philosopher Douglas Groothuis creatively uses a single sentence representing each of several world religions as a way to open readers to their depth and complexity, With a sympathetic but not uncritical approach, Groothuis welcomes readers to a vital and global conversation. The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.

Genres: Religion

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, where he heads the Apologetics and Ethics masters degree program. His articles have been published in professional journals such as Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written numerous books, including Christian Apologetics and, most recently Philosophy in Seven Sentences.

Reviews

[Conrade Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

One common accusation against Christians is their lack of understanding of other religions. They wonder how Christians can accept Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life when they have not explored the other religious angles. Is it fair to accept one without first considering the others? Plus, how could Christians relate to a person of another faith? How do we understand another faith perspective without misrepresenting them? This book is a resource to help promote better understanding in an increasingly pluralistic society. In a society that guarantees freedom of religion, it is crucial to be respectful of other beliefs. What better way than to get some basic understanding of others to facilitate goodwill and neighbourliness. For author Douglas Groothuis, this book is an attempt to equip us with a basic knowledge of the positions of seven common beliefs in our society. If we are to practice loving our neighbours, it would mean learning to be respectful of their beliefs in our civil interactions with them. Hopefully, that would translate into behaviours that display class and tact, without compromising the Christian faith. This is increasingly important due to the multireligious environments created by immigration, global movements, and connections via the Internet. Groothuis does this by addressing the central doctrines of each position and their versions of truth. He then responds from a Christian perspective. These seven are Atheism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, and Christianity.

1) Atheism: "God is Dead."
2) Judaism: "I Am Who I Am."
3) Hinduism: "You are That."
4) Buddhism: "Life is Suffering."
5) Daoism: "The Dao that can be spoken is not the Eternal Dao."
6) Islam: "There is One God, and Muhammad is His Prophet."
7) Christianity: "Before Abraham Was, I Am."

He begins with Atheism which simply declares there is no God. Based on the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, Groothuis describes the background of the renowned German philosopher who is one of the fiercest critics of religions, aiming particularly at Christianity and Judaism. If Nietzsche is right, then it also means the rest of the religious world would be wrong. After presenting the core elements of Nietzsche's arguments, Groothuis then responds with counterarguments. On Judaism, the author focuses on the use of names. Names in Judaism are crucial for they encapsulate the identity and meaning of a person. Going back to respected Jewish figures such as Maimonides and Heschel, Groothuis brings out some of the most salient aspects of Jewish beliefs. In contrast to Atheism and other religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, God as the I Am is revealed as a Personal Being. There is a summary of the "thirteen principles of faith" which should provide a concise description of the faith. Hinduism is described as "a big tent with six pegs," meaning it has six tenets of faith. With the proliferation of many gods in the belief, even Jesus is proclaimed and accepted as a legitimate divinity. The statement "You are That" points to a humanistic appeal to make oneself into a god. The idea is that we can find our true divinity in the inner self. This contrasts sharply with Christianity that we are nothing without God. On Buddhism, we come to the key purpose of Buddhism, which is to escape from all suffering because all of life is suffering. Groothuis takes us through the four noble truths and the ten monastic precepts. He compares and contrasts Buddha with Jesus and points out the many differences and incompatibilities between the two faiths. For instance, where Buddhism declares that all of life is suffering and we ought to find ways to escape it, Christianity says that life's suffering is due to sin and Jesus is the way to salvation. On Daoism, Groothuis notes that it is not a "missionary religion" but a tradition. It is a way of capturing the meaning of "ultimate reality." It is an impersonal principle that is collected in a book of 81 sayings called "Daodejing." It appeals to nature and to those who want to contemplate life for life itself. In Islam, the focus is on the one God and the one prophet. Covering the six tenets and five pillars, he gives us a broad overview of the beliefs about Allah and the prophet Muhammad. The key point of contention is the view of Jesus from Islam versus Christianity. The chapter on Christianity is understandably relatively long as it covers in depth the Person of Jesus Christ.

My Thoughts
==============
Is this a fair representation of the different faiths? For the length of the book, probably so. Each faith would require a serious volume (or volumes) to describe. Since this book is a condensed explanation of the faiths, there is a hard limit to what the author can include. Groothuis covers the basic tenets of each faith as concisely as possible. It cannot be as comprehensive as one might hope for. I would thus say that the coverage is respectable. Hopefully, it would provide a basic understanding of each faith in order to further the conversation. The purpose is not to become an expert on the topic but to be knowledgeable enough not to misrepresent the other side. Humility is important because many practitioners of the respective faiths are deeply committed to what they believe. Instead of trying to dumb down the others, perhaps try the "I don't necessarily agree but I understand where you are coming from." Groothuis's approach is to first present the basic doctrines of each religion before addressing them from the perspective of Christianity. He does not simply tell us but shows us how to engage with viewpoints different from ours. Is the reductionistic? Certainly. Any overviews or summaries will always be reductionistic. The difference lies in the degree. This book is aimed at Christians who want to be equipped with the basics of other faiths so that they can engage intelligently and respectfully with views different from theirs. For those wanting a quick reference, the concluding chapter offers a brief summary of each position.

Interestingly, Groothuis includes Daoism in one of his world religions list in this book. He might have taken a leaf out of James Sire's first of seven worldview questions. Looking at the seven chapters, three of them are about monotheistic faith (Christianity, Islam, Judaism); one atheist; one polytheist (Hinduism); and two religious-philosophical beliefs (Buddhism, Daoism). Readers might wonder about the exclusion of other religions such as animism, folk, indigenous, new age, new thought, paganism, etc. Maybe these can be covered in future editions.

As a brief introduction, this book should whet the appetite of those who just want a basic grasp of the seven basic beliefs. However, it should not be the only resource to be used. Plus, the one-sentence should be used mainly as a big idea picture for initial understanding.

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary. He is the author of numerous books, including Christian Apologetics, Fire in the Streets, Philosophy in Seven Sentences, Unmasking the New Age, Truth Decay, On Pascal, On Jesus, and Walking Through Twilight. He has written for scholarly journals such as Religious Studies, Sophia, Research in Philosophy and Technology, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Philosophia Christi, as well as for numerous popular magazines.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Nikayla Reize · Rating 1 out of 5]

Im teaching a course on world religions for a class of students from different religions (Hinduism, Sihkism, Islam) and while prepping I have been searching for a short introduction to assign. I was hopeful for this book but after reading it, I cannot endorse it to anyone. This book is intended for Christians and he basically spends every chapter arguing against and mocking the other religions. He probably can't hear it but this book would have caused a lot of harm if I had assigned it to my religiously diverse class.

As an example of his mocking tone, in his concluding section on Hinduism he writes:

"As I argue in an upcoming chapter, Jesus was a monotheist who claimed to be one with the I am who I am who revealed himself to Moses (Ex 3:14; Jn 8:58). This claim and others are situated in space-time history and not culled from legendary material, as does Hinduism’s account of its avatars"


When explaining the Hindu conceptualization of non-dualism, he writes, "Thus, the conjunction of Self and maya (as nondualism must affirm) is logically impossible and, thereby, false."

...like is this a book about world religions or a book about the supremacy of Christianity over other religious worldviews???

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, a thank you to NetGalley and IVP Academic for providing this eBook for review.

This book looks at seven world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Daoism, Islam, and Atheism) using a short sentence as a starting point for each. The author looks at these through the lens of a believer in Christianity, but I did not feel that this skewed his ideas or arguments in a negative way. The author’s intent was to introduce religions in a simple way, and not delve too deep or overwhelm the reader. The author includes some philosophical statements at the end of the book, which I found was a good introduction to philosophy for a novice such as myself.

I did, however, find reading this book a little hard going at times as I felt that some knowledge of Christianity was needed to fully understand where the author was coming from. Despite this, I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a brief overview of these religions and how they fit in with a Christian worldview.

#WorldReligionsinSevenSentences #NetGalley

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Douglas Groothuis MA’86
Author

From the author:
This is the nineteenth book by Douglas Groothuis MA’86 (philosophy), professor at Denver Seminary.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose World Religions in Seven Sentences knowing it was published by a Christian press, so I was neither surprised nor disappointed that the author examined his seven chosen worldviews through a Christian lens. However, I do think he missed the mark too many times for me to ever recommend this title.

On the very first page, the author asserts that "we need to know something—beyond cliches—about...the major world religions to be good neighbors." Unfortunately, throughout the volume, he spends as much time (or more) "disproving" religious tenets than actually outlining or exploring them. I don't know about you, but if someone tried to be a "good neighbor" to me by putting forth a (questionable) logical argument against my worldview, I would seriously question their notion of neighborliness. (As a side note, I put "disproving" in quotes and included a parenthetical "questionable" because, time and again, one of the logical arguments against a given belief/perspective was that it didn't align with the Bible. And, I mean, fair enough, this is a Christian author and publishing house, but "this goes against Christian scripture" is not, in fact, logical proof/disproof.)

Beyond this consistent frustration throughout the book, I also questioned some of the seven sentences that were used to characterize the religions. For example, when considering atheism, we are confronted with Nietzsche's "God is dead," which seems chosen not because it somehow captures modern atheist thinking (it does not) but because it is recognizable and easy to challenge Biblically. So then, why this statement? Why not something from modern atheistic philosophy? (Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great comes to mind.)

My reading notes were also riddled with observations like:
—Off-topic and no evidence provided;
—but...there is NO WAY to know what would/wouldn't have happened in an alternate past; and
—one wildly personal experience cannot be the basis for such a strong generalization.

Overall, I found this book frustrating; not bad, exactly, but disappointing.

[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.]

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone who is interested and involved in interfaith work, I was eager to read this title. Sadly I can't recommend this book because it is written through a Christian lens which for me largely negates the value of this title.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Josh Olds · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you were asked to summarize your religion in one sentence, how would you do it? That’s the underlying premise of World Religions in Seven Sentences by Douglas Groothius. Using single-sentence premises, Groothius offers readers short twenty-page overviews of the most prominent world religions: atheism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Islam. While the book doesn’t make this clear initially, World Religions in Seven Sentences is not a straightforward introductory overview of these religions, but rather a comparative apologetic between these religions and Christianity.

Author Douglas Groothius is best known as a Christian apologist (see his magnum opus Christian Apologetics) and his perspective here in World Religions in Seven Sentences is to delineate what he perceives to be the inconsistencies and flaws in six of the world religions while championing his own. I only point this out because the distinction is important. This is not an unbiased examination of world religion; it is a Christian apologetic. Those looking for more objective perspectives, perhaps written by experts in those religions will have to look elsewhere. From the outset, I think IVP and Groothius would have done better to more clearly advertise the apologetic nature of the book.

Frankly, I’m wasn’t a fan of the book even from an apologetic perspective. The first chapter on atheism focuses on Friedrich Nietzsche’s statement “God is dead.” Already, we have a problem: atheism is much larger philosophically than Nietzschean nihilism. But Thus Spake Zarathustra is compelling and attacking Nietzsche is tried, true, and popular. (Which also means there are well-developed counterarguments to Groothius’s claims.) For example, Groothius contends that atheism is “a necessary condition” for “massive injustice on a revolutionary scale.” That’s a bold claim that historical and current events like the Crusades, the Inquisition, Islamic jihad, India/Pakistan relations, US slavery, and other religiously-backed massive injustices seem to easily counteract. Groothius simply states claims without backing and never goes into why individuals might be drawn toward atheism.

I could write a paragraph like this for every chapter. In the chapter on Hinduism, he includes a footnote as to why he believes Christians should not participate in the exercise of yoga. In the chapter on Islam, he focuses on what he perceives as Islam’s violence, in one case writing that every chapter of the Quran talks about eternal damnation (never mind the oft-repeated evangelical line that “Jesus talked more about hell than any other subject.”) It’s twentieth-century pop apologetics masquerading as a primer on world religions.

Suffice it to say I was incredibly disappointed with this book and its tone. I would’ve been fine if this book had been marketing as apologetics and actually contained substantive apologetics. Groothius writes at the beginning of World Religions in Seven Sentences that we live in a pluralistic society and interreligious dialogue is necessary. That’s true. This book doesn’t further that goal.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't seriously think that world religions could be described in seven sentences, but I found the title intriguing and wondered how this book would be structured. Well, the author has taken seven 'world religions' and each one is headed up with a sentence that encapsulates its key message. This is followed by a chapter which elaborates on the themes of the religion. The author writes clearly about complex ideas, and I enjoyed his style of writing even when the subject matter was a little deep. I feel I would need to go over the chapters again, maybe even a couple of times, but what is written here is a very good springboard into further study.

However, this book is not for me and I won't be revisiting any of the chapters. The author states at the start that the book looks at these religions through the lens of Christianity. I am not a Christian so I didn't understand the points of reference he was using. Also he seemed to be writing for American readers, and as a non-American this cultural lens gave an added barrier to understanding.

One thing I would have liked is some discussion about how and why the seven religions were chosen. Is Atheism really a world religion? And if for example only 30,000 people in America identify as Daoists, and with relatively few around the world, why was Daoism included rather than other religions such as Paganism, Sikhism or others? I appreciate that in any selection such as this there are going to be people asking 'what about this one?' or 'why was that included?' but it would have been interesting to understand the selection process.

So overall if you are a Christian looking for a general overview of some of the world religions in relation to your own religion then you will probably find this an interesting and helpful book.

[Robin C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do people seek to learn about other religions? Knowing what others believe and how it affects their worldview is helpful as friends, colleagues, neighbors, travelers, and seekers. For instance, we may wonder: Why do Muslims fast for a month? What does karma mean to Hindus and Buddhists? Why do Jews, Muslims, and Christians fight over Israel and the West Bank? Do Atheists believe God is dead?

Douglas Groothuis, a professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary since 1993, encapsulates seven world religions into seven short phrases, then explains what they mean in his book, Seven World Religions in Seven Sentences. These lines are not always self-explanatory (compared to, say, Descartes’ famous “I think, therefore I am”). For example, the phrases range from obscure (Hinduism’s “You are that”) to easily memorized (Islam’s “There is one God, and Muhammad is his prophet”).

Groothuis does best when he provides lists: the Four Covenants of the Jews; Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths; the Six Tenets of Islam. He also explains how both Hindus and Buddhists believe in karma, though Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha rejected major parts of Hinduism in order to seek enlightenment.

As he says in the introduction, Groothuis provides his “evaluations of each faith” through his conviction that “truth is [only] found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” That’s seemingly why the book begins with Atheism (not that “God is dead” but “there is no God and has never been”). As more Americans become unaffiliated to a particular religion, the author warns that “a world without God is ripe … [for] the most ruthless political oppression.”

He saves Islam for last. As the second-most popular religion in the world, Islam has similarities to the two other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity. It recognizes the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and its Qur’an talks of Jesus as a prophet of Allah. However, Muslim teachings deny Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and place in the Trinity (the Godhead). Groothuis claims Jesus and Mohammad as being two of the most influential people in the world. However, he shows Jesus as a humble healer, while Mohammad is a destroyer and leader; “Allah is merciful” but the Christian “God is love.”

Seven World Religions in Seven Sentences provides a brief overview of different religions, but its Christian viewpoint introduces too much bias for non-Christian readers.

Prerelease book provided by NetGalley and IVP Academic for review consideration.

#WorldReligionsinSevenSentences #NetGalley

[Douglas Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief introduction to seven world religions. As with the other books in this series, a sentence is used for each chapter which is then explained in connection to the theme of the chapter. I have already read several books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. The author writes in the final chapter that rather than giving a "bland summary" of the religions he has "sought to engage with them philosophically and comparatively from a Christian perspective." I think this needs to be stated in the book description. Groothuis is a Philosopher so his approach is playing to his strengths. The references the author provides in the book are very helpful. The brief overviews of world religions in the book are also useful. This book would be most useful for readers with, at least, an introductory background to philosophy.

[Arnav Kapoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think if I was at school, I would've made my friends read it before I did. Frankly speaking, it is the most digestible philosophical text on religion that I have read. And I believe it should be made compulsory to read in school. Many teens who keep wandering in the sphere of religion would make this their Bible, Quran, Bhagvad GIta, etc. Even I who was wandering in this field would've loved a companion book like this. Really the BEST READ FOR A YOUNG AUDIENCE.

[Alex Helm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bullshit

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, but useful, introduction.

[Travis Henville · Rating 2 out of 5]

utterly compromised by Judeo-Christian bias