Mankind’s Search for God Book Reviewed

[Guest Kurt]

Mankind’s Search for God features a detailed synopsis of the major religions of the world, exploring the varied forms of worship, cultural background, lands and peoples. It documents the seemingly universal need to worship, that appears to be inherent in all cultures, as well as the various forms throughout history in which that need has manifested itself.

Primitive religions such as tribal animism, as well as the history to modern-day practice of Hinduism, which includes are considered, as well as how Hinduism developed towards Buddhism. Taoism and Confucianism are also highlighted. A section also describes the Sikh religion. The various forms of Judaism are discussed, with a history that goes back some thousands of years to the first Jew, considered to be Abraham, as well as the other two major monotheistic religions, Islam and Christianity. The Christian section considers the background and life and ministry of Jesus Christ, as well as the first century development of Christianity, the Dark Ages as well as the development of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Reformation, Protestantism and Christian religion in modern times.

There is a chapter which considers the history and gradual emergence of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a chapter which considers modern day disbelief which touches on both Darwinism, and worship of the state in socialist countries. Mankind’s Search for God is factual, non-judgmental, accurate, and it is an authoritative reference that is the equivalent to an advanced college course on world religion. The only thing lacking in this reference work is detailed information on some of the lesser Christian religions in modern times, Mormons, or Later Day Saints, and groups such as Seventh Day Adventists, as well as information on the present state of 21stcentury Evangelicals. Other than that, one can consider it to be a complete guide to world religion. (The writer of this article passed a college test worth 3 credits on world religion, only from knowledge derived on the subject from this book.)

It is important to have a feel for various cultures, in today’s melting-pot of society that exists in most developed countries. Gaining an understanding of the many different world religions gives one a foundation for examining his or her own belief system, in a broader format. This also can be of much value. The other benefit of reading Mankind’s Search for God is that it helps to demonstrate the continued and historical, almost instinctive need that humans have for worship, that seems to be a part of nearly every culture, and despite many who have turned to science, almost as it itself were a different form of religion, or others who have promoted worship of the state, in certain countries which have or had nearly made deities of their leaders, the majority of humankind continues to hold to both a belief system and some form of worship. This is an important cultural phenomena and a reflection of the essence of one of man’s greatest needs, the desire to search for a higher purpose in life, for the “great cause” of the universe, and to try to see how we as individuals fit into that grand purpose.

John Scott is an educator in Newark, NJ, and works in Newark public schools. His certificates are in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and High School Psychology. He is a member of the New York Chapter of NAMI, in connection with writing on psychology, and also a member of STP (The Society for Teaching Psychology). He has a BA in Social Science from Thomas Edison State College, as well as further studies in psychology.

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-One of the three books that I could not put down until I finished reading in my entire life. So well-researched, very informative and no biases on any religions. The JWs as publisher was only discussed very sparingly at the final chapters. I believe no other entity could produce a well-researched and well-documented book as this.

-Amazing Book of all time...

-It promotes the Bible truth, but does a good job of explaining what different religions teach.

-read this in high school for a book report. i like how it shows how similar the diverse religions are, with the same "myths" like the great flood.

-This book was given to me from a good friend at work. It's a survey of the world's major religions, and I think it was written very well: while it's subtle propaganda, the entirety of the book is based on facts and textual references. It was clearly very well-researched, and as someone who seeks to understand my faith, I needed to be exposed to other beliefs and other religions. The book, while driving home the subliminal point that most of the world's religions fail to sate man's search for true faith, used robust references to well-regarded people in history, religion, and philosophy.

I also have some questions regarding the ritualism that dominates Roman Catholicism, and the Triune God. This book has adjured me to go back to the source of my faith, which is the Bible, devoid of ritual and ceremony. While I don't see myself converting any time soon, a book that exhorts me to learn more about what I believe in deserves credit.

 

 

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[The Librarian]

Mankind's Search For God - 1990

 

[JaniceM]

Great comments and reviews!

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

Couldn't agree more, very interesting comments.