Stephen Prothero, the New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy, makes a fresh and provocative argument that, contrary to popular understanding, all religions are not simply different paths to the same end… and why this matters greatly for us. Readers of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong will find much to ponder in God Is Not One.

 

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, dizzying scientific and technological advancements, interconnected globalized economies, and even the so-called New Atheists have done nothing to change one thing: our world remains furiously religious. For good and for evil, religion is the single greatest influence in the world. We accept as self-evident that competing economic systems (capitalist or communist) or clashing political parties (Republican or Democratic) propose very different solutions to our planet's problems. So why do we pretend that the world's religious traditions are different paths to the same God? We blur the sharp distinctions between religions at our own peril, argues religion scholar Stephen Prothero, and it is time to replace naïve hopes of interreligious unity with deeper knowledge of religious differences. 

In Religious Literacy, Prothero demonstrated how little Americans know about their own religious traditions and why the world's religions should be taught in public schools. Now, in God Is Not One, Prothero provides readers with this much-needed content about each of the eight great religions. To claim that all religions are the same is to misunderstand that each attempts to solve a different human problem. For example:

Prothero reveals each of these traditions on its own terms to create an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to better understand the big questions human beings have asked for millennia—and the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. A bold polemical response to a generation of misguided scholarship, God Is Not One creates a new context for understanding religion in the twenty-first century and disproves the assumptions most of us make about the way the world's religions work. 

To listen to an audio excerpt, click HERE. 

Stephen Prothero is the New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and God Is Not One, and is a professor of religion at Boston University. He and his work have been featured on the cover of Time magazine, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, National Public Radio, and other top national media outlets. He writes and reviews for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Slate, and other publications. 

 

Would you like to read this book? You can buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE.

"Confucius’s influence is unrestrained by time or geography. One of the most significant leaders of all time, his teachings have resonated throughout Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese thought and life over the centuries, right up to the present day. For the general reader, there’s never been a telling of Confucius’s life and the evolution of his stature—until now. Written by two well-respected authorities on Chinese history, Michael Nylan and Thomas A. Wilson, Lives of Confucius: Civilization’s Greatest Sage Through the Ages is the new history of Confucius.

The single most important person in Chinese history, aside from Mao Zedong, Confucius must be viewed from several different perspectives in order to grasp the broad range of roles that he has played over the years. Based on archeological findings, especially those of the past twenty years, Lives of Confucius expertly paints these view points and becomes an evolving portrait of the philosopher. The many mysteries about Confucius’s historical life are answered, and fascinating details emerge about the progression of his teachings. Nylan and Wilson are rich in their interpretations, taking Confucian teaching through the millennia to the present day.

Critically acclaimed author Pearl Abraham follows a young surfer/skater on a distinctly American spiritual journey that begins with Transcendentalism and countercultural impulses, enters into world mysticism, and finds its destination in Islam.

An avid, near six-foot-tall surfer, John Jude Parish cuts a striking figure on the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. When he isn’t on water, John lives on wheels, a self-described skate rat-grinding and kickflipping with his friends, and encouraged by his progressive parents. His hero is the great explorer, Richard Burton, his personal prophet is Bob Dylan, and his world is wide open — to new ideas, philosophies, and religions.

Through online forums and chat rooms, John meets a young woman from Brooklyn who spurs his interest in Islam and Arab literature. Deferring Brown University for a year, he moves to New York’s idyllic borough to study Arabic. Like Burton, John embraces the experience heart, body, and soul — to submit to Islam, practice the salaat, fast and meditate, dance with dervishes, and encounter the extraordinary. Burton lived the life of a 19th century adventurer, but he also penetrated the ancient wisdom of secret worlds. John will too — with unforeseen consequences.

Perched on the eve of September 11th, in the first year of the 21st century, American Taliban gives voice to the historical echoes that reveal the unknowable other as entirely familiar, even homegrown.

Pearl Abraham uses her gifts of psychological acuity and uncommon empathy to depict a typical upper-middle-class family snared by the forces of history, politics, and faith. Provocative, unsettling, and written in a brilliantly inventive refreshingly original voice, American Taliban is poised to become one of the most talked about novels of the year.

To read an excerpt, click HERE.

Pearl Abraham is the author of The Seventh Beggar, Giving Up America, and The Romance Reader, and the editor of an anthology about Jewish heroines in literature, Een sterke vrouw, wie zal haar vinden?. Her stories and essays have appeared in newspapers, literary quarterlies and anthologies. Abraham teaches literature and creative writing at Western New England College and lives in both Springfield, MA, and New York City.

Would you like to read this book? You can buy it on Amazon, by clicking HERE.

In THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS, Herman Wouk attempts to reconcile the sparring ideas of science and religion. Drawing on his own experiences and encounters with the masters of religion and science, such as Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, and Steven Weinberg, he addresses the eternal questions of why we are here, what purpose faith serves, and how scientific belief and fact fit into the picture.

In his classic graceful prose, Wouk introduces readers to figures of the 20th century who have had key roles in the arguments about science versus religion. Spanning an incredible breadth of time and illustrated with Wouk's own personal experiences, THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS is a brilliant investigation and a worthy addition to the canon. 

To listen to an excerpt, click HERE.

Herman Wouk is a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author. He earned his living as a scriptwriter for Fred Allen before serving in World War II. His career as a novelist spans nearly six decades and has brought him resounding international acclaim. Herman Wouk's acclaimed books include The Will to Live On, This Is My God, Pulitzer Prize winner The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.  In 1998, Wouk received the Guardian of Zion Award. He and his wife currently live in Palm Springs, CA.