Customer Reviews

Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East

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Marc Gopin's Holy War, Holy Peace is a wise book that offers new hope for peacemakers, both at the political level, and for the general population. Gopin's theory is that religion can and should be used to create bridges, not walls, between Abraham's children, Jews, Christians and Muslims. He passionately, boldly and perceptively analyzes the importance of religion and culture on the peace process. One of his powerful new ideas is "remythification." "We relate to each other mythically," he states. Our myths are born of culture, religion, politics, history, and current events. In order to create bridges, we must be prepared to challenge some myths and honour others. His detailed "Practical Applications" is bold and sensitive, and above all, wise, making it a great and useful book for all who seek peace.
Read the stunningly beautiful dedication (to his daughter.) It speaks volumes about the man who is Marc Gopin.

Marc Gopin's Holy War, Holy Peace is a wise book that offers new hope for peacemakers, both at the political level, and for the general population. Gopin's theory is that religion can, and should, be used to create bridges, not walls, between Abraham's children, Jews, Christians and Muslims. He passionately, boldly and perceptively analyzes the importance of religion and culture on the peace process. One of his powerful new ideas is "remythification." "We relate to each other mythically," he states. Our myths are born of culture, religion, politics, history, and current events. In order to create bridges, we must be prepared to challenge some myths and honour others. His detailed "Practical Applications" is bold and sensitive, and above all, wise, making it a great and useful book for all who seek peace.
Read the stunningly beautiful dedication (to his daughter.) It speaks volumes about the man who is Marc Gopin.

For those who still hold out some hope for the power of religion to help build lasting peace, Marc Gopin's book is one of the best works available as a guide to just how important and just how difficult the work is. One could indeed wish that this book were a little more tightly organized, but the true, underlying factor is the degree of difficulty that Gopin has attempted in terms of personal and theological honesty. This is a painful book to read at many points, and it takes religious people right to the brink of despair in terms of ever finding enough truly common ground to move even the most religious to deeper relationships of peace and justice. Those looking for easy, pat answers will be profoundly disappointed by the book. Those looking for easy rationales for taking sides in religious, political and military conflict will be annoyed. But those looking for seasoned and searching guidance in some of the hardest and most urgent issues facing religious people today will find much wisdom and much reason for renewed reflection. Despite hard experiences that have clearly challenged the core of his faith identity, Gopin still believes that religions have the power to bring about a better world for everyone, even where conflict seems the most intractable. We need to hope he is right, for all our sakes. Not an easy book on any level, but a worthwhile one. I expect another volume that develops many of the individual themes more fully.

I purchased this book after meeting Marc Gopin as a lecturer in my law school's January term course. Rabbi Gopin blends his noteworthy academic background with even more impressive practical experience in inter-religious peacemaking. Anyone interested in conflict in the Middle East should read this book.

Marc Gopin's Holy War, Holy Peace is a wise book that offers new hope for peacemakers, both at the political level, and for the general population. Gopin's theory is that religion can, and should, be used to create bridges, not walls, between Abraham's children, Jews, Christians and Muslims. He passionately, boldly and perceptively analyzes the importance of religion and culture on the peace process. One of his powerful new ideas is "remythification." "We relate to each other mythically," he states. Our myths are born of culture, religion, politics, history, and current events. In order to create bridges, we must be prepared to challenge some myths and honour others. His detailed "Practical Applications" is bold and sensitive, and above all, wise, making it a great and useful book for all who seek peace.
Read the stunningly beautiful dedication (to his daughter.) It speaks volumes about the man who is Marc Gopin.

Marc Gopin's Holy War, Holy Peace is a wise book that offers new hope for peacemakers, both at the political level, and for the general population. Gopin's theory is that religion can, and should, be used to create bridges, not walls, between Abraham's children, Jews, Christians and Muslims. He passionately, boldly and perceptively analyzes the importance of religion and culture on the peace process. One of his powerful new ideas is "remythification." "We relate to each other mythically," he states. Our myths are born of culture, religion, politics, history, and current events. In order to create bridges, we must be prepared to challenge some myths and honour others. His detailed "Practical Applications" is bold and sensitive, and above all, wise, making it a great and useful book for all who seek peace.
Read the stunningly beautiful dedication (to his daughter.) It speaks volumes about the man who is Marc Gopin.

This is not a good book. Its thesis is poorly formed, and the execution is terrible. The author's views are not well explained, and the discussion shows naivete, arrogance, and a deep ignorance about war, peace, and the middle east. This book only muddles the complex issues involved. This reader was quite surprised that a relatively respected press agreed to publish such nonsense.