Abram [Paperback]

Cary Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2007

Religious terrorists expect reward in heaven. Why? Regardless of one's interpretation of the Qu'ran, the ultimate source of this belief is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham proved he was willing to kill in obedience to God, and was therefore rewarded. Can a person see this story differently and still remain true to his chosen religion? In the nuclear age we better hope he can. Cary Cook's Abram provides a sensible alternative in the form of a delicious fiction. Abram (as he was originally called) was not a special person chosen by an arbitrary God for supernatural communication. He was a truth seeker disillusioned by the fall of his local deity at Ur. He migrated to Haran and Canaan not because of divine orders, but for simple pragmatic reasons. He was not ordered by God to kill his son. The religion of Canaan required the sacrifice of all firstborn sons. Abram defied it, instead betting his life on a righteous God. The Biblical message, "Obey God, no matter how stupid or immoral His orders may appear," is changed to, "Obey a righteous God, no matter what your society tells you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Sanity Quest Publishing; 1ST edition (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934584002
• ISBN-13: 978-1934584002
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,467,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars a fictionalised biography, January 31, 2012

By 

Joseph Uphoff (La Jolla, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abram (Paperback)

This work opens with a forward by Robert Price, a philosophy and religion professor at Johnston Community College, NC, in which he discusses the origin of the names of the various tribes that later made up Israel and Judaea as well as how they might have come together to form an alliance and later nation. Price sees the Abrahamic story as essentially astronomic in origin. A position I disagree with.

Cook advocates metric as a better system in an amusing aside. More historical asides are given throughout the book which is highly distracting. Maps are also provided, which are useful. As for the story itself, it opens with a siege of Ur, ending what is known as the Third Dynasty commonly dated to 2006 BC and Abram with family fleeing it. Most Biblical scholars date Abram to around 1750 BC, a view with which I agree. As this is a work of fiction, this is a non-issue especially considering that it does not distract from the story. The author then progresses through the years of Abram's life. Through a philosophical discussion, the author suggests that the Canaanite diety El is the same as the Sumerian Enlil. By this time, our hero has begun questioning some of the religion and customs of the past that he has learned. These doubts eventually lead Abram to leave his father's city of Haran as well as the latter's deities and travel toward Canaan.

The story progresses through Abram's life and development both in this world and how he relates to the deities of the people he encounters and their belief systems. There are interesting philosophical discussions throughout that eventually result in our hero developing his own system.

There is some humor in here based on knowledge of Biblical events. One example involves the fate of Lot's wife after they leave Sodom.

Cook re-interprets all of the miracles the Genesis authors ascribe to Abram and those around him in a purely naturalistic manner. Any divine intervention or communication is presented as an interpretation by the recipient rather than an actual event.

Cook provides his readers with an epilogue in which he summarises his views on religion and the need to believe. This is rather interesting as is the book in general. Despite the asides, this is fast paced and worth the read.