Big Girl Pants and A History of God

Our book club put on our ‘big girl pants’ this month and decided to tackle ‘A History of God’. Published in 1993 and written by Karen Armstrong, it follows the development of the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam over 4000 years

I read her first book ‘Through a Narrow Gate’ in the 1990s and was horrified by her beliefs and world view when she entered a Catholic nunnery. I wanted to jump into the pages and drag her out of there.

Well, she obviously didn’t need any help. She does not discuss her own beliefs but appears to have developed a relaxed mystical monotheism when talking about God.

It’s a better read if you have some religious background. It is a broad sweep of history and sometimes she gallops away with her reader racing to keep up.

She makes the point that we often fail to consider our own social and cultural background, when considering our beliefs. I think the book is worth reading just for this point alone.