When Religion Becomes Lethal Hardcover – March 24, 2011

There is no challenge more critical to the future of human experience than the manner in which we relate to one another across religious traditions. There is no resource more helpful in this realm than Charles Kimball's new book When Religion Becomes Lethal - The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Dr. Kimball uses his academic expertise and extensive personal experience with all three Abrahamic faiths to explore the intersection of religious traditions and political ideology. The result is a clear and compelling narrative that ought to be required reading not just for clergy but for anyone in public leadership, indeed all who genuinely want to help shape a better world. This timely book includes concise summaries of the three traditions, frameworks for understanding current world realities, and practical steps toward a more hopeful future. Being uninformed is no longer acceptable in a world where religious ideation can prove to be lethal. With the availability of Kimball's work, being uninformed is no longer excusable either.

This is an extremely insightful book, written with respect re the 3 major religions of the world (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.) The author carefully traces the roots of each of these religions and their subsequent growth and impact on societies in which they developed. It surely is true that adherents to each of these religions have committed horrific atrocities on non adherents of their religion, tragically in the name of the God they state they worship and follow. The Golden Rule of treating others as you would want them to treat you, and allowing every other person freedom of conscience in how they live their private lives and how they choose to worship God, has repeatedly been violated throughout history, and is desperately needed in our individual lives, and in how we live together in this world.

Mr. Kimball has certainly been around the block and the middle east multiple times and has credentials for writing this book, but I felt that as I read along through the book the getting lethal part was just an end to the horrors that exist and their did not seem to be any proposed solutions.Granted solutions are going to be hard if not impossible to come to but it would have been nice to see some proposals even if they are improbable at this time.

Excellent book whether you have read his first book or not. Explains in pretty good detail a lot of stuff about Christians, Muslims, and Jews and is good information to have to help a person make decisions about the world around them and kind of understand just why things are as they are.

An enlightening historical view of the issues between Islam and Jews and between Christians, Jews and Islam. A must read for everyone no matter what your religion is. Only through undwest and ingredients can we begin to open a dialogue between religions and cultures.

a good read

This is an important book for the current time, in which fundamental religious beliefs are being used as an excuse for violence. I bought this book for my church's library, and I think that it could fit well into libraries of other religious bodies.

So much information about how we, the world's major religions, got to where we are today. None of us need to feel too superior about it either. Another book that is hard to put down.