Stretching the truth...
936705
While not all gurus are the real thing, this guy seems on a vendetta to strip whatever he can from whomever he has heard of by providing third-party "he said, she said" opinions about them. Some of the gurus he talks about may be fake, but some are real, and when there isn't anything he can't find, he stretches it (for example, Vivekananda visited a brothel, as he says, but it was because he was dragged there and didn't actually use it but preached the lack of moral values). This is one of the most biased books I've seen.
855321
Jim Marrs has again proved himself to be one of the best at cutting through the quagmire of mainstream omissions and political BS stories by exposing the facts behind them. You won't find many wild conspiracy theories here, just a clear concise telling of what many have already started to  see for themselves. Even if 80% of what he says is wrong, its still worth a read for that 20% that is obviously 100% accurate. (and i;m guessing Marrs is closer to getting at least 80% of what he writes about right)  .
4386951
I liked this book because I share his irritation with the damage done by an over-exalted view of the Bible and because I learned some new things.

Not only does an inerrant Bible fail the test of intellectual honesty (as the author demonstrates), it hurts people.  It hurts women, gay people, and people of non-Christian religions.  It prevents us from hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying today  - there is little room for new revelation.  Finally, by forcing theological harmony between various Biblical authors, we have lost Jesus' original teachings.  Jesus' message was:  BE A LOVING PERSON (repent), God is starting a new Kingdom here on earth.  Somehow we have twisted that around to:  BELIEVE in Jesus' atonement on the cross, or you'll go to hell.

These dangers bother me so much, I started a list of contradictions in the Bible.  Now I can stop - his list is way better than mine!  I just wish he put it in a chart format.  The contradictions are peppered all over this book.  Some are exaggerated, in my opinion, but others are legitimate.

Most of this was a review of what I learned in seminary, but I learned about some new research as well:

-  Pseudepigraphy was almost universally condemned in ancient sources. Biblical authors did it anyway to lend authority to "my side" of a controversy or supplement the tradition for new circumstances.  The Holy Spirit may have spoken through these non-Apostles, but let's be honest about it.

-  There was more "spinning" going on than I realized between the resurrection and the first written records (Paul).  Let's say you heard an evangelist tell some stories about Jesus in your hometown.  He probably changed them a little to make sense in your language and culture.  You convert.  You wish your husband would also convert.  So you tell him the stories you heard, maybe with a little extra spin to make the story more persuasive to him.  Imagine this going on over 40 years and a myriad of cultures.

-  The reasons for Jesus' death vary in the gospels.  For example, Mark says it was an atonement: Jesus paid your debt.  Luke says it was simple forgiveness - just repent and forget about it.

I didn't like this book because there was something about the tone that reminded me of Bill Maher: a smarter-than-all-of-you person who just can't stand being in the presence of irrational constructions without taking a hammer to your building.  He says it's for your own good, but I'm not so sure that's his real motive.  Once your faith system is lying in ruins, he does a lousy job of reconstruction.  The weakest chapter was "Is Faith Possible?"

At the risk of also sounding "smarter-than-you," I thought Ehrman was spiritually tone deaf.  Where he hears contradictions, I hear harmonies of unity and awesome spirituality.  Ehrman would say "it can't be both the note of C and E and G!"  Ah ha!  A logical contradiction! I would say, "sure it can - together the `contradictions' strike a deeper chord of truth than the single note."  You know that scene in Charlie Brown's Christmas where Lucy asks Schroeder to play Jingle Bells? Ehrman reminds me of Lucy - he can't hear the tune unless it's one single melody line.  For those of us whose life mission is to connect people to God, he wasn't much help!

Ehrman accurately points out that Traditional Christianity does not make the Bible the object of faith.  Just look at the creeds.  So how do we know what's true?  We don't.  I doubt any of us has a perfect theology.  But I bet some of you are more loving and giving people than others.  For me, that's the bottom line, as it was for Jesus: LOVE.  I also think God blesses the pursuit of Truth.  You options for spiritual authority are:

Sacred Text (Islam, Orthodox Judaism, Evangelical Christianity)
Guru (Hindus and Oprah followers
Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit
Probably something I didn't think of
I'm going with option #3.  Jesus is not the same thing as the Bible, but the Bible is an invaluable tool to transform my mind and to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and to, God willing, become a more loving person.
3835459
Great rhetoric backed by cited facts. The truth and lies are not nearly the same and he proves it. Repubs should rent the rights and distribute widely. Where are they anyway.
726815
Al Franken isn't shy about exposing the truth. Regardless of whether it's Sean Hannity, Fox News, G.W. Bush or numerous other right wing nuts, Franken shines the light of truth on their lies, thereby exposing their positions for what they are--baseless and without merit.
Don't buy this book if you're afraid of the truth. But those with open minds will see the true agenda of the right, and they should be rightfully upset.
2530589
I often think "lie is too strong of a word. In reading history, whether ancient or modern, one gets use to the prejudices of the writer. Ancient Assyrian palaces bent the facts for propaganda purposes. The Egyptian version of the treaty with the Hittites and the Hittite version are both still extant and both portray a different view of the Battle of Kadesh and what it meant.

In this sequel to _Lies My Teacher Told Me_, James Loewen continues his study of the monuments and other artifacts by which we remember our past. He begins with the western side of the US because, contrary to Euro-centricism, that is the side of the US for which there were first immigrants. They came across the Siberian Strait. Likewise Loewen writes that there are more tourists that come to the West Coast than than the East Coast.

I want to balk that not all of the cases which Loewen presents actually represent attempts to purposefully deceive someone else. For example, I don't think anyone in Pittsburg, Texas, really believes that the Ezekiel Airship was an airborne airship before Kitty Hawk. However I cannot vouch the same for all of the monuments that Loewen mentions. Moreover quite often I am inclined to agree with him that the purpose of a certain moument was not only to mislead its reader but to create an alternative fiction. That I would call a "lie."

"Lie" is a strong word, especially with regard to history. I think Loewen has found lies about who we have been and who we are. Perhaps the best part of this book is that Loewen offers us ways to identify these errors.
2871768
What happens when you sever the link of interpretation (hermeneutics) from authority?

The answer is; a lot of whacky interpretations that can each claim to be as legitimate as any other interpretation asserted by no other authority than...uhhhhh....errrrrr...let me get back to you on that.

This is why we have a theological and international lobbying group known as Christian Zionism. But "Christian Zionism" probably is more accurately called Calvinist Zionism, since such an ideological construct could not be confected in Orthodoxy or Catholicism, or in the case of Sizer, Anglicanism.

Sizer provides an excellent summary and survey of the historical roots and current status of the Christian Zionism movement, although with a bit too much emphasis on the British dimensions which, frankly, are infinitesimal and overwhelmed by USA mega-Churches.  He waffles a little too freely on its origins in the "Six Day War" in Israel in 1967, when Israel was attacked and repelled six armies (and conquered territory as a result). But Sizer does provide a useful examination of the historical development, variant schools, theological whacked out interpretations (only in King James English could you get these ideas) and some of the political implications of Christian Zionism. However, throughout the work is a repellent repudiation of Zionism itself.

Perhaps unintentionally, Sizer provides fire for the anti-Israel crowd, and like Pagan reviewer Malter, I too would probably fall into the "Christian Zionist" camp for my views under his critical framework, even though I'm an Indult Latin Mass Catholic and certainly no apologist for lots of the inhuman thuggary of some of Israel's policies. But Sizer falls into the familiar and intellectually indefensible camp of "everybody except the Jews can have [X]."

Aliyah of Jews to Israel? Sizer says this is bad. Wonder what he says about all the folks descended from Eastern European immigrants who are now westernized and have returned to rebuild the infrastructure of their grandparent's nations devastated by Russian occupation.  Or should we kick the Zulus out of South Africa, since they came after the Dutch (who came after the Khoisan) or is it okay for the diaspora Zulus to go back to SA now that there is black majority rule? Jews live in the West Bank? Sorry, Jordan invaded Israel and then lost that front in the six day war: you take a risk, you may loose some territory and Jordon lost the West Bank. Jerusalem to be recognized internationally as Israel's capital? Why not? It effectively really is.  Jews rebuild their Temple?  From Buddhists to Hindus to animists all over the globe, folks who live in places build or rebuild their houses of worship (except CoE types like Sizer, they like all the ruins Henry the VIII left....so picturesque). State religion of Judaism? Bad in Sizer's world. But Sizer should check the mirror, he is a Church of England priest, a *state* religion. I'm sure he'd never write a book saying Thailand and her King had to disavow being Theravada Buddhist and retreat from the southern Thai territory of the Malaysian peninsula because there were Muslims there (who came after the Buddhists, BTW). Yep, any nation or peoples in the world can do all these things except all the special rules racists like Sizer set up for Jews.

So if you can get past Sizer's clear anti-Israel rhetoric and Chairmanship of the-special-rules-for-Jews committee, you've actually got a pretty good survey of the whacked Christian Zionist movement.
26472
The author of American Heart of Darkness, Kirkconnell, unearths the skeletal remains of this country's history in an attempt to exhume this buried history and analyze the cause of its demise. Kirkconnell takes us back to the roots of the war hungry, greedy, and politically corrupt entity we've become; uncovering truths we purposely averted our eyes from along the way.
Kirkconnell presented well documented and compelling evidence for the cause of our current moral, social, and economic bankruptcy that is neither a coincidence nor bad luck but in truth, a carefully and meticulously planned succession of events by sociopaths and psychopaths running this country at the helm and behind the scenes.
This book in not for the week of heart nor for those who insist on keeping blinders on. It is for those of us who seek the truth in an attempt to not let history repeat itself.
3611131
This has a lot of good information that can open up one's eyes to see the truth that had been hidden.
Just one difficulty; the print is a little fine to read on my Kindle.
4603707
The author presents a very good overview of the facts that a Caucasian group of peoples inhabited North America before the Indian tribes of the land were  here. Even Indian lore admits this as a fact of their history.  It is hard for those who want to cling to outdated inconsistent theories to swallow the truth. We'd all be better off knowing the truth and accepting it for what is. What is lacking in the academic community is admitting their wrongs and accepting the facts as they have been found through past history.  It's better to put together the facts of our past as correctly as we can and try and make sense from the truth rather than make up theories that ignore the obvious from the past. Thanks to people like this author who are finally setting the record straight.
933764
The author took liberties for sure, alleging people were thinking things at any given time. Based on public behavior, even wild anecdotes seem plausible. Thats part of its draw - if the events in this book happened, I wouldnt be surprised. If they facts were stretched, Id expect they were only stretched a little.
3353582
"Can human beings know absolute truth?" This is the central question raised in the preface and explored throughout the book. Not surprisingly, Alexander does not seek to provide an "absolute" answer. What he does provide is a compelling story of his own faith journey, a (sometimes) painfully honest account of faith divorced from thought, and ultimately a reconciliation between knowing and believing.

As a person who has gone to great lengths to "know" things (Ph. D., ordination, extensive research, etc.), Alexander nevertheless admits, "It takes courage to live without all the ends tied up." In this day of polarized, "either-or" views, it is refreshing to read that an honest question may carry more weight than a certain response.

The fundamentalism recounted from Alexander's early years may not always align with the reader's own experience, but he is careful to differentiate between anecdotal stories vs. general characteristics, and even goes so far as to debunk ten common (and negative) myths about fundamentalism. But it is not in the myths and stereotypes where the author finds fault--it is in the very notion of a belief system unwilling to critically examine its own foundation.

Among those who should read this book are...
Fundamentalist and Evangelical apologists who may appreciate the chance to follow Alexander's thought process and dissenting ideas, even while disagreeing with his conclusions.
Anyone who has embraced an absolutist faith, and then rejected faith altogether, thinking that there is no other alternative.
450340
Good old Goldstein!  I'm sure glad this guy knows and loves Truth!  (cuz' he'd be a brutal opponent to debate against...)  Bullet-proof, iron-clad, water-tight, (whatever term you care to use...) reasoning in defense of the truth as it is in Christ.  But don't read it unless you're ready to be persuaded to become a follower of the Savior.
4049253
I am a Taibbi fan and enjoy reading him even when I don't think he comprehensively says "everything" that could be said about the topic.

My DS gave me this book because my husband and I think the new ae911truth video is truly well done.

I think if you want to read an expose of the mega church culture, Chris Hedges book _American Fascists_ might be a better choice.  Hedges' back ground in religion makes his analysis a bit more nuanced and yet he is still quite compassionate toward the predicament of the people in the church (as was Taibbi).

The 9/11 truth movement reporting was actually somewhat reflective of what I felt reading the truth movement stuff.  Wild.  Varied.  Lots of conjecture.  And yet there was that building falling down just like a controlled demolition.  I have a saying for when I have that much dissonance in dealing with clients.  "Lies are being told."  And yet, the tools at hand don't help me to unravel the lies and I just have to go forward.  So he reflects my own experience and as I say above, I think the ae911truth people have responded effectively to some of that.  They have done comprehensively what he tried to do.  They spoke to structural engineers and other experts in the field. They don't overstate their findings; they just call for a better investigation.

But where Taibbi absolutely hits the ball out of the park is his incisive look into the workings of the Congress, both sides of the aisle.  This is where his expertise lies and where he most effectively can help you disentangle the threads of "lies are being told".  And his writing is just plain fun.

Read it in it's recent history context; it's very worthwhile. I think it has something to say about how Americans also know "lies are being told" but they don't know how to disentangle it.  This book is part of our struggle with the lack of truth telling in general in public life.
2764514
While certainly no person monopolizes the truth on or about religion, Spong backs up his opinions with historical fact (which is not what the Bible what ever meant to be taken as), and chronicles the stories of the Gospel - pointing out, simply, that the first storyteller didn't have a chance. Each subsequent author built on stories that had been passed around hundreds of years, and by the time the last Gospel was written, many "facts" had been added to or changed in such a way that the meaning of the earliest versions had been lost or transformed so completely that the beauty of simplicity is gone, and replaced by a set of doctrines that had almost nothing to do with the timeless truths that Christ tried to teach us about God.

Today, in the modern church, as a result, man-made creeds and doctrines (patchworked from various parts of the Bible in both testaments) have replaced the true meanings of Jesus, thereby maintaining the grip the modern church proclaims to have to the road to divinity. Spong is both thoughtful and insightful as he pries open the meanings of the contemperary Bible as we know it today and reveals the wonderful poetry of the text that was the intent of the orginal authors. In my humble opinion, this book is a must read for anyone who searches for the truth that the modern church has strayed so far away from.

howlinwolf@cox.net
267641
Dude, I have been listening to Dr Savage on the radio for a decade at least. This MAGNUM OPUS truly gives you the reader, ammunition in this cultural war of truth against the deceitful evildoers.
 All I ask for is the data. The factual data. The evidence is all here concerning the facts. Numbers don't lie.
 Shine on Dr Savage. Shine on.
 To those of us whom seek information you will always be a shining light on the hill. To lead the way towards the supporting truth, justice, and the American Way.
 I appreciate you, and your honest search for the truth.
 Love, a friend.

 lowell@speakeasy.net

 As for bicycling, check out wideopenroad.co.uk
 We went up Alp Du Huez, and it was as close to heaven as I have ever been.
3932374
A former CIA spook takes a look at theology, history and politics and comes up with a provocative, extended essay that challenges consensus opinion.  Not sure I fully agree with all the conclusions, but I sure was provoked into thinking about this issue from another perspective.  Seems to me like fundamentalists of the three major religions are destroying our world.  Check out this askew view from a lofty, perhaps informed, perspective.  I'm still mulling this one over.  The title alone should get your attention.  We need to stop killing in the name of God or Allah and keep talking to each other about our differences and our beliefs.  We are one family.  When will we learn?