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Stephen R. Prothero
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God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World Paperback – May 3, 2011

by Stephen Prothero (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,304 ratings
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In God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World, New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Delving into the different problems and solutions that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Yoruba Religion, Daoism and Atheism strive to combat, God is Not One is an indispensable guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia—and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. Readers of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong will find much to ponder in God is Not One.

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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 3, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0061571288
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0061571282
  7. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,304 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very informative, educational, and useful for getting an overview of certain major religions. They describe it as readable, well-written, and easy to read. Readers also find the text entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking. Opinions are mixed on the respect for religion, with some finding it respectful and humane, while others say it's one-sided and demeaning.

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Information qualityReadabilityEntertainingPerspectiveWitty writingReligionBias
111 customers mention "Information quality"103 positive8 negative

Customers find the book very informative, interesting, and useful for getting an overview of certain major religions. They say it provides a solid introductory grounding in the major religions. Readers also appreciate the clean style and clear anecdotes, statistics, and doctrinal matters. They mention the book provides plain-English introductions to world religions.

"Nonbias book. Educational. Love it" Read more

"Good book, needed for a class." Read more

"This is an enlightening and entertaining book. It would be a pleasure to be one of Professor Prothero's students...." Read more

"...A very informative read." Read more

92 customers mention "Readability"78 positive14 negative

Customers find the book very readable, well-written, and easy to read. They say it provides the opportunity for readers to learn the value of seeking an understanding of their religions. Readers also mention the book is educational and not boring like a typical textbook.

"Good book, needed for a class." Read more

"...needed this for a class so I haven’t read it but he said it’s an easy to read book!" Read more

"...That’s all I can say! Very well done! Really makes a person think!" Read more

"...He's really quite pleasant to read.He also makes a few solid points from the outset...." Read more

13 customers mention "Entertaining"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, engaging, and interesting.

"This is an enlightening and entertaining book. It would be a pleasure to be one of Professor Prothero's students...." Read more

"...The enjoyment came from Prothero's engaging, conversational style of writing...." Read more

"...God Is Not One is very readable and engaging." Read more

"...wonderful journey through the "great religions" of the world in an interesting,knowledgeable and often fun manner...." Read more

7 customers mention "Perspective"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the perspective in the book eye-opening, balanced, and helpful. They say it's good to see the world through others' eyes.

"This book fairly presents the background, fundamental tenets and basic differences of the major religions of the world...." Read more

"Pros - this book offers an in-depth look into 8 major world religions plus atheism...." Read more

"Really fascinating book giving a tremendous amount of background on the most widely practiced religions of the world...." Read more

"Prothero provides the most balanced view on this subject that I have encountered...." Read more

6 customers mention "Witty writing"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing witty, articulate, and smart. They also say the tone in the discussions is just right. Readers also mention the book is informative, eye-opening, and humorous.

"...Stephen is articulate and witty through out the book...." Read more

"...The enjoyment came from Prothero's engaging, conversational style of writing...." Read more

"...His tone in the discussions is just right.The one thing I would take issue with is his labeling atheism as a religion...." Read more

"...Witty and smart, Prothero is nevertheless both respectful of the religions addressed and unafraid to show their dark sides...." Read more

11 customers mention "Religion"4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it respectful and well-written, while others say it's one-sided and demeaning on religion. They also mention there are factual mistakes about some of the religions and outrageous comparisons between them. Readers also say the definition of religion is too broad and teases religious believers.

"...It's not just that his definition of religion is too broad; it also leads to the wrong conclusions...." Read more

"Protege to gives is a different way to think about religion. Respectful but willing to examine each traditions strengths and shrt-comings." Read more

"...it does not make the case for concluding that God is not One, omits several religions, and does not explain why only differences, and not..." Read more

"...a fundamentally failed argument, he is often cynical and teases religious believers...." Read more

8 customers mention "Bias"3 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's bias. Some mention it's well-written with very few biases, while others say it sometimes seems biased and short on judgement. They also mention there are more than a few factual mistakes and the author is often cynical.

"...But aside from a fundamentally failed argument, he is often cynical and teases religious believers...." Read more

"...This is a well-written book with very few biases. Where Prothero has opinions he openly states his self-perceived biases...." Read more

"...Long on observation, short on judgement. Perhaps too short. The book does not mention Islam's rather harsh penalty (death!)..." Read more

"...those of you who are coming in blindly, that there are more than a few factual mistakes (especially concerning religions of the Eastern tradition)...." Read more

For class
5 out of 5 stars
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Had gotten this for a college class; intro to world religions.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kat
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024
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Nonbias book. Educational. Love it
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Michelle Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
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Good book, needed for a class.
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D. Beck
4.0 out of 5 stars Enlarges Our Understanding, but with One Serious Flaw
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2013
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This is an enlightening and entertaining book. It would be a pleasure to be one of Professor Prothero's students. The thesis underlying the title, "God Is Not One", is spot on and conforms to my own experiences and observations as I've traveled around the world. Although some reviewers have taken exception with this thesis, it is one that is easily confirmed by simply asking people what they believe. In India, for example, I found many if not most Hindus believe in many gods and according to some as many as 330 million. In Hindu temples you often find Buddha and several of the Hindu gods worshipped side by side. In Indochina spirit houses abound alongside Buddhist temples. In Thailand, King Bhumibol is worshiped as a god. In Central Asia, Muslims pray to the sky god while warding off evil spirits through various rituals. Prothero aptly demonstrates how various gods are invoked throughout the major religions of the world. I found the chapter on the Yoruba religion, of which I knew very little, to be quite illustrative of his "God Is Not One" Hypothesis. Prothero is also spot on when he denies that differences among religions are likened to taking different paths up the same mountain. The Buddhist goal of nirvana, the Hindu goal of moksha, the Confucian goal of harmony, and the Christian goal of everlasting life are not the same. I agree with Prothero, that we are better off to recognize these differences so we can find ways to live in peace with one another. Prothero is also quick to point out, and I would agree, that in spite of the differences there is generally little to separate religions with respect to their ethical standards. The golden rule seems to apply across religious differences.

So far so good, but to get to this point Prothero finds it necessary to reject the traditional definition of religion as the belief in a supernatural power and instead posits a four-step approach to defining religion: (1) a problem, (2) a solution, (3) a technique, and (4) exemplars. This allows him to include groups as diverse as Christians who believe in a god and a hereafter and the billion plus "Confucianists" who don't believe in a god, a hereafter, or wouldn't even think of calling themselves "Confucianists." He goes further to include also atheism as a religion although ironically, here he uses the term "religion" pejoratively, as some religious people are prone to do, to minimize and dismiss Atheism's contribution to the world's cultural and intellectual history. He alleges, "Atheisim is not a great religion. It has always been for elites rather than ordinary folk. And until the twentieth century, its influence on world history was nonexistent as Woody Allen's god." Wow, can he actually be serious. Where's the scholarship behind this outrageous statement. For those interested in some excellent scholarship in this area, I would recommend "Doubt - a History" by Jennifer Michael Hecht. If Prothero can define Confucianism and Atheism as religions, why not Capitalism, Communism, Maoism, Hedonism, American Elitism or any other -ism. They all identify a problem, a solution, a technique, and have exemplars up the yin yang. In fact, it's hard for me to imagine what human enterprise would fall outside his four-step definition of religion and, I guess, Prothero may be suggesting the same when he has his students create their own religions, supposedly following his criteria.

It's not just that his definition of religion is too broad; it also leads to the wrong conclusions. By defining Confucianism and Atheism as religions, he's throwing a deaf ear to the billions of non-believers and doubters and the tremendous influence they have had throughout world history. He literally cuts this line of inquiry off when he states in his introduction, "...nine out of every ten Americans believe in God, and, with the notable exception of Western Europe, the rest of the world is furiously religious." Of course, the world is "furiously" religious if any definition of god or human activity can be assumed by his four-step criteria. I want to ask, are the nine out ten Americans surveyed referring to the god of Thomas Jefferson who as a professed Epicurean saw god as not having an active role in our lives or the god of crusading Evangelists who see God's handiwork everywhere? Having been brought up in a fundamentalist family, it often surprised me to encounter Christians who do not believe in miracles, Christ's resurrection, or his virgin birth. Like Jefferson, to us these were non-believers, deists, or in the technically correct parlance of today atheists. In China where the majority of people I met did not seem comfortable referring to themselves as atheists, they had no problem stating that they did not belong to a religion or believe in a god. Here, it should be pointed out, as Prothero himself acknowledges, not even the Chinese government considers Confucianism a religion. So then, why has he? One final example, in the former Central Asian soviet countries where about 80% of the population is Muslim I saw little evidence during the month of Ramadan of the Muslim faith in practice. "Muslim light" is what some called it. Are these non-practicing Muslims actually Muslims? Prothero has no qualms in assuming that they are although he acknowledges that each religion has its non-believers, but then fails to plumb the depth and breadth of this phenomenon and as a result ends up drawing the wrong conclusions. I submit that had he used the traditional definition of religion, he would have found that the world is largely non-religious and that this has had a positive moderating influence on the religious extremism that continues to threaten the world today. This criticism aside, I feel obligated to give the book four stars because it moves the discussion of world religions in the direction of understanding and self-examination. Professor Prothero should be applauded for that.
44 people found this helpful
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Otto Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars Religions: Many Not One
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023
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In God Not One, Prothero advocates for religious literacy and acknowledges how an understanding of the world’s rival religions allows one to become better citizens of the world as well as better human beings in the world. A very informative read.
2 people found this helpful
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Mom2sojo
5.0 out of 5 stars Needed for college
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
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Book arrived super fast and no flaws at all. My son needed this for a class so I haven’t read it but he said it’s an easy to read book!
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Tom Mott
3.0 out of 5 stars Good premise, but ultimately superficial and "chatty"
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2010
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The initial premise is intriguing: Prothero want to disabuse us from the notion that all great religions are essentially the same--i.e., that Allah/God/Yahweh are just different names for the same deity, and "believers" are simply ascending different sides of the same mountain, but with the same ultimate goal).

The book does give a reasonably good overview of eight major religions, and I am thankful for some of his insights. For example, he discusses why a "Godless" religion (like Confucianism) deserves to be thought of as a religion and not just a systems of ethics. He also points out that someone can be deeply religious but in a quiet manner: A fire-and-brimstome evangelical preacher isn't necessarily *more* religious than, say, a quietly devoted Methodist.

But the book feels superficial. It reads like a professor giving an overview of religions for college freshmen, and wanting to keep it fun and fast paced: hoping to become their favorite professor. After each chapter, I found myself needing to turn to the Internet to read up on each religion for more information on the basic beliefs and practices of each.

Prothero writes in a chatty, "witty" tone which some may find charming, but I found annoying: as if he's worried the material will be too dry or too impenetrable for his audiences, so he funs-it-up and dumbs-it-down. Here are the first two sentences of the chapter on Buddhism:

"Buddhism begins with a fairy tale. Unlike Cinderella or Rocky, however, this is no underdog fantasy of someone who has nothing and gains the whole world."

Really? That's how we're going to begin an overview of Buddhism? And does he mean that Buddhism themselves think of the story of The Buddha as a fairy tale, or is that just his opinion?

The final chapter on atheism seems dashed off and dismissive. Take this sample sentence:

"After all, atheism is a religion of sorts, or can be. Many atheists are quite religious, holding their views about God with the conviction of zealots and evangelizing with verge."

After writing in depth about three non-theistic religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism), it's odd that he then writes a "coda" about atheism at all, and then jumbles up theism and religion as analogous concepts.

He also tends to weigh the merits of each religion against his own personal experience, as if he's shopping for the best religion and trying to figure out which is the best fit. I feel like I know more about Stephen Prothero now than I do about the major religions.
238 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jak
5.0 out of 5 stars Schnelle Lieferung aus US, inhaltlich wertvoll.
Reviewed in Germany on August 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Die Lieferung erfolgte aus New Jersey, US, innerhalb von 6 Tagen.
Das Buch war ein Geschenk an meine Freundin, die sehr glücklich darüber ist.
Ihrer Aussage nach hat das Buch so einiges zu bieten.
Wer ein Buch sucht, welches sich kritisch mit den verschiedensten Religionen unserer Welt auseinandersetzt, um sich über jene zu bilden, der scheint hier an der richtigen Stelle.
Auch optisch macht das Buch etwas her. Im Umschlag ist es ein wirklich schöner Blickfänger, den man gerne im Bücherregal präsentiert und im bloßen Hardcover-Einband kommt es elegant und unauffällig daher. Für den Stil eines jeden Bücherregals findet sich hier also das passende Gewand.
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Jak
5.0 out of 5 stars Schnelle Lieferung aus US, inhaltlich wertvoll.
Reviewed in Germany on August 11, 2024
Die Lieferung erfolgte aus New Jersey, US, innerhalb von 6 Tagen.
Das Buch war ein Geschenk an meine Freundin, die sehr glücklich darüber ist.
Ihrer Aussage nach hat das Buch so einiges zu bieten.
Wer ein Buch sucht, welches sich kritisch mit den verschiedensten Religionen unserer Welt auseinandersetzt, um sich über jene zu bilden, der scheint hier an der richtigen Stelle.
Auch optisch macht das Buch etwas her. Im Umschlag ist es ein wirklich schöner Blickfänger, den man gerne im Bücherregal präsentiert und im bloßen Hardcover-Einband kommt es elegant und unauffällig daher. Für den Stil eines jeden Bücherregals findet sich hier also das passende Gewand.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars It's an amazing book; I use it as an aid to ...
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016
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It's an amazing book; I use it as an aid to teach my world religion lessons in my high school.
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NWiggins
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book but very thick so hard to read all ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2016
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A good book but very thick so hard to read all in one go. I have taken to reading just the sections I want at the time I need to and going from there.
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Bega
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-Opener
Reviewed in Germany on August 27, 2010
Verified Purchase
Für das Thema interessieren sich viele Menschen. Deshalb ist dieses aufschlussreiche Buch so wichtig. Es bringt in verständlicher Sprache umfassende Einblicke in die Ausrichtung und Ziele aller Hauptreligionen. Es rückt jeden Kuschelkurs, jede naive Einstellung zurecht und gibt Ausblicke, auf das was möglich ist und realistischer Weise erwartet werden kann - oder eben auch nicht.
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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
cover had been torn and shoddily repaired with tape; heavy markings inside
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