This book asks why, since so many characterizations of theistic reality have gone to extinction, do some, not simply survive, but undergo considerable recharacterization, when they have come under the strain of implausibility? One feature seems to be recurrent and of importance: the extent to which those who transact major transformations in existing characterizations of God are themselves dislodged by a sense of theistic reality external to themselves, insisting on its own nature and presence, often in contrast to the existing ideas about God which they have held up to that time. The initial ... More

This book asks why, since so many characterizations of theistic reality have gone to extinction, do some, not simply survive, but undergo considerable recharacterization, when they have come under the strain of implausibility? One feature seems to be recurrent and of importance: the extent to which those who transact major transformations in existing characterizations of God are themselves dislodged by a sense of theistic reality external to themselves, insisting on its own nature and presence, often in contrast to the existing ideas about God which they have held up to that time. The initial sense of God for most people is almost invariably a consequence of the culture and the circumstances in which they were born. What, then, moves some people beyond their point of departure into new discoveries and new landmarks in their exploration of relationship with God? To explore these themes, the book focuses on four traditions in which dramatic transformations occurred: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.