Green Oasis

I’m really looking forward to my first book to review, The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions by Karen Armstrong. The author investigates the beginning of the world’s great religious traditions which arose in the Axial Age, the years between 800–200 BCE. How we think about and perceive our world was radically affected by some new ways of thinking which developed in this period. The Axial Age gave rise to Platonism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism.

This is exactly the kind of thing I’m interested in; that’s why I chose this book first. I want to know why we think the way we do. I want to part the veil of myth which obscures our religious and philosophical history to see to the root.

The more I read honest religious history, the more wonderful our story becomes. The real history is complex and full bodied, revealing profound truths about who we are. It doesn’t try to hide from the contradictions and humanity of the story. The palate of faith-based religious history, on the other hand, tastes pale and too sweet on my tongue.

I’ll be reading the book over the next three weeks ending on Saturday, March 3. If you like, you can read along with me. The more, the merrier.

Did I say that I’m really looking forward to this book?!