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Religious Book Store > Religious books beginning with G
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The God That Did Not Fail: How Religion Built and Sustains the West |
Author: Robert Royal
Published: 2006-08-25 |
List price: $25.95
Our price: $17.13
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Customer comments on this selection.
 A slog to read but a worthy one
The God that Did Not Fail is most broadly an ambitious philosophical history of the entire history of western civilization, literally from the Hellenistic Golden Age to the current day, with an emphasis on religious thought and packed into 276 pages of text. As such it can be extremely dense and the more the reader knows about western history the better or else a large amount of background and context to the author's points can be difficult to discern.
The author's thesis, which is developed and delivered in an incredibly disciplined and fair manner and quite obvious from the subtitle of the book, is that religion is a critical foundation stone in our civilization. This is not anything that in and of itself is probably surprising to anyone, but the author puts forward several points mostly relating to how the political and the religious have interacted to build his thesis, points that were both new to me and that revealed a somewhat majestic thread throughout western history. These also drive home the very meaning of his thesis: that the West cannot do away with religion in pursuit of greater freedom and liberty without actually destroying those things since they are its politically AND religiously derived hallmarks.
Starting with the ancient Greeks we are introduced to the rise of reason under the philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle the most prominent. Thus starts the current of thoughts and political, social and religious structures that will through a turbulent stream come to define who we are today. The fresh insight here is that the Greeks did not practice a radical form of rationality that only the modern west has espoused as a replacement of faith, but rather one that complemented the political, polytheistic religions of the city states and was actually driven by religious imperative. This of course sounds incredibly odd given our accepted perception of the Greeks and especially in the light of Athens' killing of Socrates. Yet the author argues forcefully that this was more a result of a Democracy distinguished by a very politically expedient religion of the "Gods of the City" as opposed to a morally purposeful and truth driven such as Christianity. Greek rationality was also grounded in it's realization that it could not explain the entire world nor should it try to, after all the Oracle at Delphi only proclaimed Socrates -to his agreement- as the wisest man in the world only because he was the only one who knew he knew nothing.
Concurrently the Hebrew idea of history as linear and having a direction, as opposed to the classical concept of Anakuklosis (a cyclical repetition of order and chaos that is inevitable and inescapable), was being developed. This historical vision is shown to have come from the Old Testament of the Bible, and was only adopted by the monotheistic Jews and not the Pagans. While the Hebrews set the religious stage for Christianity the Romans created powerful political and social constructs that would fuel the rise of the West, particularly the concepts of civic duty and responsibility Augustus commissioned Virgil to enshrine in the epic poem "The Aeneid."
Christianity combined these elements - Greek Rationality, Roman Virtue, the Hebrew concept of God Creator, linear history, and life endowed with purpose - along with its own new tenets, most particularly God endowed dignity of the individual and rendering onto Ceasar what was Caesar's and onto God what was God's and thus allowing for the eventual separation of Church and State. Whereas Greek rationality could only inspire the intellectual few to moral behavior and Roman Virtue had a weak foundation for those who were suffering under Roman rule, Christianity not only endowed dignity, rights, AND duties to people but gave them a reason of sorts, a loving creator who made them with a purpose and an afterlife, to act in a moral manner. Only the Christians showed any signs of charity to help the underclasses or plague afflicted of Roman society.
Tracing an incredible arc of philosophical thought and an immense history of struggle, the bulk of the book shows how the Christianity that was born out of the Classical world eventually came to allow and define, rather accidentally and unintentionally, the modern liberal democratic republics of today. This story is truly a fascinating one, as well as an illuminating one and makes the book very worthwhile.
There are several things that fall out of this philosophical history which are interesting, often against the conventional wisdom, and ultimately convincing. The first is the absolute necessity of a morally guided population in order for democracy to work and the so far historically exclusive ability of monotheistic religion to deliver it, at least in the western world. (Eastern religions are not explored, but neither have they given rise to organic liberal democracies and standards of freedom and living are generally higher in the west largely because of Christianity the author shows. The western ideas that have tried to do away with religion, Radical Rationalism, Nietzcheism, Freudianism, Nazism, Communism and to a certain degree Socialism, are all catalogued as the Gods that did fail in contrast.) Another is the proxy, facade war between reason and science on one side and religion on the other that is often more to do with politics than science or theology. Science explains nature, whereas religion gives meaning to it, and human life as described by science alone is an inherently valueless thing.
The breadth of history and deep insights of this book are truly astounding, and after readingit I feel like I have a more thorough understanding of religion, philosophy, western history, and the necessary underpinnings of our civilization which are currently threatened and are clashing with a radical Islam, and as such highly recommend this book.
A few, some unfortunately necessary, things detract from a full 5 stars however. First this book is extremely ambitious and could probably be expanded into a whole series of books each one longer than the current one. As such it is incredibly dense and despite being less than 300 pages is a very tough read. Another is that the author is forced to cherry pick his examples of religion and philosophy in action throughout history, and while he comes off as a very academic and unbiased intellectual the book can also come off as unbalanced at certain points or not fully explained at others. Last the author qualifies most of his statements, then qualifies the qualifications, and then qualifies those just for good measure. This is probably an unfortunate consequence of trying to explain so much in so relatively little space, but it detracts nonetheless.
All in all, a slog to read but well worth it.
 A refreshing read
I'm in agreement with the others endorsing this book. Sadly, much of current Christian literature is fairly banal and not much more than an endless string of trite platitudes. However, readers will find this work both refreshing and validating.
Royal's book traces the development and perseverance of Christainity through the decades. Yes, Christianity despite the perpetual criticism from the Left and non-believers, was prime in the development of Western culture. God is not dead, but He remains continually working in the world.
What created the west? Royal argues it was Christianity
What an interesting book. Royal sets out to prove that the secularists who argue that religion needs to be erradicated from civilization have it all wrong. He insists that Christianity created the western mind, with its unique blend of individualism, science, and democracy. Those who are secularists today are "currently engaged in a deeply incoherent and, in multiple ways, dangerous experiment" (xiii).
First off, and against much tradition, Royal states that the west did not begin in Greece. The Greeks and Romans, just as all eastern civilizations, believed in anakuklosis, that life followed cycles. In China and India this belief crippled scientific questions and even prevented democracy from forming.
The religions and philosophies that grew up in pagan and eastern societies were deeply pessimistic. "Epicurus understood that many of the vices we see--lust, greed, ambition, snobbery, violence--are ultimately the product of the fear of death...in these dimensions Epicurus somewhat resembles the Buddha. Neither believed in a God or gods who are of much help to the human race" ( p 42). Life was pointless. Death inevitable.
Against these truths, paganism was a pale set of rituals created to appease gods who cared little about human beings.
And then came Abraham. He was a nomad, a person of little note in the world. But this obscure man claims to speak to God, and God "starts him on a fateful journey that has still not come to an end in its effects...'I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you....I will establish my covenant...'" (p 53). And, surprise, some 4,000 years after Abraham about 55% of the world's population claim to believe in Abraham and his God.
Abraham's God is a God of love, unlike Zeus. With the advent of Christianity, society would be changed forever. Most important was the belief that every person had an immortal soul. Christians argued against abortion and infant exposure. They forbade believers to watch the games or the theaters, where human beings were frequently put to death. Christian beliefs would lead ineluctably to the conclusion that Caesar was no god; and a slave was his equal in the eyes of the true God. Christians were famous for facing death calmly when standing in the arena. Unlike the spectators, they knew that death was not an end, but a beginning.
Ancient society, except for the Jews, had no idea of charity. But soon after the advent of Christianity, "Galen was puzzled by the power of Christianity to create virtuous behavior among the uneducated" (p 86). Galen, the famous physician, fled the city as soon as the plague started. He was never criticized for it. Christians, to the amazement of the pagans, risked their own lives to help others.
By 380 AD Christianity was the majority religion. After the fall of the Roman empire, monasteries kept Latin and learning alive. Theology would also prove to be a huge benefit for Christians. If there was an ultimate truth, and God was rational, then it was incumbent upon man to figure out what was right. Very different from the mindset in the east, where only compromise, not ultimate truth, is sought.
The founder of the Sorbonne university said, "'Nothing is known perfectly which has not been masticated by the teeth of disputation'" (p 132). This was the core of medieval thought. The great universities grew, science developed, and the Renaissance blossomed.
Much recommended.
Nothing Quite Like It
I have to respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer's comments about this book being a tedious read. Since the reviewer feels the need to stipulate that he has an advanced degree, I will preface my review by stating that I too have an advanced degree--and I think this book is a real tour de force!
TGTDNF lays out the whole panorama of the role of religion in the West clearly, calmly, and forcefully, and without resorting to the usual, sterile polemics. Robert Royal uses the latest secular scholarship to correct mis-impressions about our religious history that have become widespread because of the prejudices students are taught in schools and colleges.
Starting from chapters on ancient Greece and Rome, which offer a particularly fresh re-reading of the classics and their true relationship to the modern West, he carries the story down the centuries to the present day and shows how religious questions have become prominent again precisely because they can never be eliminated from any truly human society. At times, the narrative reminds you of the sweep of someone like the British historian Paul Johnson. But there's nothing quite like it out there in my opinion.
 Mind-Numbingly Dull
THE GOD THAT DID NOT FAIL certainly sounds like an interesting book. Its subtitle, HOW RELIGION BUILT AND SUSTAINS THE WEST, promises an interesting history of religion and its influence on Western Civilization. Especially promising is the battle between religion and secularism on the chessboard of Europe. However, just as a good storyteller can make an otherwise dull subject interesting, the reverse, alas, is also true. Although TGTDNF may have its moments, I must inform any reader of this review that the book is drier than a Mormon wedding at the height of Prohibition.
Sure there are some good points. It is interesting to read of the effects of monotheism, in the specific form of Judaism, and how they changed mankind's perceptions not only of religion per se, but of other abstract concepts as well. For instance, the concept of time, because of montheism, was thereafter thought of in a long-term manner as linear in fashion, with a definite beginning, middle and end. It is also interesting to read of Christianity gaining converts through altruism to such a degree that even pagan leaders acknowledged that the pagan poor could expect more solace and comfort from Christians than from their own fellow pagans. And given the snobbery of all too many secularists on the matter, it is certainly worthwhile to read how Christianity, far from being anti-scientific and anti-rational, actually supported a rationalistic view as an appropriate means to discover the true nature of God. The final chapter of TGTDNF is especially worthwhile in its discussion of modern secular trends such as Marxism, psychoanalysis and the current secularizing forces in modern day Europe.
However, these interesting aspects are not enough to save the book. Often, I will try to look past a book's thick writing if the subject is sufficiently interesting. Yet TGTDNF actually hits a tipping point - its dullness is such that it will seriously detract from many readers' ability to absorb the subject. I might add, I have an advanced degree, work a professional job and have had to trudge my way through an awful lot of writing that, let us say, would test the most serious case of insomnia. Even given this, I had trouble getting through this book and feel comfortable stating that many others will as well.
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