(Note: Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program)
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is the most eye-opening book I have ever read! When I first ordered this book, I was expecting more of a dry, historical tracing of Western ideas to the Bible. But really, it does so much more than that. It traces Western ideas back to the original source of their inspiration, the Bible, questions the modern notion that Western thought originated in the Greco-Roman tradition, criticizes the moral bankruptcy that religious and social mindsets created in countries not founded on the Bible, makes a case for recognizing the ideas of moral absolutes as exemplified by the Bible's teachings and, for me at least, makes one question their stance on the Bible and faith. Mr. Mangalwadi does this through passionate writing, loads of research (just take a look at some of the scholarly works he cites in the back if you don't believe me), personal experience as an Indian who went to the West and came back as a Christian missionary, and a unique "cause and effect" approach. What I mean by that last point is that, in each chapter, he explains how the Bible was the cause for inspiring people or ideas in the West, then shows their positive effects on society both in the West and beyond. He also applies that to different religions and social mindsets and shows the negative effects they had on society, particularly Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and how they negatively affected India's social and economic growth. I will say that, at times, some of his connections between influential people/ideas can be a bit of a stretch, but I believe his ultimate conclusion is unimpeachable. This book should be read by all who question whether some of the West's current economic, political, and social problems may have a spiritual source. This book certainly will force me to ask more questions of things, particularly when I open my Bible.