Bruce Feiler Where God was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion Review

Overall Rating

Where God was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion
Bruce Feiler
Morrow, Sep 2005, $26.95
ISBN: 0060574879
As he did with the prequel WALKING THE BIBLE: A JOURNEY BY LAND THROUGH THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, Bruce Feiler combines a tour guide of biblical locations, with intriguing annotations and "sermons" lifted from ancient times, but also includes modern events. WHERE GOD WAS BORN: A JOURNEY BY LAND TO THE ROOTS OF RELIGION starts with Joshua, and continues on through to the Babylonian captivity and the Diaspora, written by a fine author who describes what he observes first hand. Well written with incredible insight, somewhat thanks to archaeological companion Avner Goren, readers will appreciate this fabulous journey that goes way beyond just Israel's' borders, as the author finds greatness in the non-Jewish Semite cultures of the region, as much as he embraces being a Jew. Because he and Mr. Goren are not armchair travelers, but instead visit the locales described, this superb reference work, and his previous excellent non fictions, are inspirational for us religious moderates who believe in tolerance for all; suicidal extremists or intelligent designers who share, in common, their faith, is the divine one need to pass, as these groups will reinterpret the simple underlying moral message of Mr. Feiler's strong belief in the words of the bible.