Customer Reviews

The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book should be required reading for churchgoers and Sunday school students. It shows how, subjected to even a moderate amount of scrutiny, Christian literalism collapses like the house of cards that it is. It also reveals the numerous sordid aspects of the "Good Book" that fundamentalists generally prefer not to discuss. The author undertook the mind-numbing task of reading the King James Bible from cover to cover, and she was rightly appalled by what she found. She does a fantastic job of showing the absurd and comical aspects of a literal interpretation of such horrific material.

Fundamentalists would have us believe us that the biblical God is an all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving deity. The author puts the lie to that in a big hurry. Time after time, in hundreds of passages, the god of the Hebrews is shown to be a murderous, misogynist, xenophobic sadist. The Old Testament has God on numerous occasions ordering the murder of babies, the raping of women, and the annihilation of entire cities. Typical examples include 1 Samuel 15:2,3 ("Thus saith the LORD of hosts...Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling..."), Isaiah 13:15,16 ("Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished."), or Hosea 13:16 ("Samaria shall become desolate...they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up."). The New Testament God ups the ante even further by consigning the vast majority of humanity to eternal torture for not accepting such contradictory, nonsensical, and morally repugnant stories.

As for the reviewer who called this book "absolutely terrible" and who claimed that it contains "the same tired old objections that...Christian scholars have answered," a number of things may be said. First of all, it is a virtual certainty that the reviewer did not actually read the book, simply because it is unlikely that any Christian literalist could withstand such a pummeling. Second, fundamentalists have NOT answered these "tired old objections" nor will they ever be able to do so because they have no answers to give. When faced with the contradictory and morally repellant nature of the biblical stories, fundamentalists routinely engage in obfuscation, semantic gymnastics, and changing of the subject. Third, the phrase "Christian scholars", at least in the context presented by the reviewer, is a contradiction in terms, simply because the concept of scholarship is fundamentally inconsistent with having one's mind made up in advance about the outcome of their investigations. It is for this reason that Christian fundamentalists are singularly unqualified as scholars and scientists. Fourth, the reviewer did not mention a single name of any of their so-called Christian scholars, nor did they offer any rebuttal whatsoever to the findings of the book. The reason for this omission should be obvious: namely that such rebuttals, if they exist at all, can't withstand rational scrutiny. And finally, the reviewer's reference to "mindless readers" is a perfect example of the big lie. When it comes to mindlessness, fundamentalists have the market cornered. In fact, it is the author's on-target contention that continued ignorance of the Bible is absolutely necessary to the success of Christian fundamentalism.

Over 200 years ago, Thomas Paine referred to the Bible as "a history of wickedness." If you have any doubts about that, read The Born-Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible. It is more than just a great read, it is a call to action to resist the irrational, insidious, pernicious agenda of Christian fundamentalism wherever it appears. Buy this book for yourself, and then send it to your friends and family. The sooner humanity sends religious fundamentalism to the proverbial rubbish heap by rising above primitive, morally-bankrupt superstitions, the better off the world will be.

Yes, Ruth Green is sarcastic and funny about the way she describes many portions of the Book, and that's exactly what I love about the way "The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible" is written. She does not touch upon the subject with kid-gloves; the Bible is blatantly rife with error and contradiction and Ms. Green meticulously sorts through the problems within it, citing passage and verse as she goes. Keeping a Bible nearby to check her references, one finds she is accurate.

I do not find her to be angry in the least, but rather sardonic and probably only because -like most of us - she was brought up to believe something to be true (Christianity in particular, but any religion fits here), something that upon further investigation appears to be highly suspect, if not downright unreliable. When so many passages contradict each other, get basic physics and biology wrong, and encourage such things as human and animal sacrifice, slavery, and genocide - it's astonishing more people don't discount The "Good" Book.

More people own the Bible than any other book, but very few people have actually READ it... Fewer still have read it with an unbiased eye. Admittedly, that is because most people have such a strong emotional attachment to their belief that they fear examining it too closely lest they lose their faith.

I highly suggest this book as a fantastic guide to the Book we're all told to believe but most haven't actually read. And if reading this book feels like betraying your faith, then I highly suggest reading the actual Bible, whichever version you choose (as there are many), and reading it all the way through. But, trust yourself to think FOR yourself when you do. And if you can set aside all that you've been TOLD, so that you can find out for YOURSELF, so much the better.

Ruth Green has done a masterful job of dissecting piece by piece every story and line of the Bible. Unlike the reviewer who choose not to read this book before reviewing, Ruth clearly demonstrates having read every last syllable of the Bible.

Many theists are taught only selected portions of the Bible. They conveniently gloss over the more horrific aspects. Ruth takes all passages into account, those where God is shown to be grand and those where he's spiteful, cruel and morally repugnant.

What makes the Born Again Skeptics Guide entertaining is Ruth's healthy dose of humor on almost every page. These comments are intended to show the absurdity of the Bible while maintaining the reader's interest. A couple examples I took from a random page include how Ruth describes a scene where Jesus feeds the multitudes when scant bread and fish (a very common story). To this she says "the Hebrew grocers hoped no one would catch on." Or when Jesus walked on water, Ruth points out, "anyone can walk on water, it all depends on the temperature." These examples come from a huge list of proposterous claims in one chapter. Other chapters dissect whole stories and one even is devoted to sex! And to think, the only book allowed sex offenders in solitary confinement is a Bible!

I give this book 5 big stars; it's both informative and entertaining. A challenge to theists and a resevoir of ammunition to atheists.

Other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing Ruth Green's book. I just want to highlight what I find superb about the book. The book is not about the merits of what Christians might or might not believe. The book is about what the Bible actually says. It is fine to believe that God is love and that He has an eternal commitment to your well being. The problem is that while this all may be true, there is absolutely no support for it in the Bible. Ruth Green convinced me that there may be many devout and committed Christians in the world, but they not get that way as a result of actually reading the Bible. I can't imagine a truly committed Christian reading this book because it is just too painful. My advice for Christians who want to read the Bible is to skip the Old Testament completely and only read the New Testament under the guidance of a pastor who can tell you the large portions to avoid. The Catholic Church shielded the laity from the Bible for almost 2000 years. Read Ruth Green and you will have no doubt of the wisdom behind the Latin mass (when none of the congregation understood Latin.) A superb book that I have been looking for for many years. Read it at your peril!

After coming out of an abusive fundamentalist church, I read this book. While I knew the group I left was wrong, I still clung to many of the ideas I was taught based on the Bible. Green's ability in dissecting the Bible for what's NOT there (how come God never had to magically touch a man in order heal the familiy's infertility, it was always the woman at fault?) helped me come to the conclusion that the Bible was not infallible. Green pulls back the veil to show that the Bible is full of horrific values which our upbringing, cult-ure, and indoctrination inhibit us from understanding its true nature. The book is irreverent and funny, which may cause doubters to put it down before they understand its message. That would be unfortunate, since this book freed my mind from the slavery of fundamentalism.

I think anyone who has read the bible needs to read this book. It's not an attack. It has no mean sprit behind it but I am sure a lot of "saved" people will find it offensive. But they seem to find so much of the world offensive anyway. Books, Movies, TV or anything they don't agree with. Ignore them. Read the book.

Not only is the book fun to read it also is quiet funny. Pointing out all those odd things the bible says that no deeply religious person ever seems to notice.

Like: Cain's wife. How almost every birth mentioned in the bible is a boy. Noah, drunk and naked. God in hell. Dragons! Unicorns! A naked and howling god!? Jesus killing trees! Jesus telling us heaven won't last forever. Jesus being cursed by god!? Huh?

It's all very fun and interesting. If only I had this book back in those long and boring Sunday school mornings.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever read or had the bible read to them. It's endlessly amusing, thought provoking and always fun to read.

I first read this book in the '70s. It did not convince me to become an atheist, as I was one since about the age of 10, after reading a book on Greek and Roman mythology. Even as a child, it occurred to me that the ancient peoples believed just as strongly in their pantheon of gods as Christians believe in theirs, and that all of it was just fairy tales made up to explain the unexplainable. Ruth Green just let me know I was not alone in my beliefs.

I've read the criticisms of Ruth Green's book and can only say that they are being so harsh because Mrs. Green's observations have hit home. Atheists have had to endure cruel criticisms and diatribes from "believers", and so have learned to expect such treatment.

It is not Ruth Green taking the bible out of context: its believers are doing that everyday. And she should have been given an award for having been able to read the bible from cover to cover. That has to reign as a lifetime achievement award in itself.

As she so elegantly writes, a person can be saved if they believe in a god who sacrifices himself to himself, to appease himself.

Next riddle, please....

Here's why I consider this a valuable book. In one book, you have just about every negative, unbelievable passage in the bible (and there are plenty.) You want to quickly get a feel for the unimaginable creulty throughout the bible? She has a chapter, and it can be read pretty quickly. Preposterous passages? Again, there's a chapter. It's hard to imagine how an unbiased (that's the key, almost all believers have a bias) Christian could read through the passages referenced and not seriously question their faith.

The major negative is there's too much commentary. The same points tend to be made over and over again. A format I would have prefered is maybe a commentary at the beginning or end of a chapter, and then a list of passages, with only occasional commentary. Plus Ruth's sense of humor is pretty lame. Some of the sarcastic comments will make you roll your eyes.

This book is a keeper. Most books you will want to read only once, but this is one that you will refer to time and again.

From Atheists to Christians, this is required reading for both book shelves. I have heard the criticism of other reviewers regarding the so called "repition." That is due to the repition of Bible itself, NOT the author. Besides, alot more staying power is afforded to the recalling skeptic long after the book is put down.(I would have given it 5 stars, if not for the topic departure in her closing essay "The Way We Were," although some readers may enjoy the quaint auto-biography).

Also, Ruth's book is soley Scripture based, which is refreshing from hearing everyone's personal objections to the Bible.

Back to the book: Grandma tears it up! This will certainly spice up Bible study after church. I 'double-dog-dare' any Christian to bring Ruth's well documented arguments to their Pastor or Priest. There are many skepitcal books out there, but the unique selling proposition for Hurmence is that her Polemic is chock full of the most squirrely bible quotes; the most in any skeptical book I have read to date. She makes salient remarks in a tongue-in-cheek tone. For me, it was a page turner! Another great thing is Ruth's female perspective juxtaposed to the usual predominantly male skeptics. Ruth points out that Jesus was just a dude and as such, on his way out- Forgot to condemn slavery, subjugation of women, and animal sacrifice- thereby invalidating his deity. An example from the book: The author points out all the prositutes Jesus colluded with, but not once does Jesus mention "woe" to the John's who kept them in business. Ruth turns on all the light's with insights such as these. Enjoy being "Born Again!"

PS/ Hurmence Vs. C.S. Lewis: I've read much of CS Lewis and considered him the "thinking man's" proponent to Christianity. After reading "The Book of Ruth (Hurmence)", I feel logically duped by Lewis' Mere Christianity. Ruth sets it strait using the Bible itself. A divinely inspired book should not have to use subtle logic employed by Lewis. I wonder what he would say to Ruth's clear, dead on approach that he hasn't said about Freud? Hmmm...

It is rare that we find balance in this country on the topic of religion. Ruth Green takes nothing our of context (I checked dozens of times) and she is always accurate. I found that God ordained polygamy as proper, slavery as just fine, and instituted the "divine" right of kings. Horror and heartlessness is the true basis of the Bible. For example in 2 Kings 2 in the 20's God orders the killing of 42 children because they acted like kids!! This is just 1 example of irrational rage demonstrated by the "Lord God of the Universe."

After reading this work I felt empowered to "corner a parson" and demand to know what's going on here. How come they never read this to their congregants from the pulpit. Anyone who reads this work will start thinking for themselves if they have the capacity to begin with.