Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence [J0226]

2015 - HCDJ Nice clean condition. In this powerful and timely book, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Rabbi Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit-that is, my religion is the only right path to God, therefore your religion is by definition wrong-and individuals are motivated by what Rabbi Sacks calls "altruistic evil," violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome. But through an exploration of the roots of violence and its relationship to religion, and employing groundbreaking biblical analysis and interpretation, Rabbi Sacks shows that religiously inspired violence has as its source misreadings of biblical texts at the heart of all three Abrahamic faiths. By looking anew at the book of Genesis, with its foundational stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rabbi Sacks offers a radical rereading of many of the Bible's seminal stories of sibling Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Rachel and Leah. Here is an eloquent call for people of goodwill from all faiths and none to stand together, confront the religious extremism that threatens to destroy us, and Not in God's Name.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "An eye-opening view on why religious extremism and terrorism in the name of religion is the opposite of what the three main religions are about. Rabbi Sacks takes the reader through why we should be tolerant of the Other, that it in no way diminishes what we believe. In fact, being tolerant of another opinion or way of life demonstrates that we are respecting God's creation."; "A life changing book, one of the best I've read in a long time, it's so beautifully written I cried twice while reading it. Really is a book everyone should read, weather you are Jewish or not, religious or not, every chapter will change your perspective about life, love, hate and humankind."; "One of the most insightful books I have ever read. For me it was a page turner on how to move away from violence. Feels like a must read for our times."