God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter

The New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy makes the provocative argument that the differences between the world’s religions are far greater than we have acknowledged — and that we ignore this at our own peril.

God Is Not One is a major book that challenges the underlying premise of books like Karen Armstrong’s A History of God and Jack Miles’s God: A Biography. Author and religion scholar Stephen Prothero debunks the popular myth that all religions are “different paths to the same God.” Contrary to what many popular religion writers (Huston Smith) say, we actually disrespect the core of each religious tradition when we treat them as if they were indistinguishable. God Is Not One showcases the disparities between each tradition, revealing the undeniable differences drawn by religious boundaries of belief and practice.

To claim that all religions are the same is to misunderstand that each tradition attempts to solve a different aspect of the human condition. For example:

• Christianity: the problem is sin / the solution is salvation

• Buddhism: the problem is suffering / the solution is enlightenment

• Islam: the problem is pride / the solution is submission

• Confucianism: the problem is chaos / the solution is social order

When we gloss over these differences we fail to appreciate each religion on its own terms. Prothero provides an up—to—date look at the religions that continue to shape the lives of billions of people around the globe.