Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread About Christianity [Hardcover]

Michael Coren (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 24, 2012

Bestselling author Michael Coren explodes popular myths about the history, beliefs, and culture of Christianity.
 
Michael Coren explores why and how Christians and Christian ideas are caricatured in popular media as well as in sophisticated society. He takes on, and debunks, ten great myths about Christianity: that it supports slavery, is racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-intellectual, anti-Semitic, provokes war, resists progress, and is repressive and irrelevant. In a climate that is increasingly as ignorant of Christianity as it is good at condemning it, Coren gives historical background, provides examples of how these attacks are made, and explains the reality of the Christian response, outlining authentic Christian beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Why Catholics Are Right:
 
"Michael Coren has given us an essential, clever and stylish book of Catholic apologetics, history, and theology accessible to both the informed as well as the searching. Crack this cover and discover why Coren as well as Catholics are right. A terrific read."
—Raymond Arroyo, New York Times bestselling author and host of "The World Over Live" on EWTN

About the Author

MICHAEL COREN is the bestselling author of twelve books, including biographies of G.K. Chesterton, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. He is the host of the talk show "The Arena" on the SUN News Network. He also hosts a daily radio show and writes a syndicated column for ten daily newspapers. His most recent book, Why Catholics Are Right, was a national bestseller.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Signal (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771023154
• ISBN-13: 978-0771023156
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Refuting The Heresies April 30, 2012

By Caliph al Ma'mun

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Michael Coren new book covers many different topics which he calls ''heresies'' , or lies , against The Christian Religion in The Western World Today . Those 'Heresies' are made up against Christians to prevent them from engaging with the Society and sharing their views which comes because of Christian influence, on issues such as Morality ,family ,abortion ,euthanasia, and pornography, etc . The Heresies are tools to make the Christians feel ashamed to use their belief as inspiration to serve the society .

That is why the book starts by addressing fundamental heresies like '' Jesus never existed '' and '' There is no God'' .Coren answers the question of wither there is any evidence that Jesus existed with '' There is , and plenty of it ''.He cities the early Historians from the first and second century . Pagans , Jews and Christians ,and argues that pagans and jews , who were not Christian and in many cases anti-christian, never doubted the existence of Jesus .

The interdiction of the book itself was an eye opening for me ,where the author shows the hypocrisy of the left media in the case of Andres behring breivik , for example , when he was called a right wing fundamentalist christian , even though he is a Freemason , supporter of gay Marriage , and do not have a relationship with God or Jesus , which have nothing to do with Fundamental Christianity! Yet the media started to use his blond hair and blue eyes to say that he is a '' Christian Fundamentalist'' and ignoring all the other facts. in another case , Coren shows the tragedy , of Nadia eweida , who was suspended from her job by the British Airways for wearing a small cross ,when other people such as Sikhs and Muslims wear their symbols and it's okay with the same company !....

The book Addresses other heresies such as the Da Vinci Code and the conspiracy theory about the origins of Christianity , such heresy is wild spread that the book sold 80 million copies with it's false historical facts . But my favorite '' Heresy'' in the book is about Hitler being Christian , in it Coren shows with clear evidence that Hitler was not only a non Christian , but Anti-Christian . in it , Coren addresses the Holocaust and the reaction of the jewish leaders of the time to the role of Christian Church in saving the jews from Hitler and his regime . Coren provided a new evidence by a German Historian which suggest that Pope Pius '' may' have arranged the exodus of about 200,000 Jews from Germany just three weeks after Kristallnacht''.

Another Heresies such as Christians are against Science and progress, or they supported slavery is been refuted by Coren. in fact , it is the Christians pastors who fought Slavery in England and America , and it's Christian England , argues Coren, which stopped Slavery trade in many part of the Islamic world. Christians activist who were inspired by their faith brought , for example, Rehabilitation , Mines Act , Ten Hours act ,into existence .in the heresy of Christians against Science , Geology ,Egyptology , Genetics,Seismography and other inventions were, product of Christian scientist .And before you cite the Galileo thing , Coren argues, it was Nicolaus Copernicus , a catholic priest , who taught heliocentrism deacads before Galileo was even born , and the church was happy with him and with Galileo( before the latter begins involving with Theology!) . The Jesuits ,were a major force in the Scientific field during the enlightenment .

Coren refute the heresy of '' Christians are stupid '' , by showing that Christianity inspired giants and modern intellectuals, such as C.S Lewis , J.r.r. tolkien , Hilaire Belloc and many others whom works and writings influenced millions of people around the world.

The book also discuss many other topics and heresies, such as politics ,Abortion ,Homosexuality ,and even prayer! Coren shares very personal and family stories too .

it's a short book but very valuable one to get and read ,for Christians and non christians alike . Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fearlessly crushing the poorly educated but relentlessly egotistical 'brights' July 22, 2012

By Jeri Nevermind VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Anyone who has had a conversation with an atheist lately has heard all these tired, silly accusations. How can there be a God if good people, not to mention what is worse, kittens, suffer? And they ask this with a straight face, not having noticed Christ died in agony on a cross.

Coren shreds their arguments.

Anyone with a brain will relish the chapter on Dan Brown, but then, no one with a brain would have bought a word he wrote.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on Hitler. Coren found that Hitler wrote in July 1941 "National Socialism and religion cannot exist together. The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of Christianity" (p 108).

Another rant by Hitler "Christianity is an invention of sick brains" (p 110)

The truth is that three years before Hitler was elected chancellor, Catholics were told that anyone who became a Nazi or who wore the Nazi uniform or flew the swastika would not be given the Eucharist. That's right. They were forbidden the sacraments, just as today politicians who promote abortion are denied the Eucharist. Documents in the Vatican show that the Nazis later pleaded for this excommunication to be removed.

The request was denied.

In the election that swept Hitler to power, the two Catholic areas of the country, Bavaria and the Rhineland, voted against, not for, Hitler. Which should surely not surprise anyone. Christianity, especially Catholicism, was being branded by the Nazis as the inheritor of the 'slave' religion Judaism.

The Nazis not only hated Catholicism, they actively promoted the occult and paganism. Nazis proclaimed the triumph of the strong, the Nietzschean superman, over the weak--the exact opposite of Christianity.... They proclaimed the morality of eugenics. They legalized abortion and sterilized the mentally impaired. And yes, of course the church protested these clear evils vigorously then as she does today.

On Palm Sunday, 1937, a secret encyclical by the pope was smuggled to every
Catholic church in Germany, an encyclical to be read aloud that Sunday at Mass. It was a thunderous denunciation of the Nazis. "There is but one alternative left, that of heroism" ended the pope sadly.

And heroism it would require. Dachau had a entire cell block of Catholic
priests, most of whom would not survive. (A good book on this subject is 'Priestblock 25487, A Memoir of Dachau'.) Indeed, the Nazis murdered nearly every priest in Poland. The future Pope John Paul, then secretly, and illegally, in a seminary, would only escape by what some would call a miracle.

This would be a great book to give to any atheist friends. Read more ›

25 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars negative reviews point to the truthfulness of this book June 16, 2012

By cathmom&teacher

Format:Hardcover

Expect many negative reviews as those who are exposed panic in and attempt to discredit the author. This is an outstanding book with enough facts to confirm the veracity of Coren's comments. The enjoyable reading style makes it an ideal book to share with young adults or just the idly curious.

32 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Defend anti-Christian Propaganda June 2, 2012

By Nicola Manning TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Reason for Reading: I'm a fan of Michael Coren both in print and on TV, I enjoyed his last book and the topic is of interest to me.

Reading this book is like sitting down and having an intelligent conversation with someone who shares all your interests but happens to have quite a bit more knowledge on the subjects than you do. Totally fascinating. Awe-inducing. I have basic information on these topics to begin with but Mr. Coren goes deep into the historical background of Christianity on many varied aspects and this book is a goldmine of inspiring information. Coren proves all his conclusions with samplings from the words of great thinks throughout the ages and my list of authors to read in the future has multiplied: from ancient sources, to saints, theologians from the middle ages up to scientists, newscasters, medical professionals and so on.

Coren's purpose in this book is to provide the Christian with "logical ... self defence." "A handbook for followers of Christ who want to intellectualize the instinctive and provide a solid response to the increasingly malicious anti-Christian propaganda campaign...." This book is certainly for the intellectual but also for the person wanting to put their thoughts together more intellectually with the right materials. It's all here, everything you could possibly want to know to defend ten common misconceptions about Christians (regardless of denomination), but it is also simply terribly informative to someone who doesn't know his own Christian heritage, our heroes, how we shaped the world, how we changed the world, what the world would look like today without the advancements made by Christians whose Christianity made them seek out to better the world. Fascinating reading!