Depois do controverso bestseller sobre Jesus de Nazaré O Zelota, Reza Aslan regressa com uma biografia humana de Deus, num registo que combina história da religião, as suas convicções pouco consensuais e a história da evolução da sua própria fé.
A imagem que, em crianças, associamos a Deus, pelo menos no seio das comunidades cristãs, é a de uma entidade semelhante em tudo ao Homem. Feuerbach diz que só um ser que compreende em si todo o humano pode satisfazer integralmente um ser humano. Foi esta dimensão de Deus que atraiu Aslan, ainda muito jovem, para o cristianismo.
A ideia de «Deus humanizado» (um ser humano com poderes de super-homem, ou uma versão divina de nós próprios) terá sido o conceito mais profundamente enraizado na nossa primeira consciência de Deus - aquele que mais modelou as nossas teorias iniciais sobre a natureza, o universo e o nosso papel neles.
Um livro que desafia radicalmente a maneira de pensar o divino.

In this rather short book Reza Aslan takes us through the history lane to show how did religion exactly become so important to human species.

As this is rather short book note it is useful as starting point for further readings and exploration on the topic. If you seek more detailed answers in it you might be disappointed.

Author starts with the overview of the first societies where religion took hold (which seems to be very early societies like gatherer-hunters), then moves to the way human beings generally reflect human-like attributes on everything around them - thus giving birth to first super-being and myths (I especially liked explanation how minimal exaggerations can make strange phenomena closer to the human observer, psychology is truly marvelous and practical science) - followed by rise of various pantheons and finally culminating in monotheism from Echnaton's and Zaratustra's attempts to Israelites' first successful monotheistic state religion that was followed by Christians and Muslims.

We can follow the religion develop from rather inclusive traditions to more and more closed/exclusive ones (as I read once in other book, old civilizations could recognize their gods in other pantheons - monotheism or simpler form known as monolatry become more and more exclusive because of their very nature; these are religions made to distinguish people, nations and states and as a result we come to division of society on believers and unbelievers).

Author asks good questions regarding the usefulness of religion for species evolution. As such religion has no merit but when coupled with other sociological changes - e.g. move to stationary way of life, creation of citizen classes and separation of populace on ordinary people and those privileged that can speak to gods (priests and kings) - it becomes more clear how religion rose and became dominant force in human history.

But to say that religion's sole role is to shackle people is also wrong. Like any force in human history it can be misused. And lets not fool ourselves, human's need to believe - be it in religion of any kind or in science - seems to be a fundamental one. It seems we are incapable of dealing with unknowns. We need to fill them either with facts or myths/free interpretations no matter how implausible they might be - future generations will have to work them out.

Book raises interesting questions and is great as a starting point for further research. It is truly excellent popular science book, author writes in a clear and concise way and I recommend it wholeheartedly. ( )

Really loved this book, but have to admit I was really shocked by the ending ; turns out Joan Osborne was right all along https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4CRkpBGQzU ( )

CUPRINS

1. Introducere. Dupa chipul nostru - pag. 9

SUFLETUL INTRUPAT

2. Adam si Eva in Eden - pag. 19
3. Stapanul fiarelor - pag. 35
4. Chipul din copac - pag. 53

DUMNEZEUL UMANIZAT

5. De la sulite la pluguri - pag. 67
6. Cei inalti - pag. 84
7. Marele Zeu - pag. 105

CE ESTE DUMNEZEU ?

8. Dumnezeu este unul - pag. 127
9. Dumnezeu este trei - pag. 146
10. Dumnezeu este totul - pag. 164
11. Concluzii. Unul - pag. 183

12. Multumiri - pag. 191
13. Note - pag. 193
14. Bibliografie - pag. 271
15. Indice - pag. 297 ( )

The title of God: A Human History is quite correct. While at the end of the book, religious scholar Reza Aslan speculates on the nature of God. Instead, this book is more about how humans may have perceived divinity from their earliest days.

In examining evidence from prehistoric cultures, we see how ideas of divinity may have first developed and how they shaped cultures for hundreds of thousands of years. But, surprisingly, scholars now believe it was religion that caused the Agricultural Revolution. Aslan explains how findings at Göbekli Tepe led to that startling conclusion.

While he touches on the Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist beliefs, the book focuses on how our concept of one God--the monotheistic deity of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, developed. He shows, step-by-step, how these lines of thought developed. Rather than being a natural outcome of revelation, many decisions that shape our current conception of God were of political origin.

I was surprised to learn how the minor Canaanite God Yahweh became the one God of the Hebrew people. It was interesting to see how a concept from a small and relatively insignificant tribe grew to influence many people’s conception of God today.

The book was an enjoyable foray into the religious thought of these past half a million years. I’ve always wanted to know what motivated our ancestors and how they lived. While this book doesn’t provide concrete answers because they don’t exist, it does give a sweeping view of the possibilities. ( )