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uncommongrace25's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting defense of the Bible and its impact on Western culture from an Eastern source. From the impact of the Reformation on the rise of languages and education to its impact on human invention and morality, the roots of the Bible are deep and lasting despite modern attempts to deny them. He wrote the book as a response to a fellow Indian critic of the Bible, and he mounts a vigorous and broad defense. Its breadth sometimes sacrifices its depth, but it gave me much to chew on and to research further. I would invite all, regardless of religious persuasion, to read it for an interesting perspective on a lasting question...to what extent does the Bible impact the world and more importantly, why?
from George Orwell, Notes on the Way, 1940 "For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had foreseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake: The thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all; it was a cesspool full of barbed wire...It appears that amputation of the soul isn't just a surgical job, like having your appendix out. The wound has a tendency to go septic."
from George Orwell, Notes on the Way, 1940 "For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had foreseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake: The thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all; it was a cesspool full of barbed wire...It appears that amputation of the soul isn't just a surgical job, like having your appendix out. The wound has a tendency to go septic."
amaranthine_dragon's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Really good synopsis of the impact of the Bible on western civ (and other civilizations through them). I thought he offered both good critiques of Western Civ and the best perspective I've read comparing Hinduism to Christianity as well as the best analysis of the impact of the Bible on India.
numbat's review
slow-paced
0.25
Your man may as well be an orchidist with how much he cherry picks. The main arguments are that the western interpretation of the bible, post reformation, laid the foundation for western imperial superiority. In spite of some interesting historical accounting and extremely biased anecdotal arguments it come across as a colonial apologist rather than a humanitarian. I read this book hoping to get some insight into the history and there was a little of that but it was ultimately disappointing. There was a rather ridicules and seemingly wilful argument attempting to say that the theory of evolution is false because it can’t explain why rapists don’t use music, because music is suggested to be a mechanism of sexual selection. All in all I was very disappointed in this rather confused and poorly put together book, it had some interesting history but it was ultimately not worth the effort.
sydneyjacques's review against another edition
5.0
Dear Everyone,
Please read this book and soak up its hope.
Love, Syd.
Please read this book and soak up its hope.
Love, Syd.
valkrin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
shane_wester's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
wunderbar, so informative and really gives you an amazing perspective on how the book that is the Bible has influenced every part of our society as we know it.
theseasoul's review
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
3.5
|| 3.5 ⭐️ ||
This was such a neat book. I got a lot out of it! I found the history of various societal systems and values (such as education, science, rationality, medicine, technology, etc.) to be very interesting, as I previously wasn’t quite sure how they were rooted in the Bible. Turns out none of these things we value so much today would’ve sprung into existence without consideration for the inherent human dignity assigned to us by God and communicated through His word. I also thought it was cool how the author used his Indian background and experience to give specific examples of how this God-given human dignity has transformed his culture and society before his own eyes.
I did find this book a bit long, and difficult to read at some points (for my level of knowledge, at least). Some chapters were more coherent and interesting than others.
Overall, I highly recommend this read. What a privilege to be living in God’s world!
blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
Mangalwadi’s The Book That Made Your World is a very informative take on the Bible’s influence in twenty critical areas of the human experience, from the origins of science to the concept of compassion in the face of utter barbarism in the early first century. It aimed to show how the Bible has shaped the West in some of the most profound ways imaginable, even in some ways unexpectedly. In that respect, the book succeeds. However, it does tend to lack the artistic appeal of more expressive writers.
Source: https://chriscribariblog.com/2017/06/07/the-book-that-made-your-world-review-and-summary-part-1/
Source: https://chriscribariblog.com/2017/06/07/the-book-that-made-your-world-review-and-summary-part-1/