Customer Reviews

The Religion War

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Religion War is a direct follow up to God's Debris. God's Debris is almost entirely a thought experiment with the setting and characters as a backdrop, while The Religion War takes it a step forward by creating a future world in which the Muslim and Christian nations are on the brink of war.

Geared towards "those with short attention spans," the lack of transitions and expositions may be unsettling and almost jarring to some. Scott Adams is definitely "thinking like an engineer" with minimal literary devices in place to lay the groundwork for the reasoning and message the book is based on.

The book offers very few new ideas philosophically, but presents them in a manner that are thought-provoking and digestible to the open-minded. Religion cannot hold up to any sort of logicial rigour, and Adams suggests to have faith its literal tenets is "stupid." Yes, he actually uses the word "stupid." Atheists and agnostics will enjoy the manner in which some of the big questions are tackled logistically, but believers may be turned off and even offended. Regardless, the approach to the "big questions" in the eyes of the main character is definitely worth reading about and considering.

The fundamental problem, besides the plot holes, is that Adams paints a world in which people and opinions can be changed through reasoning, and that smart people are "right." Looking at all the hatred that exists in the world today, this is definitely a big stretch. Smart people may be right, but convincing less educated people of such is nearly impossible.

At many times it seems even implausible that such unreasonable characters would listen to reason, but the reader has to keep in mind the conversations are a device to facilitate the ideas Adams is trying to convey.

This book is definitely worth the read and the flaws are somewhat easy to gloss over if you look for the underlying message.

This book is a sequel to God's Debris, so in general this book should only be recommended to those who read that book and liked it. [For those interested, see my review for God's Debris.]

But a nuance should be made. In a sense, God's Debris was only a theoretical thought experiment about the universe, putting a grin on your face. What The Religion War brings along from God's Debris is its main character, "the smartest man in the world" and his unusual theories. He now has to apply his knowledge in saving the world from a complete war between Muslims and Christians (yes, this book has a plot).

So, although I would still classify this book as humorous, it has much more of a political undertone. Living in the world after 9/11, what would YOU do if you had all knowledge? How would you deal with people who do not want to let go of their beliefs, even if these are completely incompatible with those of other people? Of course, Adams comes with some miraculous solutions, some of which will remind you of his smartness in God's Debris.

Although I think God's Debris was better in giving some very original insights, making it more of a "classic" than The Religion War, I very much appreciated Adams' typical way of presenting a doom scenario for our near future and then making use of his logic and humor to present solutions.

My only worry is that those who probably most need to read this book (because they are so stubborn) will never do so, because they lack a sense of humor.

I don't read much fiction, but this book's narrative felt a little stilted to me. The lack of "fluffy" dialog or descriptive detail, for which Adams had an explanation, also seemed to make the plot less believable. Anyway, the plot was really just a prop for the philosophical questions this book asks, so anyone looking for gripping narrative should look elsewhere.

I gather the average reader is looking for more of the God's Debris type stuff, and it is there. While not groundshaking it is nicely presented and does give a chuckle and sometimes a deep thought. Kudos to Scott Adams.

This book by Scott Adams is a novel. But it has many very interesting parallels and possible projected future events which mirror the time we are living in now. The story, set in the near future, is all too plausible - Christians, led by the U.S., and Muslims, led by a renegade leader, have reached the point of serious preparation for an all-out complete war to the death of civilization. Along comes a man known simply as the Avatar, who is "the smartest man in the world", who tries to figure out what one thing can stop this ultimate catastrophe. During the story, he encounters both leaders, examines the fact that they each believe that he alone is chosen by God to carry out His will, and that the other is evil. The book includes philosophy, religion, computers, human nature, politics, and fascinating questions about life, the universe, belief, and logic. It is provocative, and thought provoking. Highly recommended!

It's simple: if you liked "God's Debris", you'll love "The Religion War".
If the first book felt like a play, the second one feels like a movie or a mini-series, with more characters and locations.
Scott Adams predicts wisely what could happen in a few decades, and that's what's scary! He might be the Avatar...
Finally, you don't NEED to have read "God's Debris" before, since the most important concepts are mentionned ever better in it, but it would help.

When this book was first released I was very excited. I read God's Debris twice and loved it. I was ready for another serious book by Scott Adams and was not disappointed at all. This book has the same effects on the reader as the first one. It makes the brain spine inside ones head. When I finished the book, I had the same sort of feelings that I used to get when I watched an open ended episode of the X-files during it's good days.

This is a great read. I can see why the religious nuts wouldn't like it. It makes you question your own assumptions and delusions, and delightfully so. As with God's Debris, Adams broke the mold of what a novel is "supposed" to be. In his books, every sentence counts. I imagine that being a cartoonist for all those years helps. The Religion War starts with a great premise: What would happen if the terrorists were successful to the point of threatening the existence of the West? One plausible result, and the one that Adams picks up, is that a Hitler-like character would rise to power in the Christian-dominated countries and would seek to end the problem of terror at any price to civilians on the other side. This view of the future is interesting because it seems more likely than any of the alternatives. (Do we really think we'll kill the terrorists faster than they can recruit?) Adams' main character, the Avatar, is trying to stop the final war by talking sense into the leaders. Or is he? The book is paced like a movie and will leave you thinking about its ideas for weeks.

If you are willing to open your mind to new ideas then this book is a must read. Adams explores the influence of religion on our actions and questions how it is possible that so many people can be right and wrong at the same time. Don't think about reading this book -- buy it and read it, then give the book to someone else and have them read it. A quick read worth every cent. Adams ventures onto taboo ground with grace, integrity and respect and succeeds in revealing truths through the readers own mind.

If you're buying The Religion War because of the joy you felt while reading God's Debris, don't buy this book. It's not the same kind of book, regardless of being better or worse. Though the author claims that the book raises important questions to be pondered, the plot itself answers most of them. And usually in a way that makes you wonder if the writer was eager to finish it and do something else. Despite all that, it still has interesting insights and a fairly original plot. You just have to keep in mind that his "vision" of the future is a lot related to the fact that he's American and think the country learned a lot (not in terms of lesson, but of intelligence/data) by invading Iraq.

This follow-up from God's debris in not a "thought experiment" but a fiction that relies on some of the concepts previously discussed in God's Debris. This novel has the Avatar attempting to stop a religious world war that would rip apart the human race. Some of Adam's conclusions seem so logical that it is difficult to dispute that the scenarios they depict would not be inevitable. It is these "gasp" moments that compel further reading. Once again he toys with "free will" and ultimately leads the reader to ponder that the only universe we could possibly understand is by definition, a delusion. And to fight over a delusion is probably the definition of stupidity. Some powerful ideas to read, which leave any open-minded reader enlightened. Excellent.