God is Red: A Native View of Religion (30th Anniversary Edition)
by Vine Deloria, Jr.
Published by Fulcrum Publishing
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Reviewed by Cheryl Hiltibran
This book deserves to be in every comparative religion course. It takes a person on the periphery of a religious culture to see what is invisible to its own people. Originally written thirty years ago, Vine Deloria, Jr.'s thought-provoking Native American perspective is equally as valid now.
One could perceive his book to be a challenge to Christianity; however, I had a vision (while reading the book) that I was standing beside a keen observer who clearly puts words to the dichotomies and paradoxes of a culture that he lived with but was not a part of--like a leaf that is carried by the river. His philosophical views are a gift that only a Native North American could share.
Deloria's ability to describe perplexing contradictions is exceptional. One I found fascinating is that Christianity adopts a historical view versus a spatial (geographical) view; however, when the United States was concerned with the spread of Communism, it attempted to establish geographical constraints to contain a philosophical threat. Something to think about.
Like Deloria I, too, am concerned that unless the dominant Christian culture begins to connect to the earth and learn what it has to share with us, at some point there will be nothing left to explain to future generation. As a traveler into the wilderness, I can say from my experiences that the land has much to teach us provided we listen and hear.
Anyone in the dominant Christian culture who is unable to set aside their own perspective could find Deloria's view offensive. Yet, if the dominant culture would entertain this perspective, there would be an immense opportunity for greater compatibility, collaboration and cohesiveness.
Armchair Interviews says: To read and reflect on any one of the many questions that Deloria poses will give rise to the obvious-there is much to be learned from Native American religions. And Vine Deloria, Jr. is speaking his truth when he states that God is Red.