The Evolution of God by Robert Wright | Book Club

Book was suggested by: Brandon W.

Pages to read: 441
ISBN: 9780316734912 (Originally listed edition)
ISBN: 9780316053273 (Edition I am using)

While reading the book, consider the below questions:
•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•What does religion do?
•How does religion influence behavior?
•When do religions cooperate, and when do they have conflict?
•How did religion evolve?
•Is religion and science in conflict?
•Why do religions and government want to provide social cohesion?
•What are gods?
•How do cultures evolve?
•How did religion start?
•What are wisdom literate and what are they for?
•Is religion providing social cohesion or social control and exploitation?
•What is ethnic marking?
•How do religions use self-interest?
•What does it mean to be part of a religion? What benefits do members have and who provides them?
•What are limits to understanding religious evolution?
•How to identify genuine cultural aspects of hunter-gatherer societies?
•Why do small societies not preach virtues?
•Why do religions have people with claims to accessing the supernatural?
•How well could those with access to the supernatural exploit their followers?
•What were early civilization gods like?
•How are politics and religion intertwined?
•How did polytheistic societies treat each other?
•What are some aspects of Judaism?
•Did Moses exist?
•What names does Yahweh go by?
•Why was Yahweh a jealous God?
•Who was Yahweh before becoming a singular God?
•What are the roles of Lady Wisdom?
•What are some aspects of Christianity?
•What were Jesus last words?
•To whom did Jesus promote social cohesion?
•Who made love a major Christian theme?
•What use was Brotherly Love within the Christian religion?
•How was generosity used?
•How did Christianity become a dominant religion in the Roman empire?
•What are some aspects of Islam?
•How did Muhammad get support?

Your questions are important and will take priority. If you have questions about the book's content or related ideas, either let me know what your questions are or raise them during the discussion.

My review of the book:
https://www.inquiryreviews.com/2022/10/review-of-evolution-of-god-by-robert.html

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Summary from Goodreads:
In this sweeping narrative that takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism, but future harmony.

Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking re-examination of the past, and a visionary look forward.