Borrow it
Coverart for item
The Resource God : a human history, Reza Aslan

God : a human history, Reza Aslan

Creator
Author
Summary
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zealot and host of Believer explores humanity's quest to make sense of the divine in this concise and fascinating history of our understanding of God. In Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. In his new book, Aslan takes on a subject even more immense: God, writ large. In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as a remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As Aslan writes, "Whether we are aware of it or not, and regardless of whether we're believers or not, what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves." But this projection is not without consequences. We bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature-our compassion, our thirst for justice-but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence. All these qualities inform our religions, cultures, and governments. More than just a history of our understanding of God, this book is an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse in order to develop a more universal spirituality. Whether you believe in one God, many gods, or no god at all, God: A Human History will challenge the way you think about the divine and its role in our everyday lives. Advance praise for God "Breathtaking in its scope and controversial in its claims, God: A Human History shows how humans from time immemorial have made God in their own image, and argues that they should now stop. Writing with all the verve and brilliance we have come to expect from his pen, Reza Aslan has once more produced a book that will prompt reflection and shatter assumptions."-Bart D. Ehrman, author of How Jesus Became God "Reza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent 'human history' of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to mull over, and to explore further. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research."-Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of Faith
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
First edition.
Extent
1 online resource
Contents
  • In our image
  • The embodied soul
  • Adam and Eve in Eden
  • Lord of the beasts
  • The face in the tree
  • The humanized God
  • Spears into plows
  • Lofty persons
  • The high God
  • What is God?
  • God is one
  • God is three
  • God is all
  • Divine unity
Isbn
9780553394733
Link
Instance
Label
God : a human history
Title
God
Title remainder
a human history
Statement of responsibility
Reza Aslan
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zealot and host of Believer explores humanity's quest to make sense of the divine in this concise and fascinating history of our understanding of God. In Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. In his new book, Aslan takes on a subject even more immense: God, writ large. In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as a remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As Aslan writes, "Whether we are aware of it or not, and regardless of whether we're believers or not, what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves." But this projection is not without consequences. We bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature-our compassion, our thirst for justice-but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence. All these qualities inform our religions, cultures, and governments. More than just a history of our understanding of God, this book is an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse in order to develop a more universal spirituality. Whether you believe in one God, many gods, or no god at all, God: A Human History will challenge the way you think about the divine and its role in our everyday lives. Advance praise for God "Breathtaking in its scope and controversial in its claims, God: A Human History shows how humans from time immemorial have made God in their own image, and argues that they should now stop. Writing with all the verve and brilliance we have come to expect from his pen, Reza Aslan has once more produced a book that will prompt reflection and shatter assumptions."-Bart D. Ehrman, author of How Jesus Became God "Reza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent 'human history' of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to mull over, and to explore further. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research."-Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of Faith
Cataloging source
YDX
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Aslan, Reza
Dewey number
211
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
LC call number
BL473
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • God
  • HISTORY / World
  • RELIGION / Agnosticism
  • God
  • God
  • God
Label
God : a human history, Reza Aslan
Link
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
In our image -- The embodied soul -- Adam and Eve in Eden -- Lord of the beasts -- The face in the tree -- The humanized God -- Spears into plows -- Lofty persons -- The high God -- What is God? -- God is one -- God is three -- God is all -- Divine unity
Control code
on1010777312
Dimensions
unknown
Edition
First edition.
Extent
1 online resource
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780553394733
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations.
Specific material designation
remote
Stock number
DD13CEC3-6398-48E8-9932-A7AE5CDDA3D0
System control number
(OCoLC)1010777312
Label
God : a human history, Reza Aslan
Link
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
In our image -- The embodied soul -- Adam and Eve in Eden -- Lord of the beasts -- The face in the tree -- The humanized God -- Spears into plows -- Lofty persons -- The high God -- What is God? -- God is one -- God is three -- God is all -- Divine unity
Control code
on1010777312
Dimensions
unknown
Edition
First edition.
Extent
1 online resource
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780553394733
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations.
Specific material designation
remote
Stock number
DD13CEC3-6398-48E8-9932-A7AE5CDDA3D0
System control number
(OCoLC)1010777312

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

  • Bowness LibraryBorrow it
    6532 Bowness Road NW, Calgary, Alberta, T3B OE9, CA
    51.0889698 -114.2011763
  • Calgary Public Library MobileBorrow it
    CA
  • Central LibraryBorrow it
    616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 2M2, CA
    51.046473 -114.057859
  • Country Hills LibraryBorrow it
    11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary, Alberta, T3K 6E3, CA
    51.160139 -114.0676844
  • Crowfoot LibraryBorrow it
    8665 Nose Hill Drive, Calgary, Alberta, T3G 5T3, CA
    51.129458 -114.193826
  • Fish Creek LibraryBorrow it
    11161 Bonaventure Drive SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 6S1, CA
    50.951870 -114.061042
  • Forest Lawn LibraryBorrow it
    4807 8th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2A 4M1, CA
    51.0451596 -113.9657157
  • Giuffre Family LibraryBorrow it
    3223 14th Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2T 3V8, CA
    51.024526 -114.0947351
  • Glenmore Square LibraryBorrow it
    7740 18th Street SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2C 2N5, CA
    50.9833577 -114.0146572
  • Judith Umbach LibraryBorrow it
    6617 Centre Street North, Calgary, Alberta, T2K 4Y5, CA
    51.1113839 -114.0626328
  • Louise Riley LibraryBorrow it
    1904 14th Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1M5, CA
    51.0652117 -114.105152
  • Memorial Park LibraryBorrow it
    1221 2nd Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0W5, CA
    51.041549 -114.0682554
  • Nose Hill LibraryBorrow it
    1530 Northmount Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2L 0G6, CA
    51.096103 -114.13759
  • Saddletowne LibraryBorrow it
    7556 Falconridge Blvd NE, Calgary, Alberta, T3J 0C9, CA
    51.1212759 -113.9469193
  • Shaganappi LibraryBorrow it
    3415 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3C 0E8, CA
    51.0448674 -114.1367083
  • Shawnessy LibraryBorrow it
    333 Shawville Blvd. SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2Y 4H3, CA
    50.898545 -114.062885
  • Signal Hill LibraryBorrow it
    5994 Signal Hill Centre SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3H 3P8, CA
    51.0180759 -114.1755888
  • Southwood LibraryBorrow it
    924 Southland Drive SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2W 0J9, CA
    50.963642 -114.0858663
  • Village Square LibraryBorrow it
    2623 56th Street NE, Calgary, Alberta, T1Y 6E7, CA
    51.0755508 -113.9526426

Library Links

Structured data from the Bibframe namespace is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Calgary Public Library. Additional terms may apply to data associated with third party namespaces.
Processing Feedback ...