An Atheist's History of Belief: Understanding Our Most Extraordinary Invention

by Matthew Kneale

The atheist’s poetic synopsis of the history of spirituality and religion from the Man Booker shortlisted author of English Passengers

What first prompted prehistoric man, sheltering in the shadows of deep caves, to call upon the realm of the spirits? And why has belief thrived since, shaping thousands of generations of shamans, pharaohs, Aztec priests and Mayan rulers, Jews, Buddhists, Christians, Nazis, and Scientologists?

As our dreams and nightmares have changed over the millennia, so have our beliefs. The gods we created have evolved and mutated with us through a narrative fraught with human sacrifice, political upheaval and bloody wars.

Belief was man's most epic labor of invention. It has been our closest companion, and has followed mankind across the continents and through history.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Atheism, Philosophy, Psychology, Spirituality

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Matthew Kneale was born in London in 1960, read Modern History at Oxford University and on graduating in 1982, spent a year teaching English in Japan, where he began writing short stories.

Kneale is the son of writers Nigel Kneale and Judith Kerr, and the grandson of essayist and theatre critic Alfred Kerr.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surely this book is not EXCLUSIVE to Atheists!!!
After all we are ALL Believers. AND Unbelievers.
And MOST of us grow into, reassess, alter, develop,consolidate or do back-flips re Our Beliefs.
This book, although not exhaustive in spread or depth, is a Wonderful place to start one's Journey of Investigation, and does NOT merit an unthinking Lone Star.

The basic premise of this book is NOT that the gods/god created Mankind, but that Mankind created the gods/god.
I read this exact thought for the first time in James Michener's large novel "The Source" in my third year in a Catholic Monastery.
It immediately hit me...a Revelation, a stunning yet obvious truth that had avoided me, escaped my grasp for so many years. I was 18 years old.
I had often found myself disagreeing with the teachings of the Church,
mainly because I thought their beliefs unjust, totally unfair.

The first time was when my older sister came home from school and told me that her teacher, a nun, had told the class that animals did not go to Heaven.I was about 7 or 8 years old and my sister 3 years older. We were both outraged. How did she, this nun, know ? Why couldn't they go to Heaven? We decided that if it was true we would simply ask God to bring them back to life.Our kind of god would love animals and NOT exclude them. Typing this I now realise that WE were creating Our God!!

Later we were to be told that all those who did not believe in Jesus would go to Hell for eternity; even those who had never had the opportunity to hear about him, either because they lived before him or lived in distant places where Jesus had never been heard of.
I recall just absolutely refusing to believe such utter nonsense. But I kept it to myself.I never felt any need to get some reassurance.
This idea was too unfair to have any Reality.I imagined the entire population of India marching Hellwards and found it utterly repellent.
I always thought of Indians as beautiful and exotic.How could God do this !! I wonder now whether it made others feel superior, safe and smug.How much was racism involved ?

This book attempts to illustrate how different beliefs first developed and grew.And what needs and fears were being catered for.
The changing life styles of early humankind - from hunters and gatherers to farmers and finally town/city dwellers are shown to have effected beliefs.
And then the beliefs of various civilisations are examined.From Mesopotamia's cruel gods so difficult to satisfy and understand, to Turkey, to Egypt, to the Mayan and Aztec Indians...all varied and unique, cruel or humane. Mostly there was no hope of a Paradise after death, just a land of shades and gloom...the Jews and Greeks were
among these.But beliefs changed....many gods became one. Egypt was the first to try it but it lasted only a brief time.The Jews took it up permanently but not before they had worshipped multiple gods for centuries. Buddhism, a belief that required no gods, and Islam, one of the fastest growing beliefs ever, made their appearance also.

Christians, dissatisfied by corruption in the Church, were forever changing the Church, but labelled heretics, these sects came and went.
The Church still had the numbers and the power until the Reformatio when many Christianities flourished, as they had soon after the death of Jesus.But now they fought each other mercilessly.Finally religious toleration evolved...again as in Early Christianity. Witches were the next innovative belief, until it petered out, perhaps as science grew.
The Mormons, Madame Blatavsky's Theosophy Movement, Communism, and Scientology have all answered some need.

Recently a resurgence of Fundamentalist Islam, cruel and merciless, has plunged us far back into a world we thought was just history.But many religions have gone through a fundamentalist period persecuting their own and other religions fanatically. Religious Wars, long and bitter, have been fought and often, through sheer exhaustion, Religious Toleration has been decided on. Christianity has been no better than the Islamic in these areas. The Romans were the most open and accepting, always adopting the gods of their conquered peoples.
To the Romans, the Christians were abhorrent atheists, since they rubbished all other gods except their own.
Dull this ain't !!!! And this is a brief scan.

I can't see why anyone should be upset by this analysis, Christians especially, since they are absolute atheists when it comes to the beliefs of others.This outraged me when I was very young, as whole nations were consigned to Hell,because they had been reared as Hindus for example, and never, as far as I knew, been exposed to the Jesus story. What sort of a God is this, I asked myself. And what sort of people would so easily believe in a God so merciless.They too were merciless and complacent and unthinking...or perhaps one or two of these.
Most people get amazed or shocked to be told I became an atheist while studying to be a Catholic priest.
But obviously this was the VERY BEST place to become an atheist as well as a confirmed Catholic.I had access to some of the Best Minds in Biblical Studies and Theology and some not so good; priests prepared to assist me and others only minimised my,to me, Arduous Journey of Mental Torture...a very Reluctant Atheist was I !!!!
I realise now that I am one to Bite the Bullet,regardless of what it costs me. And I now think this has only served me well,despite the fear and pain it often initially costs.
I soon called myself a Spiritual Atheist...so I kept progressing and fine-tuning. Parallel fine-tuning actually.
From a Catholic to a Recovering Catholic to a Retired Catholic,
but one who watches keenly from the sidelines...with Nuns and Priests and Converts as friends whom I admire and support.

I recall reading Cardinal Pell's recent criticism of Atheists and wondered if his concept was drawn solely from fear,disgust and total ignorance, simply a figment of his uninformed imagination and doubted he had ever met a wide range of his so called 'enemies' - "coarse, uncaring and living a life without purpose, without constraints", was how we were described.I doubt that this man has ever met an atheist!! Astounding to learn later that he protected pedophiles and persecuted their victims instead of assisting Both.

A recent American survey has shown that most Atheists do not relinquish their faith lightly, to the extent that generally atheists and agnostics have a more profound understanding of religion.They have thought a lot about religion. Far from being indifferent, they care about it.
Perhaps they WILL, after all, make up the majority of readers of this book. I sincerely hope not. This book will and should benefit ALL !

[Saji Maruthurkkara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book should have been titled "The role of belief systems in human history" as the book is more about understanding human behaviour rather than disproving God.

Jared Diamond's Guns germs and steel (GG&S) explains the origins of religion but leaves out why religion developed only in humans (not among animals). GG&S explains how some uniquely human inventions like agriculture and writing marks key milestones in human civilisation but failed to explain why they were developed by humans alone.

This book fills those gaps. It attributes the human ability to have a "theory of mind" to the development of belief systems. The book talks about how agriculture, writing and even gun powder were offshoots of religious practices.

Origins of antisemitisism and religious intolerance in general are explained. It explains how Confucianism and Buddhism which were meant to be a "way of life" ended up as religions and what some political movements like communism and Fascism have in common with religion.

Finally, the books gives hope that we would be seeing and end to the current issue of terrorism that torments the world. This is because similar movements like fascism and burning of witches ended by a couple of generations.

[Argos · Rating 4 out of 5]

İnançların yani dinlerin çıkış ve yayılış nedenlerini derli toplu anlatıyor. İslamiyet nispeten kısa da olsa tek tanrılı dinler birbirine çok benzediklerinden öbür dinlerden çıkarılan sonuçlarla eksiklik tamamlanıyor. Adı neden "ateist" diye tanımlanmış anlamadım, "İnanç Tarihçesi" yeterli. Kitapta Marxizm'i de inançlar arasında sayması katılmadığım ama ilginç bir yaklaşım olarak dikkat çekiyor.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the books I've read that have atheism as their subject or refer to it in their titles have been polemics against religion in the style of Hitchens' "God Is Not Great". When I was given this book then, I was tempted to expect a similarly excoriating exposure of religion's failings. However, while it is written by an atheist, its tone is not belligerent. It might better have been titled "An Objective History of Belief" and I wonder if the use of "Atheist's" in the title might have been calculated to appeal to the market for new atheist literature. An engaging read that for me doesn't quite succeed in pinning down the reasons for the invention of religion, which I suspect to be Darwinian. More coverage would have been welcome too on new religious movements.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the idea of tracing how thought and belief has evolved. Begs a great visualization. This book is interesting (and likely controversial if read by Christians) when focused on beliefs near in time and location to Jesus, and less thoughtful otherwise. Easy to read style opens it to younger readers, too.

[Giovani BP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha sido interesante.
Un viaje loco el de las religiones; desde brindar certidumbre y consuelo en tiempos desconocidos, hasta justificar el odio y la intolerancia.
Quizá un poco centrado en el judaísmo y cristianismo, pero me ha gustado. Aunque hubiese preferido un poco mas sobre las antiguas creencias griegas y latinoamericanas.

[Pablo Ulloa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro muy interesante porque expone y explica las situaciones y las condiciones en que muchas de nuestras creencias religiosas se establecieron.
Revisar nuestras creencias es un buen ejercicio para desarrollar el pensamiento crítico.

[Celia Sánchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents a huge amount of historic material... It is a history of belief. Its purpose is to answer the atheist's questions: why is there so much religious belief in the world? Where did it come from? How did it become accepted? How did it evolve? In this it succeeds in giving a comprehensive picture of these points as well as showing how much different religions influenced each other and how much they have in common.

The author traces the early forms of religions that arose in Mesopotamia, and from there to Egypt, and the Middle-East. In many religions, the founder is not the one worshipped. Zarathustra founded Zoroastrianism is one. Christianity was founded by Paul, not Jesus, who was himself preaching his own version of Judaism. The early religions were basic - worshipping the sun and good weather. There was no need at that time to think of the afterlife and of heaven. All that came much later. Original sin, that is, the idea of ??sin, was first conceived in 2500 BCE in Mesopotamia. The Christian God, it seems, came a bit late.

very readable history of religous belief, which traces how the worlds major religions have evolved over time. ....

[Roberto Macias · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introduction it does very well. It does include a lot of relatively unknown facts about many religions. It includes Mormons, Christians and their multiple fascets including Catholics (and they do take up a lot of the book, although to be fair, they gobbled up a lot of western european history). It also dabbles on the schism between sufis and sunnis. Even goes so far as to mention some of the Mayan practices.

The book remains, other than for some religions like catholicism (and even then) rather superficial. Although I very much appreciated the inclusion of state religions (Fascism and Marxism), having read Paul Johnson's history of the Christians, and the Jews, and Hourani's history of the Arabs, and being somewhat versed in Mayan and Aztec traditions, and having acquainted myself with the different heresies of the middle Ages, even so far as to reading about a later variation of catholicism in the Opus Dei, the book did still provide some new information, but most of it was know.

As a starter, it is a well written, easy to read book. Lots of compelling facts and not so much previous knowledge required. I encourage others to read, but not to stop there, but go deeper to the other mentioned books.

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in order to understand how religion from its very earliest days shaped our world and a way to examine the roots of belief. What had caused people to come up with religion?. It is a vast subject written on actual information from prehistory to the present day.
Highly readable.


" Be curious, not judgmental" Walt Whitman

[Gabor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An atheists clinical look at the history of belief. Fascinating, disconcerting, enlightening. Had i been a believer, I might have had the impulse of burning the book in rage. Open minded believers of any faith may find their beliefs crumbling, others might start a shari'ah.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good starting point.

[Jackie Harrison-jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book so compelling. It was clearly written and covered a fascinating topic from history.

[Johan Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Atheist's History of Belief, 10: Kneale's book's a brilliantly clear overview though believers won't like its focus on fear & violence.

[Kenny Verhoeven · Rating 3 out of 5]

De auteur heeft overzicht over hoe religies ontstonden en evolueerden en schrijft met kennis van zaken, m.n. over (Amerikaanse) sektes. Zijn conclusies zijn soms ietwat voorbarig en weinig diepgaand, maar het blijft desalniettemin boeiend om lezen.

[Onur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yazarından ötürü son derece akıcı bir dile sahip, inanç tarihi ve dinler hakkında farklı bir görüş sunan bir kitap. Okumuş olmaktan son derece memnunum.

[murekkepkafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yazar, bazı inançlar hakkında, "kısa" bir anlatım tercih etmiş olsa da genel itibarıyla insanın inanç yolculuğuna dair en başından itibaren iyi bir çerçeve çizmiştir. Yazarın, inanç ve inancın insan yaşamı üzerine etkileri hakkındaki görüşleri, genel anlamda bir inanç empatisi kurmanıza yardımcı olacaktır.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Kneale has always had an interest in the culture and beliefs of others, whether across the world or in the past. With ‘An Atheist’s History of Belief’ he is able to study both together, as he offers a brief history of beliefs on every continent.

It is not comprehensive. No short book can be. However, it does have a broad sweep. Kneale covers the origins of belief, the rise of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and the religions of the East and the Americas.

He also finds time to briefly look at the witch trials and their relationship to the Church’s treatment of heretics, and to cover modern non-religious beliefs (communism and fascism) that bear a striking resemblance to religion.

Kneale is impressed by the common features that reappear in religions, and argues that most religions are not original – the dangerous prophet figure, the disillusionment with the established religion, the groups of poor uneducated followers led by a charismatic, and the vision of the world – an imperfect past, an even worse present, and a better future to come. Curiously, some of these features are even shared by communism and fascism.

The result is an engaging read, though one that necessarily involves a good deal of speculation about what people did and why they did it. Kneale’s atheist perspective makes a refreshing change from books written by the religious to defend religion. He is mostly courteous, but presenting things from a more sceptical viewpoint that does not weight the argument in favour of a particular religion that he follows.

In contrast with much atheist literature, Matthew Kneale is not what George Orwell would have called a ‘bigoted atheist’ (Orwell’s description of Mark Twain). Anybody reading this book and expecting the polemic of a Dawkins or a Hitchens will be disappointed.

On the contrary, Kneale is very polite about religion, and appears to extend it a professional courtesy. Just as he makes a living from weaving imaginative stories, then so he feels does religion.

This approach has its advantages in making the book appear more objective – that of a man interested in the subject rather than having an axe to grind. This may be misleading, since Kneale is an atheist and therefore brings a subjective perspective, however fair-minded he appears.

The downside of Kneale’s approach is that it causes him to go lightly on religion. Religion is more than just a collection of nice fables, and even the story that Kneale tells should alert him to the bad side of religion.

Though played down by Kneale, this is a darker story of how religion arose. It arose through deliberate falsification and fraudulent production of texts. It arose through bloodshed – human sacrifices, murders, executions and holy wars. It arose through ruthless suppression of other’s views – inquisitions, witch trials (originally used to condemn heretics) and unfair laws. The origins of religion are essentially ugly ones, and Kneale could perhaps have been less afraid to say so.

Another curious aspect is that Kneale outlines the life of the prophets as if this is factual, though presumably he does not really believe they had the visions from god that they claim to have had. He says little about the possible motives for people becoming prophets, or the curious blend of worldly, self-serving beliefs that they impose on their followers.

In general, Kneale is brief and speculative about the motivations of the followers or of people who form religions. This is necessary, since we do not know for certain. Broadly speaking, the main theme is consolation. While this does not apply to most religions, there is usually some consoling theme that allows the believers to cope in an insecure world.

Kneale’s style of writing is generally clear. He is overly-fond of unnecessary italics, and he begins every chapter journalist-style, with a little story before beginning the narrative, a manner that lends a certain repetitiveness to the narrative.

However, he outlines the many religions clearly and crisply in an accessible way and with a minimum of jargon. Overall, I would recommend this book as a very readable and interesting account of early religions, and viewed from a different perspective than that we usually get.

[Taede Smedes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matthew Kneale is een atheïst en een gevierd romanschrijver met nominaties o.a. voor de Man Booker Prize. Dit boek is echter geen roman, maar nonfictie. Het is een geschiedenis van uitingen van menselijke religiositeit, zoals die zich met name in de grote godsdiensten hebben gemanifesteerd. Religieus geloof komt volgens Kneale voort uit angst voor de onbekende en onbeheersbare aspecten van het leven die gekanaliseerd moet worden. Gelukkig geeft Kneale hier niet al te veel aandacht aan, want het is een uitgemolken stelling, die verder ook niet wordt verdedigd.

Kneale beschrijft menselijke religiositeit vanaf de oermensen (waarbij hij de meest recente ontwikkelingen binnen de cognitive science of religion vrijwel volledig negeert), vervolgens beschrijft hij de vernieuwingen in Egypte en Mesopotamië (o.a. leven na de dood, paradijs en hel), en daarna in jodendom, christendom, islam, en Oosterse religies als boeddhisme en taoïsme en confucianisme (hindoeïsme blijft vrijwel volledig buiten schot). Ook de inca’s en azteken worden nog even genoemd, vooral vanwege de gewelddadigheid van hun geloofsuiting.

Toch ligt de nadruk van het hele boek vooral op het Westerse christelijk geloof. Dat komt vooral tot uiting in Kneales beschrijving vanaf de middeleeuwen, waarbij hij focust op machtsmisbruik, en op de gewelddadige en repressieve kant van religie (zoals bij de waldenzen, katharen, heksenvervolgingen, en de Reformatie). Kneale vraagt zich openlijk af hoe mensen zich aan irrationele waanbeelden als heksen en demonen konden overgeven.

Het laatste hoofdstuk gaat over ideologische en esoterische stromingen als marxisme, mormonisme, Blavatsky, nazi-occultisme en scientology, die allemaal tamelijk vanzelfsprekend op één grote hoop van religiositeit worden gegooid.

Het boek is buitengewoon leesbaar geschreven, je herkent het handwerk van een goede auteur. Ook is het boek tamelijk objectief geschreven; militant-atheïstische retoriek zoals die van Dawkins blijft achterwege. Wel is Kneale karig met bronvermeldingen, toch een redelijke doodzonde voor een historicus (die Kneale ook is).

Nog een ander kritiekpunt is dat de focus volledig ligt bij de cognitieve inhoud van religie: dus de geloofsvoorstellingen. Hoe die voorstellingen en de praktijken (rituelen etc.) zich tot elkaar verhouden, wat toch de focus is van modern historisch onderzoek, blijft vrijwel volledig onbesproken. Alsof religie alleen bestaat uit het aannemen van onbewezen hypothesen of proposities.

Het boek bevat voor lezers die al iets weten van godsdienstgeschiedenis weinig vernieuwende inzichten. Sterker nog: het boek is af en toe gewoon saai. Uiteindelijk vermoed ik dat de rationale voor het vertalen van dit boek in het Nederlands ligt in het feit dat Kneale zich expliciet als atheïst betitelt. Alsof dat iets zou uitmaken bij het beschrijven van geschiedenis.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! An Atheist's History of Belief: Understanding Our Most Extraordinary Invention
by Matthew Kneale traces the history and concepts of religions from tens of thousands of years BCE to the present day.

Despite the title, Kneale is not on some anti-religion crusade. To the contrary, he focuses on the needs, wants, history, similarities, and differences of the world wide human need for reassurance and meaning.

It took me about thirty pages to understand the methodology Kneale was employing. At first I thought he was a little esoteric, focusing on the caveman's desires for direction and understanding rather than his/her being just scared to death of thunder and lighting. I soon realized that, from page one, Kneale was trying to show a history of humankind's universal quest for answers and need for a belief in something greater than him/herself.

People want security. They want to know how to insure their safety and survival. They want to know what is coming next; from whether the crops will grow to if their children will be successful. They want to know why they are here and is there a point to it all. And, as icing on the cake, they want to be assured that there is something for them after death. According to Kneale, these are needs and wants from Africa to England, from South America to China, from 40,000 BCE to 2019 CE.

Along the way, religions and religious ideas have been used by politics to shore up their power and authority. Kings and Emperors want to rule not just by family history but by a link with god. Religious institutions want to make sure that they are "in" with the politicians so that they can practice freely and politicians want to be "in" with religion so that they can rule with authority. All leaders, secular and religious want power, wealth, and privilege - some to improve the fate of the world and some with more self centered goals.

Kneale has crammed a lot of information and history in a fairly short book and made it quite engaging and readable. At times I wished that he had more references or went into more historical detail but I realized that that was beyond the scope of this book. If you want more detail, he has supplied pages of sources and further readings. People spend their lifetimes exploring this topic. Kneale has given you a good foundation to start on this quest.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting snippets of information, but I have to admit I was disappointed with it. First of all, I found the writing style irritating in the extreme, with its continual asking of questions followed by their answers, and also the excessive use of italics when the author thinks he has said something witty or significant. Also, Kneale is not afraid to split infinitives, or qualify unqualifiable adjectives like "unique".
But also I did not find it convincing in places. For example he asserts that agriculture came about as a result of religion, basically that there would have been no agriculture without religion - but he does not give any good reason for this assertion. Also he states as fact that Jesus was fundamentally a failed head of an apocalyptic sect, without tackling the question of whether Jesus even existed or not.
I found some of the language self-consciously snide, and there was too much leading the reader by the nose. For example the phrase "little groups of venerated - and often rather conceited - virgins". Does he know these virgins were any more conceited than anyone else, or is this just an assumption? There are many other examples like this.
I also don't see how any history of belief can totally fail to mention the 30 years war.
And finally, he defines Marxism as a "belief", but conspicuously fails to describe Nationalism in the same terms. Apparently, this is because Marxism has eschatological elements, but since when has this become a defining element which characterises a set of ideas as a "belief"?
All in all, I will continue to search for a dispassionate history of religious belief. This one, sadly, did not live up to its billing for me.

[Marcos Spinoza · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro nos lleva por las creencias que han existido a lo largo de la humanidad, evidentemente no todas, debe haber un sinfín de creencias.
Para ser honesto, no me gusto nada. Principalmente por dos razones el autor confunde creencia con religión y de una manera grotesca, para mi gusto, las hace sinónimos. Además agarra sucesos de la historia y les da el contexto que quiere para que cuadren con su visión y con lo que es la premisa de todo el libro.
Diré un poco más sobre esta ultima razón, porque para mi es muy evidente. La premisa que plantea el libro es: que toda creencia es resultado de un miedo al fin del mundo, esto provoca que existan movimientos fin del mundistas que después se han convertido en religiones. Con afán de que su premisa se cumpla dice cosas absurdas debidas a dos causas probables, a la ignorancia del autor en esos casos o a que ha existido un dolo intelectual y el autor ha querido hacerlo así.
Para que se me entienda mejor pongo un ejemplo, el cristianismo cuando intenta hacer que entre en su premisa, utiliza una parte de la ultima cena, y dice que cuando Jesús dice que no volverá a tomar vino hasta estar en el reino, está sentando las bases para el movimiento fin del mundista que culminará en la fundación del cristianismo. El problema está en que esta sacando de contexto, con afán de cuadrar la historia con su premisa. Aquí particularmente: qué era, cómo era y qué significaba la pascua judía. Y me pregunto con tristeza, dónde están esos ateos inteligentes y superdotados, esos Nietzche, Sartre entre otros, que no solo se cuestionaban si no, que eran capaces de entender las creencias, será que el ateísmo se vuelve una moda también, en lugar de ser una bocanada de aire para la libertad y para el escepticismo como debería ser.

[María Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro muy muy interesante, disfruté mucho su lectura, en ocasiones releyendo capítulos para retener lo mayor posible todos los datos históricos que contiene. Más allá de ser un libro de creencias, es un libro histórico qué analiza civilizaciones tan antiguas como la mesopotámica, pero también y yo resaltaría más esta parte, es un libro de sociología, donde analiza cómo los temores y la incertidumbre con la que convive una sociedad en determinada época, promueve el surgimiento de creencias qué evolucionan en religiones.

Su principal foco esta en mesopotámia y religiones como el cristianismo y el judaísmo, pero también hace un viaje por las creencia orientales (China, India y Oriente Medio) y Americanas (mayas, aztecas e incas, incluye asimismo, un capítulo de doctrinas qué a pesar de no ser religiones, siguen el patrón de la búsqueda de consuelo ante la incertidumbre.

Y me quedo con esta reflexión del libro: "Si se pone a la gente en una situación con formas de alimentarse concretas, intentando sobrevivir, tendrán más o menos los mismos temores, generando creencias similares".

Vale la pena releer después de un tiempo.

[JR]

¿Qué fue lo primero que motivó al hombre prehistórico, refugiado en la oscuridad de sus profundas cavernas, a recurrir al reino de los espíritus? ¿Y por qué la fe ha prosperado desde entonces, empujándonos a reflexionar sobre el cielo y el infierno, el pecado y la redención y, sobre todo, los dioses? La religión refleja nuestras más altas esperanzas y nuestros peores temores. Y tanto si usted es creyente como si, al igual que Matthew Kneale, posee la perspectiva de un no creyente que admira la capacidad del hombre para crear e imaginar, no cabe duda de que ha dado forma al mundo en que vivimos. A medida que han cambiado nuestros sueños y pesadillas también lo han hecho nuestras creencias. De los chamanes a los sacerdotes aztecas, de los budistas a los cristianos, los dioses que creamos han evolucionado y mutado con nosotros. La fe ha sido la más épica labor de invención del hombre. Se ha convertido en nuestra más íntima compañera y ha seguido a la humanidad a lo largo de los continentes y a través de las épocas. Esta es su historia.

[Liliana Henriquez fonoaudiologia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro muy entretenido.

Estoy leyendo este libro por segunda vez y la verdad lo recomiendo porque

1) Se nota que hay un gran trabajo de investigación y lectura por parte del autor tras el libro (habla de las creencias desde miles de años AC hasta nuestros dias). Se aplaude su capacidad de sintetizar y plasmar todo su bagaje en un libro ameno, entretenido y sencillo de leer. (el mismo autor en la intro. señala que no se hablará de conceptos como dualismo, monismo o trasustanciación)

2) Escribe con sentido del humor

3) NO OBSTANTE es posible que personas creyentes se sientan ofendidas con el estilo liviano y humorístico con el que cuenta relatos que para otros pueden ser sagrados (sabemos que para muchos la religión es algo intocable)

[YVAN NOIR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante libro sobre cómo y por qué se formaron las religiones. Contadas de manera más amena, comparándolo con estudios históricos y académicos, (tal vez por esto es que en este libro no se diga nada nuevo). Aunque a veces el autor haga conclusiones sin apoyarse en evidencias, al fin resultan bastante lógicas.
Recomendado para quien empiece a adentrarse en el estudio de las religiones.

[Lizett tatiana Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen texto, muchas preguntas que surgen.

[Kary Magdai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es el libro que me hubiera gustado encontrar hace 20 años

[Gabriel Aguirre · Rating 4 out of 5]

El ABC de como.nacen las religiones para los que quieren empezar a saber más sobre el pensamiento y comportamiento humano antes de adentrarse a le tiras más especializadas.

[Vasundhra Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book like this can't survive if it's opinionated. And the author is smart that way - he only presents facts. He's done all the hard work for you. He's scanned through the history of humans, and the evolution of their faith in "something greater than self". Now it's upto you - what do you take away from it?

Sure, some people are adding reviews that he's just gone around collecting facts from other people's works. Which is true. But to be able to put it all together, to be bold and have the ability to engage the reader with this research spanning the entirety of our existence - it's no small task.

Even though he's an atheist, I did not even once sense his atheism. He dived deep into each faith from a political, religious (ofcourse), social, economical and psychological view. It was balanced and completely "as a matter of fact". This, and yet not boring by the least.

There is a LOT that you get out of this book. If you were ignorant and had no idea about religions beyond your own (me), this book is a one stop shop for you. You'll learn them all. He's included atleast a dozen, perhaps two, of the major belief systems. And if YOU are a believer, it will rattle your faith.

Questions like these are answered (and many more) -
* Why did polygamy happen in the name of religion? What about abstinence?
* What caused sacrificial killings? What about martyrdom?
* How did scriptures stay relevant even after all these years?
* Why was Mohammed famous even while he lived, but Christianity take decades after Jesus' death to become a relevant religion?
* Where did woman gain and lose their power because of religion?
* Witches, ceremonies, heretics, stones and carvings... What's all that about?

There is just so much fantastic revelation, here. Really, I am saddened by how few people have read this. It's a must read for us, especially if we want to get somewhere meaningful without letting religion get in the way of the Human Race.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!