In this provocative book one of the most brilliant scholars of religion today dismantles distorted religious “histories†offered up by Christopher Hitchens; Richard Dawkins; and other contemporary critics of religion and advocates of atheism. David Bentley Hart provides a bold correction of the New Atheists’s misrepresentations of the Christian past; countering their polemics with a brilliant account of Christianity and its message of human charity as the most revolutionary movement in all of Western history. Hart outlines how Christianity transformed the ancient world in ways we may have forgotten: bringing liberation from fatalism; conferring great dignity on human beings; subverting the cruelest aspects of pagan society; and elevating charity above all virtues. He then argues that what we term the “Age of Reason†was in fact the beginning of the eclipse of reason’s authority as a cultural value. Hart closes the book in the present; delineating the ominous consequences of the decline of Christendom in a culture that is built upon its moral and spiritual values.
#401671 in Books imusti 2009-02-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 2.10 x 6.10l; 1.95 #File Name: 0300144253768 pagesYale University Press
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Impressive Research but Dreadful WritingBy Kevin PallisterBen Kiernan amasses an impressive amount of research in his treatise on genocidal violence throughout history. Unfortunately; the writing is poor; even by academic standards. The majority of sentences in the book contain quotes from sources; which interferes with the narrative flow. Most chapters also lack clear introductions and conclusions; and within chapters there is often a lack of structure or flow. Kiernan's theory of the common factors underlying genocides is interesting and plausible; though it seems to apply better to some of his cases than to others; and sometimes Kiernan's application the theory's causal factors to historical cases is a bit perfunctory. Simply put; this book is a slog even for a reader with a keen interest in the subject matter. It's good as a reference source; but not an engaging read. If you are a student or casual reader looking for an entree to the subject; try instead the textbook on genocide by Adam Jones; which includes a lot of solid historical case studies.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Glorifying the Past for a Gruesome FutureBy Michael GriswoldBen Kiernan’s Blood and Soil is a difficult read because of the subject matter. The idea of brutality on the scale of which Kiernan describes can be difficult for the average person to wrap their head around. After a while; the six hundred plus pages of Blood and Soil blur together painting a rather depressing picture of humanity.Kiernan’s thesis is not hard in a nutshell in that a toxic soup of romanticized past glories (usually associated with agriculture or land) that have now been lost due to incompetence of current leaders or more often the presence of another group. When this is mixed together; mass extermination can result. While oftentimes; the intention required by modern genocide convention is not met; the result is largely the same.While one can always quibble over case selection; Blood and Soil is a book that although lengthy and time consuming; everyone who cares about humanity in general should read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Man's InhumanityBy Chris FogartyFour stars might be too few for this great book.It is a compilation of most of history's recognized genocides; a thick tome with much detail.It was also amazingly inexpensive at .com.Though I fully recommend it; it proved too overwhelmingly tragic for me to read all the way through.Perhaps it serves me better as a valued resource.It might well be the definitive work on genocide throughout history..
