Brian Griffith

Where to start, this isn't an easy book to review because it stirs up so many thoughts, and I don't want to get off on a tangent. What the book is, is a well presented, laboriously compiled exploration of our conflicting feelings toward and interactions with our cousins — i.e. all the other life forms in our little blue canoe.

I was already aware of a good part of what is presented in this book, accumulating the information over time, but seeing it all at once, compiled with extensive references, was a ... a rattling experience. To his credit, the author doesn't preach, but rather lays out all the conflicting information with a minimum of opining for the reader to ponder.

I thought a number of bits insightful, but am not including snippets here for fear of distracting potential readers. This is a book that needs to be absorbed cover to cover as a learning experience, and as a complement to other books such as Edward O. Wilson's The Diversity of Life.

My only comment is that it isn't surprising in the broad-brush. Earth's biosphere is a closed loop system with a no waste life-fueled-by-life model. The key to ongoing physical life within such is filling ecosystem niches for productivity, and achieving a balance in the paradoxical interactions. All life forms have some sense of umwelt, and in higher life forms, at least, that includes a bit of self-aggrandizement ;-)… (mehr)

Brian is engaging and well studied. This is a book that doesn't insult faith. Brian Griffith isn't going to argue about God. What he seeks to do is challenge the thought Christianity is the same today is it was in the time of the apostles. Frankly, I couldn't stop reading.

This is about men (and women) who have changed Christianity from a religion of compassion, non-violence, equality, and freedom, to one in which we view charity as a problem, violence as a solution, equality between men and women suspect, and the idea of limited freedom.… (mehr)

There are many people who most earnestly declare that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. But how many of us wonder if the Bible has always been believed exactly as it is today. What about all the different translations? What about the fact that it wasn’t written in English—King James’ or any other form. And what if different churches at different times might not have agreed on exactly what the Bible said?

Brian Griffith takes his readers on a fascinating ride through history, showing how Christian stances on different topics have changed over the years, despite the underlying books of the Bible (and especially the New Testament) staying the same. The book covers topics as far apart as freedom and compassion, the role of women in society, and even attitudes to Judaism. Each chapter is well-designed around a particular issue, revealing how societies have mutated through history, how politics and power have changed the way the Bible is read, and how influences from disparate cultures have encouraged alternative interpretations.

Hot-button topics are included, alongside quieter discussion, in a book that’s consistently readable, well-researched and never dogmatic. The author doesn’t take sides in his subjects, but rather convincingly presents the dilemmae of opposing sides. He does a great job of inviting the reader to deduce at least something of the “original” meaning, and to question if today’s dogmatic fashions are true to the Word. I really enjoyed both the read and the challenge.

Disclosure: I’d dipped into this book before, but this time I read it through from beginning to end and loved it.… (mehr)

Jesus blew it. He expected too much. A number of his teachings were simply unworkable, and the church found it necessary to rework them over time.

Jesus thought we should treat women as equals, but we corrected that howler in a hurry. He thought maybe God would forgive all those who forgave others, but we quickly realized God isn’t that forgiving. There are many stipulations to His mercy. Jesus suggested we turn the other cheek, but we Americans fixed that one, too. We amassed the biggest military in history, to make sure we never have to play the pacifist like Jesus.

Jesus’s early followers practiced equality, but everybody in our capitalistic country knows what nonsense that is. That man in the gutter, hoping for a handout? He’s there because he’s too lazy to work.

Most of all, we laughed at the way Jesus practiced compassion. Better to throw divorcees, gays, blacks, Muslims, and especially those bleeding heart Liberals under the evangelistic steamroller. We have a conservative agenda to live up to.

This book is a little–no, maybe a lot–more serious than I’m letting on, but it manages to be as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

Exterminating Angel Press, © 2009, 326 pages

ISBN: 978-1-935259-02-2… (mehr)