God Is Red: A Native View of Religion

by Vine Deloria Jr.

Overview

A 50th anniversary revised edition of the beloved classic, God is Red.

First published in 1973, Vine Deloria, Jr.’s God Is Red remains the seminal work on Native American religious views, asking the reader to think about our species and our ultimate fate in novel ways. Celebrating five decades of publication with this new edition, Deloria’s classic work reminds us to understand “that we are a part of nature, not a transcendent species with no responsibilities to the natural world.” It is time again to listen to Vine Deloria, Jr.’s powerful voice, informing us about a spiritual life that is independent of Western religion and that reveres the interconnectedness of all living things.
 
This new edition includes critical essays engaging with the original material by well-known Indigenous thinkers - Philip Deloria, Suzan Shown Harjo, Daniel Wildcat, and David E. Wilkins. Inside, the book covers a wide variety of topics including: the problem of creation, the origin of religion, Death, and Human personality.

“God is Red should be read and re-read by Americans who want to understand why the United States keeps losing the peace, war after war.” – Leslie Marmon Silko

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682753149
Publisher:	Fulcrum Publishing
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Edition description:	Third edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Vine Deloria Jr. was named by TIME magazine as one of the greatest religious thinkers of the twentieth century. He was a leading Native American scholar whose research, writings, and teachings on history, law, religion, and political science have not only changed the face of Indian country, but stand to influence future generations of Native and non-Native Americans alike. He has authored many acclaimed books, including Evolution, Creationism, and Other Modern Myths; Red Earth, White Lies; God is Red; Spirit and Reason; and Custer Died for Your Sins. Vine Deloria Jr. passed away on November 13, 2005.

Table of Contents

Introduction: God Is Red at Fifty by Philip J. Deloria.......................................vii

Introduction ............................................................................................................. xv

Chapter 1 The Indian Movement .............................................................. 1

Chapter 2 The Indians of the American Imagination ......................21

Chapter 3 The Religious Challenge .........................................................40

Chapter 4 Thinking in Time and Space..................................................55

Chapter 5 The Problem of Creation .......................................................70

Chapter 6 The Concept of History ........................................................88

Chapter 7 The Spatial Problem of History ........................................ 103

Chapter 8 Origin of Religion ................................................................. 123

Chapter 9 Natural and Hybrid Peoples ............................................... 137

Chapter 10 Death and Religion ............................................................... 151

Chapter 11 Human Personality................................................................ 169

Chapter 12 The Group .............................................................................. 186

Chapter 13 Christianity and Contemporary

American Culture .................................................................. 201

Chapter 14 Tribal Religions and Contemporary

American Culture .................................................................. 219

Chapter 15 The Aboriginal World and Christian History ................ 237

Chapter 16 Sacred Places and Moral Responsibility ........................ 250

Chapter 17 Religion Today....................................................................... 266

Afterword by Suzan Shown Harjo ............................................................ 275

Afterword and Actions by Daniel Wildcat............................................... 304

Afterword by David E. Wilkins .................................................................. 308

Appendixes.......................................................................................................... 315

Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 323

Index .................................................................................................................... 328

About the Cover Art .......................................................................................... 341

About the Author................................................................................................ 342

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Deloria's thinking on the subject of religion has lost none of its rage or relevance...since God is Red was first published. This book is broader than its subtitle suggests. It is a trenchant and often witty critique on non-Native religion through Native eyes." — Awkekon Journal

"Deloria's handling of the contrast between Christianity and the naturalistic religion of the American Indians is rich in perceptiveness." — Choice

"Vine Deloria, Jr. could be one of the most important living Native American writers, and insofar as there can be any hope of human survival in the face of civilization's insane onslaught, one of the most important writers ever to exist." — The Bloomsbury Review

"The flagship book on Native American spirituality remains Vine Deloria's God is Red. He does an outstanding job of translating complex spiritual issues into very simple truths." — Wilma P. Mankiller, Former Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation

Editorial Reviews

"God is Red should be read and re-read by Americans who want to understand why the United States keeps losing the peace, war after war." —From the forward by Leslie Marmon Silko, author of Ceremony
 

"The flagship book on Native American spirituality remains Vine Deloria's God is Red. He does an outstanding job of translating complex spiritual issues into very simple truths." —Wilma P Mankiller, Former Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation

 

“Deloria’s thinking on the subject of religion has lost none of its rage or relevance . . . since God Is Red was first published. This book is broader than its subtitle suggests. It is a trenchant and often witty critique on non-Native religion through Native eyes.”  
—Akwe:kon Journal
 

"...Deloria's handling of the contrast between Christianity and the naturalistic religion of the American Indians is rich in perceptiveness." —Choice

"Brilliant and discerning, God Is Red is as thought-provoking and pertinent today as it was when it was first released fifty years ago." —Foreword Reviews.

"God is Red should be read and re-read by Americans who want to understand why the United States keeps losing the peace, war after war." —Leslie Marmon Silko, author of Ceremony "The flagship book on Native American spirituality remains Vine Deloria's God is Red. He does an outstanding job of translating complex spiritual issues into very simple truths." —Wilma P Mankiller, Former Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation "Deloria's thinking on the subject of religion has lost none of its rage or relevance...since God is Red was first published. This book is broader than its subtitle suggests. It is a trenchant and often witty critique on non-Native religion through Native eyes." —Awe:kon Journal "...Deloria's handling of the contrast between Christianity and the naturalistic religion of the American Indians is rich in perceptiveness." —Choice ,


“The [spiritual place] argument also suggests that Native spiritualities, as practiced in their home landscapes, have continuing power, even after centuries of hard history in which settlers tried to suppress those practices. That provocative viewpoint sits at the core of the book: it is a critique of Christianity and an assertion of the importance of Indigenous spirituality.”—Foreword Reviews
 

God is Red is an American Book Fest, Best Book Awards Finalist

From the Publisher