A collection of screen shots of over 230 sites that day.

Though most Americans take for granted that the crimes of September 11th were committed in the name of Allah, few have more than a cursory understanding of the Islamic religion itself, not to mention its long and complicated relationship with Western Christianity. And yet, if we are to make intelligent decisions, such understanding is crucial. This makes such excellent books as Karen Armstrong’s A History of God invaluable.

Armstrong is a world authority on the great monotheisms that originated in the Levant: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Her splendid History of God is the only book available that provides a thorough, readable overview of the theological, cultural, and political histories of these three religious traditions. She remains deeply respectful of her subject and yet never shies away from taking a critical or controversial stance. Her chapters on Islam are particularly fascinating, as Armstrong is clearly enamored with the elegance of Islamic philosophy, the grandeur of Islamic culture, and the beauty of Islamic art.

Given the breadth of Armstrong’s knowledge of religious history, she is particularly well-qualified to comment on the current rise, in all corners of the world, of religious fundamentalism, which she characterizes as a misguided reaction to the spiritual emptiness of modern life. (Her recent book, The Battle for God, is one of the best on the topic.) She ends A History of God with the following warning and advice:

Human beings cannot endure emptiness and desolation; they will fill the vacuum by creating a new focus of meaning. The idols of fundamentalism are not good substitutes for God; if we are to create a vibrant new faith for the twenty-first century, we should, perhaps, ponder the history of God for some lessons and warnings.

That’s what Powell’s Books had to say about Karen Armstrong’s A History Of God. I highly recommend it. Not a completely unbiased account (her portrayal is more critical of Christianity), but it is one which will help you to understand, in an easy to read book.

Continuing my series on sites to bookmark related to Nine Eleven….

Minutes after the terrorist attacks occured a change swept many weblogs devoted to technology, which changed format and content, as new weblogs came online: all either to bear witness to the events on Nine Eleven, or provide commentary, news and analysis regarding it.

This pissed off many in the old guard. Either upset at the media coverage these sites would come to endear, upset that the sites that changed no longer webloged on technology as much, or changed character entirely, upset that many of the new sites were from the right of the political spectrum. Infact, I think only now, a year later, have weblogs with a left leaning bent, started to assert themselves, gain coverage, and weblog network. We need them. There needs to be a better balance.

These are the sites that come immediately to mind when I think ‘warblogger’:

InstaPundit, Matt Welch (who may have coined the word), KenLayne.com, Jeff Jarvis, Tim Blair, Andrew Sullivan, Eric Olson, lgf, Nick Denton