I had to deduct one star just for the ancient aliens support but otherwise this book amazed me. Without a background in anthropology (its relevant theories as well as its bloody history) and growing up catholic I definitely would’ve found this book extremely difficult to understand, but thankfully I was able to digest a lot of it. As a Canadian I knew virtually nothing about American history with its Indigenous peoples prior to reading this book, and it poked further holes in the church and its history for me than already existed (and there were a fair amount). The portrayal of the shakiness of Christian identity and the influence of a desperate search for it on how people interact with Indigenous religions was probably one of my main takeaways from this. It is so deeply true, and reminds me deeply of the conversations in the book Becoming Cherokee. American (and Canadian) folks need community so badly, and not community as we currently define it in order to heal our relationships with Indigenous peoples and the land we occupy.

This book is so important in helping understand how we in the Western world have lost our way. It is also a very good reminder to always check your biases and consider how your decisions are formed. If we are walking about our lives without thinking about how religions and the religious beliefs of our ancestors have affected our society, let alone our planet, then we are in trouble. It can also be a powerful tool for positive change if we see its potential and we listen to the indigenous voices who have been speaking about it for far too long without us listening.

“Religion cannot be kept within the bounds of sermons and scriptures. It is a force in and of itself and it calls for the integration of lands and peoples in harmonious unity.”

I read this book every few years because Vine Deloria is such an amazing and provocative writer. I love re-reading it and finding new information that I had forgotten. Vine discusses the differences between Native beliefs/"religion" and Christianity/Catholicism/etc. He points out the differences in our world views and how this colors our actions and belief systems. He has a sarcasm that I can relate to. I love this book. I would definitely recommend that everyone read it. :-)

Deloria directs some pretty harsh sentiments in the direction of Christianity. As a native American, he has that prerogative, because Christians have done a lot of damage to his people in the name of God. But too often his depiction of Christianity is more caricature than characterization, and he lobs his grenades at an enemy that is not representative of all of us. I know many Christians who have a deep respect for the earth, who consider themselves to be part of creation, not apart from it, and who are willing and able to respect and learn from other religious traditions. Deloria paints in strokes that are often far too broad, and his argument suffers because of it.

This is a great book, I just went into it expecting something different. I was already aware of the trauma and horrific outcomes of Christianity (especially to Indigenous communities) and was hoping to learn more about Indigenous spirituality. This would be an excellent book for someone who’s looking for an historical overview of Christianity and the genocide that created present day America as we now know it.

This book looks at Christianity and in a few occasions Judaism from a Native American perspective. In doing so it provides a clear depiction of Native American spirituality in a broad manner. While it was re-released it is at times dated in its examples of christian practice and it would be interesting to bring it up to date using examples of mega churches and possibly the addition of the Muslim religion.

The author presents a good foundation on the differences between indigenous religions and western religion with the emphasis on both time and its relationship to nature. I appreciated the new idea (for me) that Western religion is based on specific events and continues to rely on chronological reinforcement of its base elements while religions in the New World were based on stories with meaning and learnings instead of reinforcing a particular dogma. Secondly, the key point that western religion from its base asks humanity to own and control nature and other species from the get go; Adam & Eve were given the Earth to dominate. I struggled with the pseudoscience as I am committed to science and reason, I am concerned when ideas and hypothesis that can't be proven are the basis for a future. Overall really enjoyed the book.

Outstanding, highly recommend.