Customer Reviews

The Trouble With Farrakhan & the Nation of Islam: Another Message to the Black Man in America

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

 

 

If you want to read a good text on the black Muslims, read C. Eric Lincolns "The Black Muslims in America" or Steven Tsoukalas "The Nation of Islam: Understanding the Black Muslims". In both of these books, the authors do not bash the Black Muslim,but bring a very detailed outline of what the Black Muslims believe and thier history. With Elreta Dodds, however, that is all she is doing. Chapter after chapter she's just takes apart the Black Muslims theology based on premises that have no business being in her critque of the NOI. At the back of the book, thier is a list of her sources, and the only book I can find that is a legitimate source got finding out about Black Muslim information is C. Eric Lincolns book. Dodds has written a book that comes from a closed minded CHristian perspective. Her mind set is "If it's not Christian, then it is not good" When writting a book such as she has, she should have been a little more sensative towards her research and to whom she is talking to.

This was the first book that I have read on Minister Farrakhan. I have heard both positive and negative comments on his teachings and, although not a Muslim myself, wanted to learn more on the subject. The book initially absorbed me with the comparison of Christianity, The Nation of Islam and Orthodox Islam. I enjoyed reading the history of the three religions and how they differed. However, after the initial chapters reviewing the history aspect it seemed to me that Elreta Dodds did not present an objective view on her subject. It became obvious that the purpose of her book was to trash Minister Farrakhan based on his religious beliefs versus the authors. This book seemed to be a bit biased overall. The objectivity was thrown out the window and replaced with Elreta's personal views. Perhaps I bought the book expecting a different angle. The Minister's speeches are disected with an unrelenting pejorative tone. While I did gather a basic dislike of what he has been preaching I wish that this would not have been the first book that I read on the subject. It left me wondering if all the negative comments I have heard about the man may have, to some point, been overblown by those on the far opposite end of his teachings. For those that like unbiased facts and like to contemplate these facts on their own I do not recommend this book. For those that have their minds made up and would like to read comments of someone that thinks like they do, this is your book. I was a bit dissapointed.

This book was indeed the best presentation of truth; not just from an apologetic view but from a cultural as well as a biblical view. The evidence is well researched and accurate. No true knowledge presented can ever be called dumb. (Such a poor choice of words for a book review...).

A must read to all who desire to know the truth about Farakhan,and the devices and deceptions that plague this generation. Its a well written book that proves how we perish for lack of knowledge.

This book has got to to be the worst I read. Attempting to distort Islam. It says nation of Islam ,but mrs.dobbs also distorts sunni (orthodox) muslims. This is good if you want to make your self feel good to be christian ,but actual truthful fact are complete wrong or distorted. The main example out of many, the pillars of Islam are prayer(salat), fasting (swarm) charity(zakat), pilgrimage(hajj), holywar(jihad). She happen to miss what makes a muslim a muslim 1 Shahhadah(bearing witness to allah and muhammad (pbuh) then 2 salat 3 swarm 4 zakat 5 hajj. Sorry mrs Dobbs jihad is not a pillar Islam. This is the kind of information that is covered. I could write another book to fix her distortion of sunni and mainstream islam. I didnt happen to see information on how many people, communities, and life in general. The nation of islam help. Its ashame she has to try to bring people down to help her ego. If you get this book dont tell anybody about islam its is all wrong. Try the book islam in focus to learn about Islam

This is a prime exsample of Black people not sticking together. Although I am not a follower of the Nation of Islam, I do agree with some of the teachings. In this world we live in we are always going to have naysayers especially when a Black man is standing up for what is Right. The author apparantly is a naysayer because Truth hurts and Right will sound strange to Wrong. She needs to study her history a little more. When she studies her history a little more she will understand where the Minister is coming from. This "Holy Bible" that she holds on her pedistal has been tampered with, transformed, and undergone a white wash. Wake up....This is definatly not a good book to get.

A blind(ignorant) fundamentalist christian trying to lead other people.
The author of this book seems to be a republican or member of a right wing
conservative organization. The scary thing about my previous comments is
Ms Elreta Dodds is African American. The enemies of progress must love her
dearly.

Anyone who believes this woman to be a true christian is not one. First of all, Jesus NEVER "bashed" people publicly so she's already proved that she's not "christ-like"(definition of christian) in that much. Secondly, George Bush is a Christian fundalmentalist because he believes in God but he also loves money!! And any christian should know what the root of ALL evil is...
I say this because MOST of the books for sale here and elsewhere that are from the Nation of Islam are within $6.00 to $25.00. And some of those books have over 1000 pages. This lady is selling a book with 211 pages for almost $30.00!! A darn paper back at that! I've got a book im reading right now that's 986 pages excluding the glossary, and everything before chapter 1 and I only paid 7.83 for it. All she wants is to get rich. Besides what has she done for black men/women in America or people period? Not a good book at all.

Elreta Dodds' work is well researched, well written, and superb! She definitely is an Orthodox, Christian apologist to the core. She takes Farrakhan and the NOI and exposes it for what it is and is unashamed as a Defender of the Faith should be.

As far as the inconsistencies of her Christian history and the Canon of Scripture, nothing could be more far from the truth. She has researched well the Hebrew canon of Scripture and is accurate. A simple study of how the Roman Catholic bible came to be would support this. For one, the Apocrypha (although included in the LXX or Septuagint) was always considered extracanonical by the Jews (who made up the vast majority of the early church). They believed the books to be good literature but not inspired Scripture. They did not include it in the Hebrew canon. Even Jerome, the translator of the Vulgate(a Latin version of Scripture--405 A.D.), has even said that they were like, "the crazy wanderings of a man whose senses have taken leave of him." Having said this, he did not translate some of the books and Jerome placed the Apocrypha outside of the Christian canon as well. The Catholic Bible (Douay-Rheims translation, proclaimed the official Catholic version at the Council of Trent in 1546) was a literal rendering of the Vulgate Bible (done by Jerome). The very Bible that the Roman Catholic Bible was translated from came from a man who did NOT consider the Apocryphal books as Scripture.

All this to say that Elreta Dodds was right on the money on all points; Farrakhan, NOI, and Canon of Scripture. May the Lord preserve her and continue to equip her to defend the faith so that we, who love the Lord and want to know and defend the truth against all error, may do so with her helpful and eye-opening books. We must study the Word daily, apply it to our lives, and defend and contend for the faith. Elreta Dodds has done just that. We must not allow health, wealth, prosperity, and popularity to dictate what is truth. We must make the Word of God our authority and not unity at all costs.

This book has some serious strong points. Dodds does a good job of pointing out problems with some of Louis Farrakhan's most famous speeches. She holds nothing back as she shows inconsistencies and hypocrisy in Farrakhan's speeches. She unveils his core goals of converting blacks to the militant Nation of Islam rather than to promote peace as he says. I would definitely recommend someone who is considering joining the NOI to read this book first. Dodds is definitely well-read in the scriptures. However, I was a little turned off at some inconsistencies at the beggining of the book. In talking about the Bible, she mentions the Apocrypha as an "unauthorized biography" of the Bible. What a huge mistake! The so-called apocryphal books have been in the Septuagint, which was used by Christ and His Apostles, since 180 B.C. She also makes the statement that "Orthodox Christians believe that these documents should not be included in the Bible." Another huge mistake! The Orthodox Church, which is the Church founded by Christ and His Apostles, has ALWAYS included the Apocryphal books in the Old Testament canon since the Orthodox Church has not changed its Old Testament canon since the time of Christ! It was not until about 500 years ago that Christian Old Testaments began to appear without these books. Also, in discussing what Christians believe, there is no mention of the Orthodox Church, the Church which was founded at Pentecost in the Bible, and which has flourished in North Africa since the first century. It would benefit African-Americans to know this, especially since so much emphasis is put on the Church in the Bible. But otherwise, it is a wonderful book which offers African-Americans considering Islam a powerful alternative in the truths of Christianity.

Elreta Dodds is a wonderful writer, she has a wonderful theological mind that is great at interpreting the scriptures of the Bible. I would definatly trust her if I were to read one of her books on a Christian Issue. But I think she is trying to prove to her readers that the Black Muslims belief system is not right, the wrong way.
first of all, she is trying to prove the Black Muslims are wrong by using only the Bible. (Which of course might be the only way.) The thing she doesn't realize, at least according to how she's writing, is that the Black Muslims have who they call "the messenger of Allah", Elijah Muhammad. and Elijah Muhammad taught that the white people of this world "took away their name, language and culture." its safe to say that, according to Elijah Muhammad, that the white race could have taken away the black mans history, rewritten history rather. Im just saying that the Black Muslims aregument is practically impossible to beat.