At the dawn of the 21st century, interest in the origins of Christianity is as strong as ever. However, discussion tends to be dominated by Evangelicals who assume that the Bible is a historically accurate record, and those who would turn Jesus into a New Age guru. There is also a frequent insistence that the questions surrounding the origins of Christianity are beyond rational analysis. In UFOs, Ghosts, and a Rising God, Chris Hallquist examines what investigations of similar upstart cults have revealed, and then applies these revelations to the origins of the world's largest religion.
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40 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Chris Hallquist's book is one unlike any I've ever read. The title alone caught my eye and made me wonder why he would include such things as UFOs, ghosts, and Jesus in the same book, but his method became clear immediately. He uses comparisons and analogies that everyone will be able to understand and identify with in order to help everyone take away as much as possible from his book. His style of argument is also very easily digestible for anyone who likes to use his or her mind on a regular basis.
Hallquist pulls a multitude of disciplines into his book: philosophy, religious studies, history, psychology, etc. There is something in this book for everyone. For instance, as someone interested in psychology, I was drawn to his sections in which he discusses how difficult it is to doubt something once introduced to the belief. This is why legends are so hard to pull back into reasonable terms. He also addressed Nostradamus, a 16th century seer, and how the fact that his prophecies seemingly kept "coming to be" simply shows that humans believe things when they want to be believe them. With each field of study that he brings into his book, he presents a sufficient amount of background to help the layman understand where he is coming from.
The other interesting thing about Hallquist's book is that he argues against fundamentalist writers and other religious apologists by using their own logic against them. He shows that the historical evidence that they are so desperately using to support their own position actually works against them. Using the historical evidence and using quotes directly from the bible shows that the evidence is actually extremely thin, and that there are dozens of ways of interpreting the evidence due to a multitude of circumstances, including who wrote the evidence itself. He also uses gaps in time and other factors that further weaken fundamentalist evidence of historical absolute truth.
Chris Hallquist tackles this topic in a more user-friendly way than writers such as Richard Dawkins, for example, because Dawkins does not make me want to go out and learn more about the topic. At the very end of UFOs, Ghosts, and a Rising God, Hallquist issues a warning about how to avoid bunk and tells his readers to learn more about the authors he discusses. The end of his book covers talks about the part of religion that effectively forbids people from questioning their beliefs due to their fear of being eternally punished. He not only brings up this problem, but how to combat it. What I really like about this section is that he is encouraging not only further learning, but discussion and intellectual argument. As he says on the last page of his work, "Look for fresh angles. Dig deep rather than think a superficial examination will give you a sure answer. And above all, think for yourself" (180). This reminds me of a David Hume quote: "Truth springs from argument among friends." What Hallquist is advocating is not only free thinking and the power of knowledge in the area of religion, but in every subject: intellectual discussion and argument as the basis of truth.
Hallquist pulls a multitude of disciplines into his book: philosophy, religious studies, history, psychology, etc. There is something in this book for everyone. For instance, as someone interested in psychology, I was drawn to his sections in which he discusses how difficult it is to doubt something once introduced to the belief. This is why legends are so hard to pull back into reasonable terms. He also addressed Nostradamus, a 16th century seer, and how the fact that his prophecies seemingly kept "coming to be" simply shows that humans believe things when they want to be believe them. With each field of study that he brings into his book, he presents a sufficient amount of background to help the layman understand where he is coming from.
The other interesting thing about Hallquist's book is that he argues against fundamentalist writers and other religious apologists by using their own logic against them. He shows that the historical evidence that they are so desperately using to support their own position actually works against them. Using the historical evidence and using quotes directly from the bible shows that the evidence is actually extremely thin, and that there are dozens of ways of interpreting the evidence due to a multitude of circumstances, including who wrote the evidence itself. He also uses gaps in time and other factors that further weaken fundamentalist evidence of historical absolute truth.
Chris Hallquist tackles this topic in a more user-friendly way than writers such as Richard Dawkins, for example, because Dawkins does not make me want to go out and learn more about the topic. At the very end of UFOs, Ghosts, and a Rising God, Hallquist issues a warning about how to avoid bunk and tells his readers to learn more about the authors he discusses. The end of his book covers talks about the part of religion that effectively forbids people from questioning their beliefs due to their fear of being eternally punished. He not only brings up this problem, but how to combat it. What I really like about this section is that he is encouraging not only further learning, but discussion and intellectual argument. As he says on the last page of his work, "Look for fresh angles. Dig deep rather than think a superficial examination will give you a sure answer. And above all, think for yourself" (180). This reminds me of a David Hume quote: "Truth springs from argument among friends." What Hallquist is advocating is not only free thinking and the power of knowledge in the area of religion, but in every subject: intellectual discussion and argument as the basis of truth.
18 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By KMW
Amazon Verified Purchase
This up and coming young philosopher has shared his own research into some interesting questions. I thought the parallels between belief in UFOs and ghosts were useful analogies. I look forward to more works from this author, but I hope he gets a better proof-reader next time around. There are many typos and grammatical errors that end up detracting from the work.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
How refreshing it is to find books by writers encumbered by traditional favoritism. Hallquist's is one such book. That a culture views some hypotheses as "sacred" is fully besides the point when it comes to evaluating truth claims. This book boldly puts religion -- elements central to Christian dogma specifically -- elbow to elbow with the more modern and provincial beliefs in ghosts and UFOs. To this 360 Degree Skeptic, that grouping is deserved. To best evaluate any claim to truth, all pedestals must be removed.
In my opinion, the strength of this book comes in the mere process of applying the same skeptical approach one brings to claims of visitation by ghostly apparitions and alien visitation to stories of supernatural feats in the Bible.
No, UFO's, Ghosts, and a Rising God, is not a perfect book. In fact, to this reader it often seemed Chris was going mano-a-mano with a few noted Christian apologists that happened to engage his intellect. To those unfamiliar with more academic arguments, this will dampen its general appeal somewhat. But all in all, I found the the book a worthy read.
In my opinion, the strength of this book comes in the mere process of applying the same skeptical approach one brings to claims of visitation by ghostly apparitions and alien visitation to stories of supernatural feats in the Bible.
No, UFO's, Ghosts, and a Rising God, is not a perfect book. In fact, to this reader it often seemed Chris was going mano-a-mano with a few noted Christian apologists that happened to engage his intellect. To those unfamiliar with more academic arguments, this will dampen its general appeal somewhat. But all in all, I found the the book a worthy read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive Research, Original Thinking, and Good Writing!
This book had been on my amazon wishlist for quite some time, and I am glad I finally got around to buying it. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Nicholas Ryan Covington
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Bullplop
I bought this hoping for an expertly argued, scientific treatise. It's nothing of the sort - I was extremely disappointed. Avoid.
Published on March 10, 2011 by Sophie Lloyd
1.0 out of 5 stars
Out of date
Mr. Hallquist parrots a lot of material you'll find on atheist websites that have been challenged even by other atheists themselves and proven to be either logical fallacies or... Read more
Published on February 25, 2011 by Robin Schumacher
1.0 out of 5 stars
Superficial Comparisons...
This book relies heavily on comparisons and analogies to UFO reports, Ghost stories, etc. and commits the logical fallacies of "Begging the Question" and "Category mistake" in... Read more
Published on October 15, 2010 by KC James
5.0 out of 5 stars
A message from the author
Hi everyone,
I don't want to annoy you with a sales pitch for the book, but you should know that there's a lot more info about the book on my website, The Uncredible... Read more
I don't want to annoy you with a sales pitch for the book, but you should know that there's a lot more info about the book on my website, The Uncredible... Read more
Published on October 4, 2010 by Christopher Hallquist
5.0 out of 5 stars
a logical book
This book points out contradictions like the varying accounts of the women at the tomb which do not agree on the details. That the Shroud of Turin is a fraud. Read more
Published on June 7, 2010 by secular guy
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