Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't
by Robert Spencer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert SpencerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-13
ISBN: 1596985151
Number of pages: 264
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Book Reviews of Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't
Book Review: His Least Persuasive Book...
Summary: 3 Stars
I've read the previous two books on Islam by Robert Spencer, both of which were very good. I thought this one wasn't so good; or at least not as good as it should have been.
The purpose of the book is to refute the notion that Islamic apologists often make: that even if Islam is violent, Christianity is no better. Spencer covers contemporary cases as well as historical and theological ones in debunking this myth.
However, it seemed shorter on genuine scholarship than the other books, and is loaded with polemic about how liberals don't recognise the threat posed by Islam, etc. I don't disagree with this, but Spencer spends more time telling us that liberals are wrong than he actually does telling us WHY they are wrong. The first three chapters are all dedicated to pretty much the same topic, and most of those pages are simply spent quoting people whose opinions Spencer disagrees with. It is only towards the end of chapter three that he begins to attempt to refute any of these views. I don't know why three chapters were necessary to do this.
I also felt that there wasn't enough time spent on outlining Christian teachings regarding violence and how they have traditionally been interpreted. Spencer does it in a generalised way, but I didn't think it was in-depth enough to be beyond scrutiny. I am not a Christian; I am an atheist who is not well-versed in Biblical knowledge so I think more coverage of this area should have been included.
On a positive note, Spencer usefully also includes sections comparing Islam and Christianity when it comes to their approach to science and their treatment of women. While not strictly related to war and violence, they do reflect what the West might become if it was to succumb to the threat of sharia imposition. I assume this was the point of including these things.
But another complaint I had was that many parts of the book were devoted to repeating large portions of his previous books. And I don't mean just covering the same material - I mean literal word-for-word copies. This seems counter-productive, repeating the teachings of Islam which he has covered well enough in previous books when he could have been outlining Christian teachings in more detail.
Overall, a bit of a disappointing effort in relation to previous works by the author. However, I would still recommend that anyone with an interest in defending Western freedom and values read it. The book does make several good points. But I expected better from Robert Spencer.
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