4 out of 4 stars
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In the book God Versus the Idea of God by Thomas Richard Harry, deep thoughts are induced as the author digs deeper into the idea of religion. Using over thirty-five years of personal experience in the Christian Church, the author argues why the Christian religion has been slowly failing over the last century. The evolution of mankind, the technological booming of society, and the growing antiquity of Christianity is explained in detail throughout the book, making excellent points.
The book is very well written and well organized, with nine chapters dedicated to such religious topics as the history of Christianity, the decline of churches in the Western world, how the idea of Jesus affects ones' belief in God, and the correlation between biblical teachings and ones' faith. The author admits at the beginning of the novel that he is not a trained theologian, but he does an excellent job researching and providing facts about the church.
As a practicing Christian, this book offended me. I appreciated his thorough facts throughout the history of Christianity, but it was hard to see myself as a number. I do agree that the number of practicing Christians are diminishing in America, but I do my best to focus on doing my best serving God at my own church, not worrying about my neighbors with different practices. The author made a point to write that while the steady decrease in number equals to the loss of Christianity in the Western world theoretically, there is no way that the number of practicing Christians will ever come to zero. I appreciated this statement.
For the theologian or avid churchgoer curious about the facts of religion and how the church has developed religion over the past five millennia, this book is wonderful. It is concise, intriguing, and full of important information. It was a little dry, and the author interjected himself too much into the factual writing, but it was an interesting read. One interesting point that the author makes is that most of what we know about Christianity is put together by church leaders hundreds or even thousands years after some "facts" are presented. Examples of this are Noah and the flood, and the persecution of Jesus Christ. There is speculation if Adam, the first created man of Earth, even existed, and multiple forms of Christianity does not believe such. I found this fascinating, and yearning to learn more.
I give God Versus the Idea of God 4 out of 4 stars, for the excellent writing flow, thorough research of the author, and interesting subject material. I would recommend to anyone looking for further their knowledge of religion, or even as reading material for an entry level collegiate religion class.
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God Versus The Idea of God
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