A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

“In fact Hell seemed a more potent reality than God, because it was something that I could grasp imaginatively. God, on the other hand, was a somewhat shadowy figure, defined in intellectual abstractions rather than images.”

Karen Armstrong opens A History of God by acknowledging her own spiritual development over time. She admits that she struggled to conceptualize God as a young child and adult, with God remaining a “shadowy figure.” Armstrong’s personal spiritual journey foreshadows the larger theological developments she will trace throughout the book, with various human cultures seeking and struggling to define God and spirituality in their own ways.

“‘What is God?’: ‘God is the Supreme Spirit, Who alone exists of Himself and is infinite in all perfections.’ Not surprisingly, it meant little to me, and I am bound to say that it still leaves me cold.”

Armstrong’s rejection of the abstract definition of God offered here showcases some of Armstrong’s personal biases in her approach to her subject matter. Her admittance that such abstractions “still leav[e] [her] cold” will shape her feelings toward rationalism and mysticism in her exploration of faith, with Armstrong tending to favor a more emotional and mystical approach to spiritual questions.

“Increasingly, God seemed an aberration, something that the human race had outgrown.”

Armstrong here casts the spiritual dilemma of modernity as a crisis of faith. In the wake of major scientific and technological developments, religious skepticism has gained ground, especially in the western world. This growing skepticism as shaped by changing social and cultural contexts introduces the theme of The Influence of Social Change on Religious Beliefs.