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Title: The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You to Read by Tim C. Leedom ISBN: 0-939040-15-8 Publisher: Truth Seeker Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.98 (62 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: SOME VALID POINTS; BUT ALL IN ALL, FOUND WANTING
Comment: First off, you don't really need to buy this book, you can probably check it out at a local library (as I did) and then peruse it to see whether you consider it worth buying.
Well now for the tough part. The book actually has a lot of VALID points. This may be surprising to some Christians (I am a Christian), but it is true. However, in general these valid points are written with poor arguments, which seem only to aim at "scandalizing" Christianity, to "grab your attention," instead of upholding any form of solid scholarship whatsoever. There is some very fine scholarship within the book, but it is pretty sparse and pops in and out as you read this book. And the few good, rational arguments made in the book are too often overshadowed by the book's overall poverty and weakness of argument.
The book presents itself in such a "cheesy" fashion that I think hurts its major aim, which is to discredit Christianity in general, while upholding "free thought," rationalism, etc. (This is not to say that Christianity cannot be rational, but the main content of this book does argue otherwise). Thus it may be true that the "form" of Christianity attacked in this book is not intellectually defendable, but it is also true that this book likewise is found wanting. The good points this book brings up are about how Christianity is derived from pagan origins, borrowing from religions such as Mithraism and Zoroasterism; Christmas/December 25th is a pagan holiday; the fact that Jesus is not mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.
However the authors err in attacking "Christianity" as one solid movement, which it is definitely not. There are some such as the Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholics who would be very well have to answer to these good points presented by this book. Or some Protestants would do well to honor truth by reconsidering Christmas as it truly is a "pagan holiday."
But for the most part, this book is a waste of time. As I said, it does make good points, but there are so many holes in all the arguments that you won't find any true scholarship here. For example, yes Christianity (at least the "form" of Christianity the authors attack) is of pagan origin. But true Christianity is of Hebraic origin, coming from within Judaism, and in fact, can be argued as being the true, Messianic Judaism. Jesus was not born on December 25th, but most likely around the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. And though Jesus' name is not mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, yet what does this have to do with anything at all? how does this discredit the validity of the Bible?
The best thing you can do, if you are sincerely looking for the truth, is to check out a Bible from a local library (or buy one for a few bucks), read it, and see what you think yourself rather than relying on what others-- like myself or these authors-- say.
As for this book, it might be worth reading for the bits and pieces it does have that are true. But actually, you can read other far better books to find out what Christianity is all about, its true origins, who Jesus claimed to be, etc. I would recommend other books such as The Rod of an Almond Tree in God's Master Plan by Peter Michas, et al., Jesus the Jewish Theologian by Brad Young, and The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Good Read
Comment: I'm glad people are finally able to write books like this. Read this book and see the truth and know what your church isn't telling you.
Rating: 1
Summary: The least stars, the better the book
Comment: The success of a book challenging mainstream religious view is judged by the least stars given to it by the reveiwers who, understanbly, belong to the majority. Thus, my humble contribution.
I noticed that books of this kind attract the most vitriolic, scathing and utterly unfounded nagative reviews. The more successful the book, the more negative the reviews.
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Title: The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Acharya S ISBN: 0932813747 Publisher: Adventures Unlimited Press Pub. Date: September, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe ISBN: 0964487349 Publisher: Morningstar Books Pub. Date: July, 1995 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible by Ruth Hurmence Green ISBN: 1877733016 Publisher: Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. Pub. Date: 15 February, 1999 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist by Dan Barker, Annie L. Gaylor, Daniel E. Barker ISBN: 1877733075 Publisher: Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. Pub. Date: September, 1992 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: The Jesus Mysteries : Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? by Peter Gandy, Timothy Freke ISBN: 0609807986 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 25 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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