AN HISTORIAN'S APPROACH TO RELIGION

by Arnold Toynbee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 1956

The master historian of our time devotes the searching penetration of a trained mind to the problem of religion in the life of man. With deep reverence he presents a clear and dramatic summing up of the conclusions of thirty years of research and study. He leads his reader from the dawn of man's religious awareness to a description of the essential truths and counsels taught and practised by the seven religions that must be taken into account in the 20th century:- three Buddhaic religions, three Judaic (of which Christianity is one), and Zoroastrianism. These agree that the universe is a mysterious one, that man himself is not the greatest spiritual presence. There is One greater than Man. Man's goal is to seek communion with this presence, this absolute Reality, and to achieve this the human self must rid itself of its innate self consciousness. In so doing he gives his life a new center, the Absolute Reality. The author underscores the fact that for Christians especially self sacrifice means not extinguishing the self but devoting it to the service of others. Christians, however, have not earned the right to pass judgment on other high religions by the indisputable evidence of their superior life and work. ""We can believe in our own religion without having to feel it is the sole repository of the truth."" For those who have had some practice in reading Toynbee this will not be too difficult to read. It should find a ready market for all who take their religion seriously and who do not approach the subject with closed minds.

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Oxford

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION