Case For God by Karen Armstrong

The Case for God is a 2009 book by Karen Armstrong that covers the history of religion from the Paleolithic age to the present day, with a focus on the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and on apophatic theology in various religions. Another theme is intellectual beliefs versus practice.

Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith.

Armstrong argues that religion is a practical discipline that teaches us to discover new capacities of mind and heart. She repeatedly asserts the primacy of religious practice, ritual, and discipline over merely assenting to a set of abstract beliefs.

What I Liked

I really like all of Karen Armstrong’s books. She’s detailed, nuanced, and embraces the complexity inherent in religion. She writes fascinating books.

What I Did Not Like

All of Armstrong’s books can get a bit academic in parts.