THE
DARK
SIDE
OF
CHRISTIAN
HISTORY
The dark side of Christian history can help us understand the severing of our connection with the sacred. It can teach us of the most insidious and damaging slavery of all: the control of people through dictating and containing their spirituality. This ignored side of history can illuminate the ideas and beliefs which foster the denigration of human rights, the intolerance of difference, and the desecration of the natural environment. Once recognized, we can prevent such beliefs from ever wreaking such destruction again. When we understand how we have come to be separated from the divine, we can begin to heal not only the scars, but the very alienation itself.
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Review
Over a period of nearly two millennia, the Christian Church has oppressed and brutalized millions of individuals. Meticulously researched and courageously written, "The Dark Side of Christian History" by Helen Ellerbe examines the Church's devastating impact upon human freedom, dignity and spirituality. Written for the lay reader, this controversial book is especially relevant today as the religious right is attempting to assert greater influence in American politics and society. "The Dark Side of Christian History presents a compelling argument that the Church's desire to control and contain spiritually motivated its persecution of heretics, its burning of libraries, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the witch-hunts. This dark Christianity ahs left a legacy, a world view, which permeates every aspect of Western society. It is a legacy which fosters sexism, racism, the intolerance of difference and the desecration of the natural environment. Helen Ellerbe is a researcher, writer, and public speaker living in the San Francisco bay area. -- Midwest Book Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
350 of 397 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful book. I'm glad it is finally out. All of the religious intolerance of the early church is brought to light. The facts should not be used as a reason to hate the church; but, they help us all understand that claims of a divine right to speak for God are all false. If you liked this book , I would also recommend the book An Encounter With A Prophet. The author of An Encounter With A Prophet would no doubt be burned at the stake if organized religion still had the power it had in the middle ages.
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Though the author of The Dark Side of Christian History makes some efforts towards being unbiased, she does not fully achieve this goal. However, as she does her research and is dealing with terribly unpleasant subjects, I think it can be understood.
This is not a pretty book, but it is a coherent one. Each chapter is an essay on a different time in Christianity, how it evolved, and its affects on Western (and other) civilizations. A consistent history is shown from the early days of Roman Christiandom to current attitudes that is informative and unsettling. Quite simply, current problems and attitudes today can be traced back hundreds, or even thousands of years, and the history of the Church is not as simple as some make it sound.
Quotes from various sources paint the picture reasonably well, though this book could have easily been twice its size. If read with an open, critical mind, you'll find flaws, but you WON'T be the same. It's an excellent jumping-off point to study the parts of Church history people don't want to talk about.
89 of 103 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The Dark Side of Christian History is one of those rare finds. This book was written in a concise fashion and details the horrors, both spiritually and physically, that the early Church visited upon members of society. I found Helen Ellerbe's research to be thorough, citing many historical documents and publications. Contrary to a statement made by another reader, this book is highly accurate and credible.
Many individuals have no knowledge of the atrocities committed by the church. Without understanding these events, we can never progress beyond them. The era of the Inquisition and the Witch Hunt is over, but religious intolerance is still with us, rearing its ugly head. With the help of provocative books such as this, I believe we can move past religious intolerance - once and for all.
On a final note, I am Wiccan, and although I believe that present-day Christians should not be held responsible for the Church's brutality of the past, I would like to see our Christian brothers, sisters and leaders acknowledge, accept and learn from these events.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cheers For Truth
A book that should be required reading for modern people of all ages. The dark history of the Church is little understood, yet has effected the world to this day. Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Holmes
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "greatest story" too seldom told
Having read a number of histories of the Inquisition and witch trials,I found the author's approach most refreshing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bossaboy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Could be better, but every little bit helps.....
Many visitors to this webpage are going to start yapping immediately THIS POST IS TOO LONG!! Very true, that it is, but if the reader can't stand loooong posts, then just SKIP IT. Read more
Published 5 months ago by John Wiesenmeyer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Could have offered more information but still very informative.
My neighbor had an old copy of this book. He purchased it new and I left it in a hot car during a 100 degree day last year. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Be Honest
5.0 out of 5 stars
A starters book...
This text is not for those who are well seasoned with the history of Christian Theological thought, text and short-comings... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Alfred Thompson
1.0 out of 5 stars
How to Misunderstand History
The author thinks the Catholic Church, not Jesus, gave mankind orthodox Christianity by suppressing Judaism, Gnosticism, and various other heresies with force, threats, and reason. Read more
Published 14 months ago by David Roemer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lightinging up the dark for the common man.
First off, read the reviews on the back cover of the book. Having said that I'll add my own many cents worth. Now for some fun. Read more
Published 15 months ago by new author
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good overview of a dark history
The Dark Side of Christian history is a book that tells all the basics of the history of nasty things commited in the name of Christianity. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tartarus
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Truth! Sometimes when exposed many will simply deny it.
This book is profound and highly accurate. It exposes the truth about Christianity and how its came to be. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Andrew I Feder
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Dubious Disciple Book Review
This is a rather discouraging look at Christianity through the last 20 centuries. The book's value is not in the strength of its research (which is one-sided and sometimes... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dubious Disciple
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