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Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence Hardcover – October 13, 2015

by Jonathan Sacks (Author)

168 customer reviews

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***2015 National Jewish Book Award Winner***

In this powerful and timely book, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Rabbi Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit—that is, my religion is the only right path to God, therefore your religion is by definition wrong—and individuals are motivated by what Rabbi Sacks calls “altruistic evil,” violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome.

But through an exploration of the roots of violence and its relationship to religion, and employing groundbreaking biblical analysis and interpretation, Rabbi Sacks shows that religiously inspired violence has as its source misreadings of biblical texts at the heart of all three Abrahamic faiths. By looking anew at the book of Genesis, with its foundational stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rabbi Sacks offers a radical rereading of many of the Bible’s seminal stories of sibling rivalry: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Rachel and Leah.

“Abraham himself,” writes Rabbi Sacks, “sought to be a blessing to others regardless of their faith. That idea, ignored for many of the intervening centuries, remains the simplest definition of Abrahamic faith. It is not our task to conquer or convert the world or enforce uniformity of belief. It is our task to be a blessing to the world. The use of religion for political ends is not righteousness but idolatry . . . To invoke God to justify violence against the innocent is not an act of sanctity but of sacrilege.” Here is an eloquent call for people of goodwill from all faiths and none to stand together, confront the religious extremism that threatens to destroy us, and declare: Not in God’s Name.

Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence

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Product Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Schocken; First American Edition edition (October 13, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805243348
ISBN-13: 978-0805243345
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Religious Intolerance & Persecution
- #25 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bible Study & Reference > Criticism & Interpretation
- #32 in Books > History > Middle East

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Customer Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

God's Justice and Man's Transformation

By Steven Maimes on October 13, 2015

Format: Hardcover

Jonathan Sacks is a master teacher and provides deep insights into our current state of identity and our search for meaning as humans.

Religious hate and violence are discussed and Sacks says it is the inner violence that if expressed has the power to destroy a society. We need to let go of hate - first in the battlefield of our mind. To be cured of potential violence toward others, we must imagine ourselves as the Other and search for the trace of God in the face of the Other. To violence, God is saying: Not in My Name.

Genesis is the foundational book of Abrahamic monotheism and this book uses many examples from Genesis, from the history of the Jewish people, and from the Hebrew Bible. Sacks helps us to see deeper meanings in the stories and counter-stories. The stories contain themes of sibling rivalry, role reversal, transformation, and reconciliation.

In the last chapter, Sacks has specific answers to address religious hate and violence. Here is one: we must strive to honor God's name by honoring his image - humankind.

Sacks discusses our inner struggle within the soul, our identity, our search for a life with meaning, and the tension between love and justice. This discussion is done under the backdrop of religion, history, sociology, philosophy, and psychological insight into relationships including sibling rivalry, rejection, victimhood, scapegoat, and reconciliation.

Sacks is an excellent communicator of ideas (religious and secular). This book is recommended.

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Profound

By Steve P on November 19, 2015

Format: Hardcover

NOT IN GOD’S NAME is one of the most profound books I have ever read. Jonathan Sacks provides an incisive analysis of the roots of religious violence and hopeful direction on the way that humanity may move forward in dealing with it. As recent events in France have demonstrated, none of us are immune or protected against the possibility of religious violence. This makes this book relevant to every one of us. Sacks asks in which direction we want to go — the will to power or the will to life? While Sacks is clearly passionate about this global problem, he writes with extraordinary depth and objectivity with a simple power that is difficult to ignore. Sacks calls all people — and particularly those of the Abrahamic religions — to let go of hate and the grasping for power. As Sacks so eloquently observes, ‘No soul was ever saved by hate. No truth was ever proved by violence. No redemption was ever brought by holy war. No religion won the admiration of the world by its capacity to inflict suffering on its enemies. Despite the fact that these things have been endorsed in their time by sincere religious believers, they are a travesty of faith, and until we learn this, religion will remain one of the greatest threats to the peace of the world.’ NOT IN GOD’S NAME is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand religious violence (better called “altruistic evil”) — and more importantly, what we can do about it.

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Brilliant......BUT

By Larry on November 8, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This is a brilliant book and absolutely worth reading. Rabbi Sacks is a model of what a religious leader should be- a seeker of truth rather than a purveyor of dogma. The “pluses” of this book are :
1. Very insightful, original, and useful biblical commentary. This alone is worth the price of admission.
2. Ditto for his remarks on politics.
That being said, the book fails to accomplish the purpose for which it was written.
1. The book offers commentary solely on the Hebrew Bible. However, Rabbi Sacks can offer no examples of religiously motivated large scale Jewish violence since the fall of the 2nd Temple or the Bar Kochba revolt. The religiously motivated violence by Christianity and Islam through the centuries dwarfs anything ever attributed to the Jews. Rabbi Sacks makes an oblique reference to Christian figures dealing with the former and makes no reference to anyone dealing with the latter. The sources of this religious violence are most assuredly not the Hebrew Bible (with one exception- see below), but the New Testament and the Koran. However, he “will not go there” and address these texts. Both of these texts imply that Jews will be enemies forever. The Hebrew Bible (e.g. the Book of Joshua) refers only to nations long gone. It is understandable that a man of Rabbi Sack’s stature dare not address the problems with these texts regarding religious violence, but it is near impossible to do anything effective about religious violence without addressing them.
2. He attempts to discuss Islam as if Ishmael was the original Muslim. It is highly unlikely that the Hebrew Bible can serve as the historical justification for such a wild speculation.Read more ›

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Excellently written, and a 'must read'

By Marvin G. Goldman on October 22, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Jonathan Sacks' latest book is his most important and best yet. With great depth, and a fantastic understanding of the human condition, psychology, philosophy and religion, he explores the remarkable core principles of the Abrahamic tradition that spawned Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He analyzes how and why these principles have often been twisted to justify violence, and the dangers posed to our 21st century world by the current wave of extremism. Lastly, he recommends ways to counter these extremes and preserve the world's humanity. Regardless of your religion or views, you will learn much that is new and stimulating in this excellent book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Truly inspiring and insightful

This is the book of the year for me. It is a rich treasure trove of insights, historical, psychological, and spiritual. The elucidation of parts of Genesis is brilliant. Read more

Published 3 days ago by Xavier Lavagetto

Five Stars

overall, exactly what I was looking for and expected...well researched & written...

Published 5 days ago by Frank R. Kosciow

My favorite work of non-fiction

Rabbi Sacks does it again. This book is full of wisdom and great insight. His opinions are very fair and with little bias. I big promoter of peace in today's chaotic world. Read more

Published 6 days ago by Rebecca Liss

Five Stars

Wonderful explanation of the world condition.

Published 9 days ago by Charles W.

A must read

Delightful to read the thoughts of someone who has the ability to think and has a vast amount of knowledge.

Published 15 days ago by Micki

We are all GOD'S children

Changes cannot be imposed, not cultural, not,religious,not political.It has been proven once and again, changes must come from within. Read more

Published 17 days ago by Joan C. Mohler

Five Stars

great! amazing book-must read! could not put it down! marcia

Published 23 days ago by marcia pheffer

I just love the insight that the chief rabbi has in the ...

I just love the insight that the chief rabbi has in the Old Testament truly a book worth reading over and over

Published 26 days ago by candace davidsavor

Thoughtful and fresh

Sacks brings both a formidable intellect and sense of the spiritual to the very real emergence of the current religious violence in the world. Read more

Published 27 days ago by Thomas D.

Five Stars

Superb writing, Rabbi Sacks gets to the root of why we disagree on theology.

Published 29 days ago by John Miller Smither

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