Genghis Khan and the Quest for God: How the World's Greatest Conqueror Gave Us Religious Freedom

I'm a bit over halfway through this book and I wish it never ended. I agree with a previous reviewer that this may be the best work of the author. Genghis Khan conquered so many different lands that he had to have faced the challenge of administering people of a large variety of religions. These were lands where the people were probably unfamiliar with what lies 100 miles in any direction. The author also refines some of the stories from his previous books (e.g. the birth of Genghis Khan) and he does this in an appealing way. His empire dealt with the variety of beliefs in an effective way... but that wasn't easy. This book is a phenomenal essay on the what it took to handle the oppression faced by the people of those times. This book is relevant today as well - not a day passes without fanatics using religion as an excuse to kill or be killed.

I have read most of Dr. Jack Weatherford's books and all of them have been extremely informative and entertaining. His latest book Is no disappointment and may very well be Weatherford's best book yet! I especially appreciate Dr. Weatherford's brilliant ability as a writer to make the past relevant to today. Particularly in the world today where the issue of religious freedom is at the forefront. I know that most readers will find the book compelling as it is a book that you will not want to put down once you began reading it! Katherina in California

Excellent, very detailed history but incredibly readable. Shines a light on a major historical figure about whom little is known to the world at large. More than just a conqueror, Genghis Khan was a survivor, an international trader and a political genius. Should be required reading for all who teach history.

This book's subtitle certainly grabbed my attention, and Weatherford did not disappoint as he argued compellingly for the claim that the freedom of religion currently enjoyed in most of the Western world owes a great deal to a 13th century Mongolian warlord. As a pastor with a deep love of history and of this country, I'll admit to some skepticism about any meaningful connection between Genghis Khan and the 1st Amendment. Then again, I must also admit to having spent very little time studying Eastern civilization, and so I really didn't know much about "the world's greatest conqueror" at all. I sure do now! Weatherford's lifelong devotion to the study of Genghis Khan is apparent in the depth of his research and the passion of his writing. He certainly presents a more positive view of the Mongol leader than I expected--after all, most of what little I had previously heard about Genghis Khan reduced him to little more than a bloodthirsty savage. And while he undoubtedly was often savage in the conquest of his enemies, in this book we also encounter a man of vision, with sincere interest in tackling the great spiritual and philosophical questions of life: Is there a god? If so, how can we know him? What is he like, and what does he want from us? The history presented in this book is fascinating. I had no idea just how vast the Mongolian empire was! In addition to conquering and controlling an unprecedentedly large span of land (with relatively few resources initially at his disposal), Genghis Khan had to effectively administrate an empire consisting of Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and shamanistic citizens; not to mention all the competing sects within each of those faiths. To combat the religius factionalism he encountered during his conquests, he decreed that "each should abide by his own religion and follow his own creed." This edict became known as the Great Law of Genghis Khan. As the book points out, this was not the first example of religious tolerance in history, but the empire ruled by Genghis Khan was the first to make freedom of religion an individual right. And while the ruler himself never became an adherent of any particular religion (with the possible exception of the steppe religion of his ancestors), he successfully cobbled together an administration consisting of leaders and spiritual advisors from all walks of life who, remarkably, all coexisted relatively peacefully (provided they submitted to his ruling authority) throughout his reign. The final chapter and epilogue was perhaps the most compelling, as this is where Weatherford connects the 13th century with the 21st. He recounts how interest in the life and rule of Genghis Khan was revived periodically throughout history, with writers as prominent as Dante Alighieri, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Voltaire writing of him. The Enlightenment was one era in which this interest was especially strong, particularly among Deists, who looked for historical examples of religious toleration outside of Western civilization. And so it was that biographies of Genghis Khan came to be found in the libraries of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. And while Jefferson never explicitly mentions Genghis Khan in his writing, the similarity in wording between his "Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom" (which was later incorporated into the US Constitution as the First Amendment) and Genghis Khan's Great Law is unmistakable. And so it now seems plausible--if not probable--that, to some extent, this great conqueror really did "give us religious freedom." Amazing! Two and a half centuries later, the influence of Genghis Khan remains prominent in both the Eastern and Western worlds, and interest in his life and his policies is once again on the rise.

Great story... thoroughly researched...very readable. This is Jack Weatherford's third book on GENGHIS KHAN, and he gives the world a fascinating insight into the true genius of this much maligned major historical figure....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

I bought two copies of this book (for my brother and a dear friend) based on the reviews I read. I hear that they are savoring the book and reading it slowly. Very interesting to find the roots of the First Amendment, especially now when we need it more than ever.

It was actually a birthday gift for a friend. I have not read it. But, I listened to an interview with the author and was mesmerized. I had no idea that Genghis was our first feminist. I'm sure it's a great read.

This is a story told expertly and written clearly by someone with experience of the people about whom he writes. Weatherford's suggestion that "The Secret History" of Genghis Khan, which was bought by Jefferson and presented to many in the U. S., played some role in the freedom of religion espoused by the Founding Fathers, makes sense, especially in light of Jefferson's ownership of a translation of the Qu'ran, and of his reading of Locke. The rise of the Mongols reminds us that we are not at the center of the world, but that much of human history has taken place in regions until now underrepresented.

Excellent, product and arrived early

Book feedback: Jack Weatherford has done extensive original research which is why I bought the book. I did not read his best selling book on Genghis Khan but I have some interest in Genghis Khan's influences and motivations so the book was interesting and engaging. It is a bit repetitive and I wouldn't say Weatherford is a great story teller/history writer like for instance William Dalrymle is. I missed the window for seller feedback (Balajee Book Distributors): The book came scuffed, musty smelling, shop soiled, shopworn and with red felt pen marks. Others have given the same feedback for this seller. The seller was not upfront about the fact that they are getting rid of old stock hence the low price for a hardbound book.