Putting God Second: How to Save Religion from Itself

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Is religion a positive or a negative force in society Rabbi Donniel Hartman argues that monotheism's record of ethical failure isn't the result of religion's evil or of pure human weakness; instead, it's a tension internal to religious faith. In Putting God Second, he offers a deeply researched and thoroughly humane argument that religious people everywhere should put the ethical treatment of others first -- and put God second.

Reviews

A stimulating and sure-to-be discussed critique of monotheism.
Kirkus Reviews

In this accessible exploration of how faith in God can determine and influence personality, Hartman (The Boundaries of Judaism) successfully engages with what he believes to be the most fundamental question of our time. He notes that the causes of the worlds great conflicts have begun to shift from national and secular politics to religious ones. Given this, Hartman wonders whether religion actually makes believers treat others with more compassion and kindness. Despite his own deep commitment to Judaism, the rabbi does not flinch from exposing many examples, including some from the Bible, that argue against the idea of religion as a force for good. Using his own religion as his lens, Hartman analyzes the phenomena he labels God Intoxication and God Manipulation; in the former, obsession with paying attention to the divine leaves less room...to be aware of the human condition, and in the latter, God is drafted in the service of human self-interest to advance an individuals personal interests and agendas. Hartman makes a powerful case that believers should both judge the word of God and be inspired and instructed by it, and that putting people first is the real way to follow the divine will.
Publishers Weekly

Eminently readable, constructively controversial and profoundly spiritual...This book is not for the spiritually faint-hearted.
The Jerusalem Post

This is an intellectually lively work that illuminates and advances the conversation on religious faith. Putting God Second paints a portrait for religion in the modern world and makes the case for a view of religion in which love of persons and an affirmation of their dignity, integrity, and worth stand at the center of religious faith. In doing so, Hartman rescues religion from both its most reactionary exponents and its cultural detractors who would bind religion into fundamentalist straitjackets.
Rabbi David Ellenson, director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University and author of Jewish Meaning in a World of Choice

Putting God Second addresses the most critical issues facing religion in the modern world. As Hartman brilliantly argues, its too simplistic to join Hitchens, Dawkins, and Harris in reducing religion to the cause of centuries of bloodshed and hatred, or to side with those who only see in religion the inspiring teachings that ennoble humanity. Instead, Hartman offers a sophisticated and compelling analysis of the flaws within Jewish scriptures as a model for other monotheistic faiths, and outlines a remarkable new way to keep our relationship with God from overshadowing our responsibility to Gods many children.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism

A work of deep faith that takes todays challenges to faith head onrooted in the tradition, yet alive to the new. Religious self-criticism is essential to twenty-first-century peace. Rabbi Donniel Hartman shows why and how.
James Carroll, author of Christ Actually

Putting God Second is a must-read book for anyone who is looking for a fresh take on religion and religiosity of all kinds. Its powerful argument invites people of all faiths (or no faith) to re-examine the basic premises of religion altogether. Only a faithful Jew could put forth such a challenge, and Rabbi Hartman does it spectacularly.
Abdullah T. Antepli, Chief Representative of Muslim Affairs, Duke University

Author Bio

Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman is president of the Shalom Hartman Institute and the author of The Boundaries of Judaism, coeditor of Judaism and the Challenges of Modern Life, and coauthor of Spheres of Jewish Identity. He is the founder of some of the most extensive education, training, and enrichment programs for scholars, educators, rabbis, and religious and lay leaders in Israel and North America, and is a prominent essayist, blogger, and lecturer on issues of Israeli politics and policy, Judaism, and the Jewish community.