Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00237)

On Sun, 18 May 1997, Dr. A.M.Bain wrote:

> In message <Pine.LNX.3.95.970517193411.17507C-100000@modzer0.uafdorms.al
> aska.edu>, Jaqtarin Samantha Triele <triaism@modzer0.uafdorms.alaska.edu
> > writes
> >I recently read a book titled "A History of God".  It was by ...someone.
> >Karen Armstrong, I think.  Anyhow, she provided quite a wonderful
> >description of how "God" has evolved.  How the original idea of God gained
> >different aspects, some conflicting some not.  I believe she says
> >something regarding Communion.  (She was once a nun, but converted to
> >Islam later in life)
>
> Can you give further info on this conversion?  She seems an unlikely
> candidate for Islam - or maybe it was another Karen Armstrong?
>
> Alan
> ---------
Hmmm... she is the only Karen Armstrong I have ever come across... do you
know of another?  Perhaps we are speaking of the same person and she has
written more books.  How are you referring to her?

With regards to the conversion, I remember her saying that the idea of God
didn't seem quite right.  That there were too many contradictions in what
she was being taught and she didn't feel comfortable with the patriarchy.
She left the convent to try and understand why the teachings were so
confusing.  This resulted in laborious study of different religions.
Their history, practices, etc.  I suppose that ultimately she found that
Islam came closest to what she perceived as being true.  So the transition
was not immediate.  She did not decide suddenly that she wanted to be a
Muslim.  It was after a lot of research and study.

The book which I mentioned is remarkable!  She didn't miss a beat
regarding the specifics of how God came about and how "it" developed into
what "he" is today.  She Greek Philosophy and Judaism, and how they
influenced each other.  One thing that stuck in my head was how she
pointed out that the Babylonian? god, El Shaddai, was Abraham's "One" god,
and that later, when Moses, (I think), was speaking with God, he was told
that God was Abraham's God(El Shaddai).  I had known that Jehovah must
have "evolved" from the early, polytheistic gods, but I never knew that
"proof" was written right in the Bible.  It gave me something to throw
around.

---
Jaqi.