Real Sodom and Gomorrah Stuff Here
352701
Sex and violence do not go together, contrary to popular belief.  It's so sad to find another supremely talented Gay artist playing into the worst stereotypes imaginable about Gay sexuality.  Tagame's art is simply exquisite, hence the two stars.  But his subject matter is about as sick as it gets!  I will never comprehend, even in works of fiction, the glorification of rape, much less the graphic mutilation depicted in this collection.  Sex-positive, it ain't; sex is stigmatized.  The language used in the stories is often not sex-positive, either; lots of slut-shaming.
2765365
Ephesians 4:29-30
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to use in edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Don't trap yourself in Hell because you were too lazy to investigate things yourself and not look like a fool when witnessing to those of other faiths, thus, pushing them away from God in YOUR ignorance. Find your own facts. Don't rely on constantly rehashed information from sources other than the horse's mouth (the actual works of the other religions. Trust me, if you're really a Christian, your faith won't falter if you think for yourself or read a book from another religion.) Let your library save you from bearing false witness or falling into the traps of false witnesses. Use your mind more than your mouth.

Marrs does it again in his usual evil way. Let the rabbits wear glasses! The holocaust of the carrots is upon us! The author lists some pretty harmless groups as "stalking" Christians along with some strange belief systems, every other world religion, and some likely nonexistent ones. Nobody does it like Texe!
 Don't be sheeple; too blind, ignorant, or stupid to investigate other religions yourself and weigh them against your own faith with your own minds. If your faith is so weak that you can't test it on your own rather than take it on the "authority" of someone who tells tall tales and fish stories about the world at large for a living (and WHAT a living: just look at the ridiculous Kindle price!)do you really think heaven is for you?
This book, like all of Marrs others, belongs right up there on the bigot's bookshelf with the works of Bob Larceny, Pat Robberson, and Jerry Fellwell...lunacy and hate at its finest and money-making scheme at its worst. Thanks again Texe for making fundamentalist extremism so "fun" and... well... so... "mental". Let's all drink our kool-aid... uh... I mean thorazine now. Baaa.
796419
I am so very sorry I don't agree with the LDS reviews, but found the book doing many of the things they say I do..  Quotes out of context, straw men battles, half truths and misrepresentation of LDS doctrine... staying away from the real meat of the God Makers, the blasphemous doctrine of men becoming gods and temple Mormons walking around in sacred underwear that bears the markings that Lucifer claims as his very own, the emblems of his power and priesthoods.

Is anyone out there listening???  The first of the big ten.. Thou shalt have no other gods before me... exactly what every  Mormon seeks in this life to become his own polygamous god...

Many thousands of Mormons have read the God Makers and agreed ..left the church and that whole pagan self- idolatry and fkund tghe real Jesus..

My Next and very final book n Mormonism is called "My Kingdom Come." The Mormon Quest for Godhood. I could be convinced to sit down with a reasonable Mormon of some consequence and go through it with him/her before I release it.

I do think the book has value to the Christian who wants to be a witness to Mormons, since it shows the argumentive form and evasive tactics used to deal with eternal issues  But then, try reading the actual book these guys are so ready to slam...

and what about that old DNA stuff, anyway?

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-God-Makers-A-Shocking-Expose-of-What-the-Mormon-Church-Really-Believes/dp/1565077172/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes</a>
4851761
In his Introduction, S.J. Greenstein quotes 3:36 ("He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him"), and says that "Christian theology firmly believes that if you do not believe in Jesus you are going to 'burn in Hell.' The purpose of this book is to prove that this is a crazy notion that man made up and contradicts what God says in the Jewish Bible."

This counter-missionary book takes an interesting approach; Greenstein's rather brief narrative (given ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS) is followed by page after page of quotes from the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), supporting Greenstein's position.

Greenstein forcefully argues that "The Torah actually shows other ways to atone for your sins which did not require blood."  He makes points such as, "Jesus never even hinted that his followers should stop doing the laws that God gave to the children of Israel.  In fact, you will see that he goes out of his way to say the opposite."  Or (quoting Matthew 24:24) "Even Jesus knew that others could do these same wonders and still not be a prophet or the Messiah.  Why then are people surprised that Jesus' wonders did not convince the Sanhedrin?"

Some of his points are quite controversial: e.g., "Do you think God rejected Paul?  I do!"  (Based on Hosea 4:6)  He quotes the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10, and observes, "I have never seen any law in the Jewish Bible or elsewhere that would even suggest killing somebody for not donating enough money."

Greenstein's final chapter states that "It is clear that the 'New' Covenant was with the children of Israel and not with the Gentiles or any other group of people."

This is definitely a polemical book, but it's written in response to other polemical books, tracts, websites, etc.  (Greenstein's own website is at: [...])  It will be of great interest to anyone interested in Messianic Judaism and the responses to it.
620248
I am highly disappointed in the Rabbi's comment, God knocked up a women... The book is inaccurate and ill conceived on too many points to address here but I think potential readers get the point from your statement.

I would not bother to even write this, but Ezechiel in the Old Testament says I must reprimand the Rabbi for insulting the GREAT I AM WHO AM'S Son, I AM, The rabbi is brutal to I AM'S Mother Mary.

 Rabbi you should retract this and beg I AM WHO AM'S Forgiveness.
680539
I did not order this. How did this end up on my account?
  I find King David (of the Bible) a gruesome character, because he mutilated corpses by cutting off their penises to become king. I find people who praise him disturbing. Why would I subject myself to a story about such a person?
88910
I offer the observation that Bill Schnoebelen is still a satanist, in this sense: Satan, as you recall, is the Father of Lies, and about the only things in this book that are NOT lies are that there is such a thing as Freemasonry, and the author of this book's name is Bill Schnoebelen, and he was at one time a Freemason.

Bill doesn't write his books for Catholics (old Order or RC), Satanists, Wiccans, Mormons, Freemasons -- or vampires(smirk). Rather, he writes his books for those Christians who are afraid of such things as Catholicism, Wicca, Satanism, Mormonism, Freemasonry, and vampires, and are willing to pay a storyteller like Schnoebelen to tell them scary stories about the same. His presentation is of the Christian "testimony" variety, and from this perspective at least, is not unlike that of Mike Warnke or John Todd. I would at the very least "Wiki" Schnoebelen before investing (spiritually, emotionally or financially) in his stories. Oh, and be sure to Wiki ALL these characters, btw. They provide some interesting comparative studies.

Some might think that my remarks are merely ad-hominem attack, but the truth is that in this case, Bill's personal life and character are legitimate areas to question. This is because Bill's own authority in these subjects doesn't come from his deep knowledge of the relevant literatures, but almost entirely from his claim to know by his own firsthand experience. So, the legitimacy of his claims in such matters is important. If, for instance, Bill is claiming to have been a member of Palladian Masonry and there is no such thing, then one might conclude that Bill's lie precludes the possibility that surrounding claims might be true.

The timelines of Bill's stories alone are nigh well impossible unless he was being duplicitous. I'd suggest that not only WAS he being duplicitous, but that this is a pattern that continues in his current life -- as evidenced by the books he publishes, and the sometimes silly claims he makes. Bill was certainly a Wiccan (aka Christopher P. Syn), a Mormon, a Freemason, and a Catholic (Old Order, not Roman Catholic and he certainly was never a Jesuit). Maybe he was a Satanist as well. The actual timeline for these associations present problems in terms of his "testimony," in terms of his personal integrity, and in terms of the overall validity of his claims.

Some of the evidentiary material which Schnoebelen uses to discredit Freemasonry in this book are long-since proven hoaxes and frauds. This is not only known because they have internal inconsistencies, falsehoods and outright impossibilities which prove them to be frauds, but in the case of Leo Taxil at least, also because the perpetrator admitted to the hoax when they were caught by the press.

I would like to say you should "pass" on this book. However, for the critical reader who is familiar with the structure of Freemasonry and its history, the book presents an interesting study of how a master deceiver spins a web of lies to catch both popularity and money from a superstitious community. As many non-Masons are spreading the claims of this book far and wide, familiarity will allow for the best factual responses by Masons faced with questions based upon Schnoebelen's material. As a corrective to the unmitigated nonsense of "Masonry Beyond the Light," I'd like to recommend&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Is-it-True-What-They-Say-About-Freemasonry-Revised/dp/1590771532/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Is it True What They Say About Freemasonry?, Revised</a>, which is not written as a response to Schnoebelen, but nevertheless provides solid answers to similar issues.
1831975
Is this a real book? As satire, it is priceless, but -- for real? Can someone confirm that this is a real book? People seem to be writing reviews -- are they in on a joke?

My favorite part -- the author description. A Baptist leader from Montana. How many Baptists are in Montana? I used to think it was the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church that took the cake for silliness. Of all the centuries of Christian thinking, across the entire world, finally, they declare, they, and they alone have got it (the Christian faith) right!

But no, now it is some Baptists in Montana, mumbling about Arminianism. A word most people in the world have never heard.

Unless this is satire.

Fortunately for us, God has a sense of humor.
533388
As a non-Christian and naturally not a Roman Catholic, I found this book fascinating in how really uptight Schouppe's form of "True Faith" seems to be by his description of all the "mortal sins" that will lead the Catholic to h-e-double hockey sticks.

 Or, to quote the 13th Apostle in the movie "Dogma", he makes the faith a burden and not a joy.

 Bearing in mind that this was first published in 1989,  so the "sexual sins" don't include the systemic priest molestations over decades, probably centuries, and the rather cold description of rape as a sexual activity when in fact it is an assault and a slow death to the victim, this book gave me the impression that if the Catholic followers actually took this to heart that they would be enslaving themselves to fear. Even doubt is a mortal sin to this author.

This passage on page 367 of the "near occasion of moral sin" , for example:

" Any person, place or thought that we know will easily lead us into mortal sin must be avoided, lest in fact it does lead us to commit a mortal sin.... Because mortal sin is absolutely the worst evil and because just one mortal sin is sufficient to condemn a person to Hell ( if he dies with it unrepentant on his soul) (( starts in italics)) then for a person purposely to expose himself to the near occasion of any mortal sin is itself a mortal sin! (( Italics ended))"

Naturally to the author Protestants will go to hell and anyone who masturbates and doesn't confess it.

 I'm not trying to be anti-Catholic here, though there are many justifiable targets about pedophile priests, the Vatican, the church history, selling of indulgences, holy relics of dubious authenticity and so forth. But this book had me amazed at the amount of repression, the heavy-handed guilt trips and quite frankly coercive cult tactics Fr. Schouppe "teaches" as the "right way". The melodramatic declarations gave me the impression that the intent as to keep the followers in through fear and keep the money coffers full ( Oh, BTW, according to him, NOT donating enough is also a mortal sin).

 I actually feel sorry for the RC laypeople who ere brought up in this.

Jimmy Breslin's " The Church That Forgot Christ" and the late George Carlin's routines about how he was brought up Catholic until he reached the age of reason both show another side of the " True Church" that isn't pretty.

 As to this book, I find it interesting in how twisted a repressive mind can be and how such teachings are accepted when they should NOT. I guess since the Inquisitional rack and so forth is no longer legal to use on people that the mental and emotional equivalents have to do.

 It's like reading a Glenn Beck book. You just gotta continue reading the thing to see what other absurdity or nonsense pops up.

 This book serves to invoke unhealthy fear, really no different than the Evangelical or Pentecostal sects of Christianity that claim that having certain innocuous items in the house leads to " demon possession".

 The term " toxic faith" comes to mind in things like this book.

 Imagine, being damned just for thinking for oneself and realizing that one is better off not being Catholic.

(( shakes head))
1517687
I get a kick out of some revewers who think the author is a little harsh on religion.  Excuse me...I believe the religious are the people that will tell you you're going to hell if you don't follow their particular brand of insanity.  Talk about harsh.
4885135
Sis, I am shamed to hear your personal experiences and observances within the Israelite Community. While I agree with your frustration with the division and ego trip of many Israelite men, I've noticed through the context of your book that you simply lacked the privilege of experiencing true believers o the Israelite community. All the people you expressed that ran you away from the faith, should be interrogated on whether or not they truly believed. Many people don't belive, the just want to belong. Due to chemical imbalances, low self esteem, etc, many people join the "community" because it is a "movement" or way of life. These people you've experienced are very poor presenters of the Israelites who actually apply scripture. There shouldn't have been pimps, drug adduicts, thieves, fornicators, abusers, gossipers, respect of persons, pride slanderers, and etc - had they actually applied what was written. These hypocrites have scattered the sheep, as the Pharisees did. Despite your cover photo and title, I, one who subscribes to Israelite teaching, am none of the things you mentioned. I actually teach against all of that with the bible. Despite my faith, I have supported your book, and read it entirely. There are good Israelite camps out there, you just have to look. Stop following these busted, wanna be thug, bumraelites.
1726819
A anti-Semetic lay Catholic [Breen] imposed a racist Jesuit priest's [Lord] take upon what is proper entertainment for the masses with the aid  of a Catholic extortionist [Quigley].  What triggered this piestic morality  run riot in the 20th Century?
This generous coffee table volume proves  that a single picture is worth a chapter of description. Two other  excellent scholarly studies provide lengthy verbal descriptions of the 100  movies which resulted in the Catholic Legion of Decency controlling the  total output of a billion dollar industry, until an amalgam of 1st  Amendment and antitrust court decisions showed that the Legion was in  reality a fake and a fraud.  This volume shows in photographic stills what  outraged the lay Catholic Grundy's.  As the lyrics of the musical  "Chorus Line" state it was "tits and ass," male and  female.
The author's preface alone is worth the price of admission,  pointing out that the bagman of the Harding Election, Will Hays, a  Presbyterian elder and postmaster in the Harding Cabinet, succesfully  prevented additional state and federal censorship boards from being  established.  A facinating tidbit is that Hays bribed Father Lord with a  $500  stipend [1930 $$s], which infuriated Quigley, publisher of the  Exhibitor's Herald.
This book examines with a discerning microscope the  100 post code pre-Legion movies which caused the wholly Jewish industry to  produce films suitable for Catholic grade schoolers.  It is absolutely  mandatory to have this volume in hand when reading the two Black books  ["Catholic Crusade" (1998) and Hollywood Censored" (1994)].  shows what the fuss and feathers was all about.
It is also noteworthy  that most Catholics, lay and clerical, considered "miscegnation (sex  relations between the white and black races)" [from both the Hays  "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" and the 1930 Production Code] to be  immoral and communistic. Father Lord, SJ, a racist right winger, agreed  totally with this premise, since like President Wilson, his initial  cinematic immersion was in "Birth of A Nation."  It should be  remembered that in 1930-34, over 30 states made miscegnation a criminal  offense, and Lord's Code forbade the movies from depicting criminal  violations in a favorable manner. Most, but not all, Catholic bishops in  the United States, prohibited priests from witnessing marriages that were  forbidden by state and federal law.  Another interesting premise is that if  a social, moral, or economic delimna is not discussed, then it does not  exist.  In other words, if the movies do not discuss white slavery, or  divorce, or abortion, or miscegnation, then these problems cease to exist  for moral America.  Fortunately, then as now, the so-called moral majority  was neither.
I would have given my eyeteeth to have had this volume when  I was teaching "Entertainment Law."
2068860
R Sokolow is a product of YU, and it's for a YU audience that this book is written. The author has allowed his hands to be tied by granting reverence to the beraita in Bava Batra as if its words were on stone.

If one wants to teach Tanakh to a purely Orthodox audience, one would be well-served by the pedagogical lessons presented. Otherwise, it's less of an "Owner's Manual" than an apology for a world where everything must meet a political correctness.
2968168
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I urge you to beware of this book and its lies. Rob Bell has done a fine job of manipulating and twisting the foundational truths of Christianity. This book will seem most appealing to new Christians, who may not be well versed or educated in the Word of God, as well as older Christians who are looking for something to jump start thier weak faith.

I admit, sometimes its useful to pick up a good book so we can experience God in a new way, but we must remember, that the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ never changes. God is the same today, yesterday and forever. There are no mysteries or hidden truths in the bible. The bible simply means exactly what it says. But according to Rob Bell, "The more people insist that they are just taking the Bible for what it says, the more skeptical I get." A very interesting statement from a so-called Christian. Rob Bell also believes the bible to be completely mysterious and opened to interpretation. I find this interesting because the Bible tells us "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful in training, rebuking, correcting and teaching in righteousness, so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16) If the bible is opened to interpration, how could it be useful in these four attirbutes listed above? It couldn't be, because there would be no absolutes. It would be too confusing, too hard to follow, too opened to interpretation.

Rob Bell also makes the comment of, "Sometimes, when people are backing up thier points and the Bible is used to prove they are right, everything within me says "There is no way that's what God meant by that verse." I counted three ill-used verses before the end of the 2nd chapter, so I guess you could say that this statement would be no different than a Hypocrite calling another man a hypocrite. Didn't Jesus mention something against telling your brother about the plank in his eye?

Rob Bell also suggests that God ordered the massacre of innocent people when he sent the Israelites to take over Jericho. For Rob to make the statement that our loving, gracious and just God would demand the violent slaughter of innocent people is absolutely revolting and is flat-out blasphamy. The inhabitants of Jericho were NOT without sin. On the contrary, they were as bad.....and possibly even worse...then the Egyptians. To make such a statement is to call God a liar. To make such a statement is to condemn your very own soul.

Rob Bell also condemns an evangelistic woman he knows who urges others to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ so they can know God the Father. He believes that since the phrase 'personal relationship' isn't found anywhere in the bible, that somebody made up this phrase then said you could have one with God. Again, this is in complete contrast with the very teachings of Jesus Christ himself, who desperately wants and hopes for a personal relationship with all of his creation. God told Moses "I am passionate about my relationship with you." And 2 John 9 says "...Anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son."

The Velvet Elvis is an attempt to repaint the Christian faith. It is the replacement of God's precious truth with Satan's lies. Rob Bell could be considered a false prophet. I am saddened that so many Christians have fallen into this false doctrine and New Age philosophy of his. Rob believes himself to be a Christian, yet he doesn't seem to have faith in Christ. He has never been to any seminary, and even states that he 'teaches and tries to understand the bible." Shouldn't one understand the bible before he teaches it? This would be a warning come to pass when Jesus told the parable of the blind leading the blind.

If your looking for a book to jumpstart your faith, recommend to a new Christian, or even just a good read, try "Everyday with Jesus" by Greg Laurie, or any book by Max Lucado.
1933066
Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphical works relating to the Bible abound (e.g.,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Lost-Books-of-the-Bible-and-The-Forgotten-Books-of-Eden/dp/B0044XVCA6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Nag-Hammadi-library-in-English/dp/9004054340/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Nag Hammadi library in English</a>, etc.).  Many of them actually have sincere pious intentions, such as filling in "details" which the canonical books of the Bible omit (e.g., giving details about Jesus' childhood).

This volume is one of many reprinted editions of this 1884 book, written (and in some cases, plagiarized) by Rev. William Dennes Mahan (1824-1906), a Presbyterian minister in Missouri.  Its fraudulent nature is recounted in books such as&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Strange-New-Gospels/dp/1258142317/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Strange New Gospels</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Strange-tales-about-Jesus-A-Survey-of-Unfamiliar-Gospels/dp/0800616863/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Strange tales about Jesus: A Survey of Unfamiliar Gospels</a>.

Mahan states in his "Discovery of the Records" chapter, "Another reason why these writings have not been brought before the world is that no man has searched for these chronicles as I have done... I made the investigation of these questions my special business for ten years---corresponding with many historians and scholars... sparing neither time nor expense to acquire a knowledge of them." (Pg. 36)

He adds, "I do not see why these records should have been destroyed... I was convinced the Jews must have looked into this matter, and that it would be found recorded somewhere. I knew that if there was such a man as they represented Jesus to be, he could not be tried in the high priest's court and condemned to death, and executed by the Roman authorities, unless there were some record made of it by both the Jews and Romans. Here we have the whole of these records, and why are they not true? They comport with the Bible; they are just the records we should expect from the Scriptures... Now, if all this is so, why are they not true? I offer this bok to the public feeling assured it can do no harm to anyone or to any church, but that it will be read by thousands with great interest, and will convince the infidel of the truth of the Scriptures." (Pg. 41-42)

If Mahan had simply presented this book as "fiction," it might have made interesting reading for Christians (such as Lew Wallace's novel&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ben-Hur/dp/146634816X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ben-Hur</a>; which, interestingly, is one of the books that Mahan plagiarized). As it is, it is reprinted endlessly and sometimes perhaps taken as "genuine" by trusting readers.
3966631
King David gay?  Hahahahahaha!  What a joke!  Gays have made a business of co-opting historical figures for their cause--they say Lincoln was gay, Shakespeare...hell, pick someone, and odds are you'll find someone in the gay community who says he was gay--and now they're going after biblical figures.  Unbelieveable.

The relationship between David and Jonathan was not erotic, and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.  What they had was a covenant friendship, similar to a blood tie.

If you want to know what the Bible really says, read reputable theologians, not these agenda-driven fringe lunatics.
4248981
Leviticus 18:22 Sodomy is not supported by God. You cannot live as a sodomite and claim to walk with God.

Why would you chose a cover with a near naked man on the cover? Looks very perverse and does not correlate with your message at all.