Top 10 Religion Books Of 2010 (PHOTOS)

It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a year since we started HuffPost Religion. A lot of books have crossed the religion page this last year, some written by our bloggers and some simply heralded by them.

We've compiled a Top 10 list of our favorites below. Tell us if you agree with our picks by ranking each book, and leave a comment to add your top choices to the list.

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Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet by Deepak Chopra

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In Deepak Chopra's Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet, "I found beloved figures from my history come to life through the eyes of an outside observer, all the more compelling for me as a believer. His approach is as engaging as it is informative and deeply humanizing. The first-person narratives each paint a new layer onto the picture of the Beloved of God, in all his humanity and complexity and perfection," wrote Dalia Mogahed, in a Huffington Post review.

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In Deepak Chopra's Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet, "I found beloved figures from my history come to life through the eyes of an outside observer, all the more compelling for me as a believer. His approach is as engaging as it is informative and deeply humanizing. The first-person narratives each paint a new layer onto the picture of the Beloved of God, in all his humanity and complexity and perfection," wrote Dalia Mogahed, in a Huffington Post review.

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Comments

[monstermash9]

01:48 AM on 12/25/2010

Where's Harry Potter and Twilight?

[babybelle]

04:27 PM on 12/24/2010

I enjoyed the NPR interview with the author of this book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything,
but didn't find the book that great. Sorry! ,

[Mainstream American]

06:01 PM on 12/21/2010

"God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Best book so far on religion. There needs to be a "God Delusion For Dummies" though for the American masses.

[BlackYowe]

06:22 PM on 12/21/2010

Needs to be a book for cranky atheists called how to turn your life around by respecting others and their beliefs..

[Mainstream American]

06:34 PM on 12/21/2010

Oh are atheists going door-to-door telling you that you'll regret it until the end of all time if you don't change your ways or passing laws because how you live your life makes Je sus cry?

I would much rather spend time with an atheist than a thought slave who feels so insecure in their life choices that they have to demean other people as being cranky for have the maturity to realize that all religions are lies told by con men and that someday you will die and there will be no magic afterlife to save you.

[Hirnlego]

07:57 PM on 01/04/2011

It's religion which is jammed down people's throats. Ask any non-believer in the middle-east. If you can get them to speak up.

[JellyFox]

11:04 PM on 12/21/2010

Richard Dawkins sucks, his books are banal and not really that intelligent. Furthermore, his obsession with atheism kind of makes it into a religion for him (don't bother with the "atheism is just the lack of a belief, not a set of beliefs").

[monstermash9]

01:45 AM on 12/25/2010

But Atheism is not a religion. Neither is Afairyism or Aleprechaunism. The difference between believing in a god and believing in a leprechaun is the level of popularity. If the believe in leprechauns were as popular as Christianity in this country, I'm sure there would be plenty of individuals just like you that would be calling Aleprechaunism a religion too. But the people calling out the leprechaun believers would be correct, and their criticisms warranted.

Just because you don't like religion criticized, that doesn't mean it's a religion. It's a complete fallacy, and it keeps individuals from responding honestly to critical thought.

[Hirnlego]

07:55 PM on 01/04/2011

Obsession? I think that would be biology/ evolution and not faith.

To quote Dawkins himself:

You’re as much a fundamentalist as those you criticise.

No, please, do not mistake passion, which can change its mind, for fundamentalism, which never will. Passion for passion, an evangelical Christian and I may be evenly matched. But we are not equally fundamentalist. The true scientist, however passionately he may “believe”, in evolution for example, knows exactly what would change his mind: evidence! The fundamentalist knows that nothing will.

/ He doesn't demand anyone to follow his anti-religion laws or anything. None of his fans set embassies on fire after South Park made fun of Dawkins. It isn't a religion.

[libertasdon]

01:20 AM on 12/21/2010

Nah, none of them is worth a dam. "What is Contemplation?" by Thomas Merton is a top pick. May be hard to get in stock, but available on-line or on order. Cheap, relatively speaking, but profound even though it is easy to read. Speaks to each person's purpose and each person's relationship with the Deity.

[G R]

05:46 PM on 12/20/2010

An excellent book on the historical life and times of Christ is 'The Desire of the Everlasting Hills' by Thomas Cahill. I can't believe HP missed this one. It is invaluable if you wish to get a true look at what Christ was actually all about. I am an a-theist but still find the book fascinating. Cahill makes it clear that the Christ of contemporary Christians (and especially fundamentalists) never existed.

[thadhaas]

09:47 AM on 12/20/2010

Any list of this sort is incomplete, in my opinion, without "The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Yogi" by H.H. Radhanath Swami. It is truly an amazing and spectacular read.

[dietzadam]

09:22 AM on 12/20/2010

Nothing on Chinese philosophy like Zen, Taoism or Confucianism. Remember Alan Watts? D.T. Suzuki?
I am a recent PhD graduate who has an introduction to Confucianism out: 'Original Confucianism: An Introduction to the Superior Person' http://goo.gl/gg67 focusing the relationship between spirituality and daily life. Click the link for reviews and a preview.

There are many excellent introductions to Taoism and Zen Buddhism, but in East Asia Confucianism is perhaps even more important. Although it is so important and so practical, it is not widely understood in the West.

[feliznavidad]

05:48 PM on 12/20/2010

isn't this supposed to be the top ones of 2010?

[dietzadam]

07:28 PM on 12/22/2010

Indeed. I was just referring to a style and subject matter which I had hoped would be somewhere on the top ten of 2010.

[Chagsameach5771]

07:09 PM on 12/23/2010

Sounds like a very interesting, and perhaps thought provoking topic. All the best with your pursuits!

[Karl Dean]

08:59 AM on 12/20/2010

I'm really disappointed this list doesn't include "Ramayana: Divine Loophole" by Sanjay Patel. Patel is an animator with Pixar. He created over 100 incredible illustrations for this story from Hindu mythology--it's just mind-blowing to look at. In my opinion, it also succeeds in keeping religious stories where they belong--in the realm of make-believe. If you love art/illustration, you owe it to yourself to see this.

[EuroRant1]

08:00 AM on 12/20/2010

Gee, I hadn't realized that there were so many more choices, I love it.

Huffington, once again you have made it very difficult to choose which god or belief I'm going to do this coming year. 2010 was wonderful ... I became a High Priest of the Holy Order of Unicorns. Like most religions this brought me a lot of wealth ... the tough part was having to chase down all those rainbows. Because every time there's a rainbow a Unicorn poops out a gold brick.

Wishing all fellow believers out there a wonderful and very PROSPEROUS new year.

[popart]

06:07 AM on 12/20/2010

writing about religious subjects is a great business... good for book publishers good for authors and book sellers...but i would not spend a penny on a single one of them.,,,still i applaud their success....

[at78rpm]

05:29 AM on 12/20/2010

Gosh, one would think that at this time of year, HuffPost would have devoted some space to books about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. You give any number of Gods their time -- is this snobbery I smell?

[JV2010]

02:50 AM on 12/20/2010

Religion is a mental illness. It should be treated as such.

[I3addog]

04:09 AM on 12/20/2010

For some it is but not everyone. I know some really great people who are religious who accept and treat all people with kindness.

[HansMoleman]

04:48 AM on 12/20/2010

This claim makes no sense, and is as offensive (and as dangerous) as claiming that homosexuality, socialism, atheism, or Jewishness are "mental illnesses" ... and should be treated as such. Caliming that any activity you judge to be out of the ordinary is madness is a chillingly authoritarian tactic.

[at78rpm]

05:35 AM on 12/20/2010

Religion is different from socialism or homosexuality in that it provides an individual with a stake in Ultimate Truth, and a path to that Truth that is at once empirically individualistic while potentially disallowing intermediary interpretation. This is its uniqueness and its danger. Socialism does not presuppose a voice speaking in one's head; religions do. In no other activity or belief does this internal conversation exist.

[Fucue]

05:53 PM on 12/23/2010

An adult talking to invisible friends would be considered mentally ill under any other circumstances.

[KirkVox]

02:14 AM on 12/20/2010

No L Ron Hubbard?
For shame...

[Dogma]

02:12 AM on 12/20/2010

As someone who is just recently turned onto Yoga, Bhakti and Kirtan, "American Vedic" is on the top of my list.

The one which they interview scientists about religion/spirituality sounds interesting, too. Too bad it has the lame title "Religion v Science".

[SevenStarHand]

11:35 PM on 12/19/2010

I recommend my own new book, Finishing the Mysteries of Gods and Symbols. Please feel free to download a free copy of the ebook.

http://www.sevenstarhand.org

All these others are about to be rendered pointless....

[Dogma]

02:02 AM on 12/20/2010

Thanks for the link. I like the quote "Throughout this book, I present verifiable proof that ancient sages and prophets opposed religion and wisely never trusted religious leaders."

It is a shame that so many mystics and sages have been lumped in with ham-fisted religions (usually of the Abrahamic variety).

[2Understand2]

01:36 PM on 12/20/2010

Oft times the most treasured gems are overlooked simply because the viewers have been
misled to treasure foolishness over wisdom.

Amongst the books selected there is not one that will awaken the dead from the deep slumber
and conditions under which we falsely labor. I agree with you SevenStarHand,
it will not be long before all others are rendered pointless.

A favorite: ""There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against
all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance----
that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

I strongly encourage widespread reading of "Finishing the Mysteries of Gods and Symbols."

Without fear; there is much at stake.