内容简介
For the first time in history,many millions of people want nothing to do with God．In the past，individuals went to great lengths to experience a sacred reality that they described as God，Brahman,Nirvana or Dao；indeed religion has been one of the defining characteristics of homo sapiens．But nOW militant atheists preach a gospel of godlessness with the zeal of Christian missionaries in the age of faith and they find a large and eager audience．How has this come about?
Karen Armstrong argues that，historically,atheism has rarely been a denial of the sacred itself but instead has nearlv always reiected a particular conception of God．During the modern period，the Christians of the West developed a theology that was radically different from that of the pre—modern age．Tracing the history of faith from the Palaeolithic era tO the present，Armstrong shows that until recently science and religion were not at war with each otheL But science has changed the conversation．The meaning of words such as‘belief’，‘faith'and‘mystery'has been entirely altered，SO that atheists and theists alike nOW think and speak about God——and，indeed，reason itself—in a way that our ancestors would have found astonishin9．
Karen Armstrong argues that，historically,atheism has rarely been a denial of the sacred itself but instead has nearlv always reiected a particular conception of God．During the modern period，the Christians of the West developed a theology that was radically different from that of the pre—modern age．Tracing the history of faith from the Palaeolithic era tO the present，Armstrong shows that until recently science and religion were not at war with each otheL But science has changed the conversation．The meaning of words such as‘belief’，‘faith'and‘mystery'has been entirely altered，SO that atheists and theists alike nOW think and speak about God——and，indeed，reason itself—in a way that our ancestors would have found astonishin9．