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Not in God's Name

Confronting Religious Violence

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Not in God's Name

By: Jonathan Sacks
Narrated by: Jonathan Sacks
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About this listen

Despite predictions of continuing secularisation, the 21st century has witnessed a surge of religious extremism and violence in the name of God.

In this powerful and timely book, Jonathan Sacks explores the roots of violence and its relationship to religion, focusing on the historic tensions between the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Drawing on arguments from evolutionary psychology, game theory, history, philosophy, ethics and theology, Sacks shows how a tendency toward violence can subvert even the most compassionate of religions. Through a close reading of key biblical texts at the heart of the Abrahamic faiths, Sacks challenges those who claim that religion is intrinsically a cause of violence and argues that theology must become part of the solution if it is not to remain at the heart of the problem.

This book is a rebuke to all those who kill in the name of the God of life, wage war in the name of the God of peace, hate in the name of the God of love and practise cruelty in the name of the God of compassion.

For the sake of humanity and the free world, the time has come for people of all faiths and none to stand together and declare: Not in God's Name.

©2016 Jonathan Sacks (P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton Christian Living Christianity Judaism Religious Studies Middle East Middle Ages Iran War

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All stars
Most relevant  
This is arguably the most important book of this century, written by the most coherent moral voice of our time.

Exceptional book from an exceptional man.

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Written from a Jewish perspective, this book makes the case for common humanity by showing how group rivalry arises and that the God of the Hebrew Bible is implacably opposed to the will to power and violence.

Timely book for all time

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This is an excellent book that provides us with a thoughtful insight into the relationships of the Abrahamic faiths, where it all started and how we are affected today by the decisions and consequences of those in the book of Genesis. Jonathan Sachs challenges our preconceived ideas and brings to our attention how we might respond better to our brothers and sisters in the world today.

Brilliant and thought provoking

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This book is excellent and very well balanced when talking about inter-religious dialogue. Very well narrated by Jonathan Sacks and easy to listen to. Needs a few stops on audio just to reflect on the enormity of what he says.

Thought Provoking

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Jonathan Sacks has a marvellous voice. Loved it on the radio, said I could listen for hours. Now I have. He is a man of broad learning and on matters ecumenical he is always intelligent, considered and persuasive.
This analysis of the causes of violence executed "in the name of God", as well as in pursuit of a pseudo-religious ideology is convincing, wide-ranging, and sometimes surprising.
Unfortunately this book will not be read by fundamentalists of any stripe, and militant atheists will continue to regard people of faith as culpable of every atrocity in history (including those of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao, maybe even Attila the Hun and Nero) on the basis of a disingenuous reading of the Bible.
Sacks makes a sound case for human diversity, for the wisdom of avoiding hatred of former oppressors (Moses tells the Israelites not to bear rancour against Egyptians), and rejecting hatred, which destroys the hater more than the hated. He draws on 3000 years of history, psychology, ethnology, philosophy, writings from Jewish, Christian and Islamic sources, recent events, to inform where things went wrong, are still going wrong and point out that all these horrors are human failures, for which God weeps.

Important book, wise and timely

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highly recommended for anyone who is questioning our current times and the state the world is in.

highly recommended

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I wasn't sure what to expect with this book - an apologetics based dissertation I think. But although it could be read as such, it is a much deeper, historic and educational document covering so many aspects (factual and perception) of the Abrahamic faiths, that are of interest to anyone who is a believer of those 3 faiths as well as Atheists, Agnostics and New Agers!

I have listened to it in its entirety 1 ½ times. I intend to listen to it again, and I'm minded to purchase the Kindle edition, because there are SO MANY quotable quotes, that are on point and worthy of repeating.

This is a very current edition, up to 2015, so it's very relevant to today's events. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Everyone should hear it.

Informative, Enlightening and Worth Re-reading

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As events unfold in Gaza the world stands watching and silent. This book speaks to each side reminding us that we are all gods children. May peace reign.

A book for our time Nov 2023

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This is a brilliant book by an extraordinary extraordinary gifted author whose premature death was a tragedy. Its insights are universal and urgently needed.

A brilliant book!

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We don't really need any more books about religious violence... One needs only look at the news.

What one does need in a book like this is honesty and self reflection.

The author, himself jewish, lectures endlessly about the evils of Islam and Christianity but neglects to mention the historic and modern violence of the jewish people... People who, incidentally sew the seeds of dualism into their own religion by regarding themselves as superior to non jews whom they call goy (cattle).

When today the Gaza strip looks like the Warsaw ghetto while Israel is shielded from criticism by the US. Armed to the teeth with illegally held nuclear weapons and stirring up trouble throughout the entire middle east I am expected to join the author in an 11 hour 'petty the poor jew' party.

This level of dishonesty is absolutely breathtaking and completely negates the rest of the books content.

So in the unlikely event that Audible actually publish this review I would strongly advise you to save your money. Because I certainly wish I had.

Theologically dishonest.

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