Nonsense from the Bible Brian Baker Books
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The author of this book, Brian Baker, was a 'born again' fundamentalist Christian for seventeen years. For ten of those years he was the founding pastor of one of Australia's largest churches (1979-89). Following the failure of his marriage, he resigned from the ministry and then spent the following few years seriously examining his faith and the veracity of the Bible. Finally he came to the conclusion that his Christian beliefs were seriously flawed and that the Bible is entirely the result of human invention, imaginations and myths passed down from generation to generation. As the Bible is then based on 'hearsay' and written by at least 40 different authors over a period of up to 1,600 years, none of whom were eyewitnesses to the events they recorded, it cannot substantiate the claim that it was 'inspired by God.' The result of Brian's search for evidence caused a personal transformation from believer to realist, rationalist, skeptic and atheist. He published his first book - From Faith to Reason - in 2009 which contains the reasons why he no longer believes in the existence of God, angels, demons, the devil, heaven, hell or an afterlife. In this book - Nonsense from the Bible - Brian uses the Bible texts to demonstrate their inaccuracies, inconsistencies, contradictions and fantasies. He deals with major issues which are widely believed and accepted as factual events such as the Creation story, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and the prophecies concerning Jesus. Chapters are also devoted to the question of the second coming of Jesus and Christian Family values. Brian also totally invalidates the so-called 'power of prayer' and the claims that God heals the sick. This would be a 'hard read' for many Christians who totally believe that the Bible is literally 'The Word of God' and accept it as absolute truth. Brian also believed that for all those years but over a period of time and investigation by seeking evidence other than the Bible he was able to accept that he had been deceived and deluded - or as he now says, 'Once I was blind - but now I see!' This is an 'easy' read for those who may question their own faith as it provides some convincing information concerning the validity of the Bible.
Nonsense from the Bible Brian Baker Books
I think it's important to begin this review by stating that Brian Baker is not an academic or theological writer. He is a highly intelligent man seeking to explain that much of what is in the Bible--and much of what he believed for many years--is nothing but pure nonsense. There are hundreds of books that argue for or against the logic and truth behind the Bible, and many of them are much more scholarly than Baker's book. If you are looking for a highly academic discussion of the Bible, this is not your book. The tone is mostly informal (as evidence by the frequent use of "Nonsense!"), and the editing and structure sometimes feels sloppy. However, these facts do not take away from what Baker accomplishes in this book.The next important point to address is this: "Nonsense from the Bible" will not turn any devout Christians into non-believers. It's not likely even to be the tipping point for an on-the-fence Christian. However, it definitely has its place, and Baker's conclusions are ultimately earned and well-supported. Baker achieves his purposes: to share his story and to reveal inaccuracies held within the pages of the Bible. This will not be your go-to book to argue against Christianity, but it does offer plenty of ammo if you choose to participate on that side of the debate.
Baker is clearly well-versed in the Bible, but his knowledge reaches far beyond that of a single book. He knows a great deal about religion, mythology, history, and archaeology. And he uses all of this knowledge to provide evidence that supports his conclusions. Although his cries of "Nonsense!" occasionally grow tiresome, he does present a sound basis for each point he makes.
Baker is at his finest when he is using historical (or lack thereof) basis to point out the obvious flaws in Biblical stories. Thankfully, Baker does not try to pull fast ones by quoting lines out of context. Instead, he provides full passages, underlining the part in question. This gives the reader the choice to study the entire passage or just the portion that is "nonsense."
This book is at its weakest when Baker digs through passages to show the inconsistencies in the various books. As Baker mentions, it is historical fact that the Bible was written by many authors over many years. To say the story of Jesus cannot possibly be true because the Gospel writers present different facts is a bit far-fetched. Since we must accept that none of the Bible was written by eye-witnesses, and was therefore written based on stories that were passed down, it's no surprise that the stories would not be in complete agreement. Baker should focus on arguing that this shows the book is not inspired by a divine being rather than on repeatedly suggesting this is proof that Jesus never existed. After all, if you ask enough people to tell the same story, you will hear plenty of different answers. These inconsistencies do not disprove the existence of Jesus, but they may be enough to prove the Bible is not inspired by any god.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and fast read that shows a deep understanding of the Bible (at least from a historical perspective if not a theological one). I recommend this book to anyone exploring the debate about the Bible, Christianity, God, or religion in general. However, I do not think this is even close to the be-all and end-all of the argument. When you are finished reading this, do yourself a favor and check out a variety of other books on the topic. My next read was "Jesus on Trial," which argues the opposite viewpoint (using a very different approach). I'm sure Brian Baker would agree that one must take in a variety of perspectives in order to formulate a definitive answer on such a huge issue.
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Nonsense from the Bible Brian Baker Books Reviews
Nonsense from the Bible catalogs the cruelties, inanities, contradictions and absurdities that make up most of the content of the Bible (I say most as I have a soft spot for the poetry of Psalms and quite enjoy reading them). It is very helpful in the way that lists are and I hoped to like it more than I did. Unfortunately, it's not well organized and not very well written. Mr. Baker hops back and forth between Old and New Testaments, Acts, the Gospels, Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Genesis at a dizzying pace.
Nonsense starts off with "End Times" or the apocryphal beliefs of Evangelicals and their literal interpretation of the Bible. A rather shrill attack on Biblical family values [sic] follows that didn't offer much in the way that was original (either in content or interpretation), and a skewering of "God Is Love", or so say Christians follows. The story of Jesus as a fulfillment of OT prophecy is rather handily debunked and an elaboration of various mythologies and myths--creation, the Jesus/Horus symbiosis, etc. are included and well done. There is a rather rambling chapter about the efficacy of prayer and a better one about biblical contradictions. I think sometimes Baker forgets that not everyone who believes in god or the bible does so literally, and shrugs at the inconsistencies he thinks are proof of its inadequacy.
Some have described the author's tone as over the top, and it does resemble a screed more than a measured argument. However, as a "recovering" born again I think the author has a right to adopt whatever tone he pleases. He believes the Bible to be pernicious and may say so in the tone that suits him. What troubled me was slapdash organization, resulting in quite a bit of repetition and occasionally not enough elaboration. Rather like an undergrad's term paper. Worse still was the writing, which at times impressed me as sophomoric. There is a childish use of exclamation marks on every page. It gives Nonsense the feel of a teen diary. Not a good thing.
Happily, it's much better than that. Though it should have been better still.
Thanks Brian. Good quick, common sense review, evaluations, and several good points are made in this book. I like that the Author, Brian was a pastor and still doesn't have an axe to grind. After several years of careful thought & reflection, he has evolved to his current view. The tone he has in this book is just right. If you're an open intellectual, or someone that has attended church for years and realizes something is still just a little off, but can't put your finger on it....then this book may provide some much needed answers for you. I attended church for over 15 years (dozens denominational and nondenominational) , volunteered, was a deacon, had total devotion. Nonetheless, often I left church each Sunday less enlightened, feeling less loved, and less connected. No real lasting relationships developed, but plenty of excuses and hypocrisy to go around. Sound familiar? Brian's book will help you see you're OK, and you're not a bad person to ask more questions. Personally, I believe (speaking as a reformed agnostic these days, ha!!), God gave us a wonderful complex, advanced, beautiful mind so we would ask, question, evaluate and learn. That is called wisdom, right?We are NOT to just blindly follow, ever. So, I pray for some to come out of the ether, and read this book. Then form your own intelligent, independent thoughts. Blessings friend!
I think it's important to begin this review by stating that Brian Baker is not an academic or theological writer. He is a highly intelligent man seeking to explain that much of what is in the Bible--and much of what he believed for many years--is nothing but pure nonsense. There are hundreds of books that argue for or against the logic and truth behind the Bible, and many of them are much more scholarly than Baker's book. If you are looking for a highly academic discussion of the Bible, this is not your book. The tone is mostly informal (as evidence by the frequent use of "Nonsense!"), and the editing and structure sometimes feels sloppy. However, these facts do not take away from what Baker accomplishes in this book.
The next important point to address is this "Nonsense from the Bible" will not turn any devout Christians into non-believers. It's not likely even to be the tipping point for an on-the-fence Christian. However, it definitely has its place, and Baker's conclusions are ultimately earned and well-supported. Baker achieves his purposes to share his story and to reveal inaccuracies held within the pages of the Bible. This will not be your go-to book to argue against Christianity, but it does offer plenty of ammo if you choose to participate on that side of the debate.
Baker is clearly well-versed in the Bible, but his knowledge reaches far beyond that of a single book. He knows a great deal about religion, mythology, history, and archaeology. And he uses all of this knowledge to provide evidence that supports his conclusions. Although his cries of "Nonsense!" occasionally grow tiresome, he does present a sound basis for each point he makes.
Baker is at his finest when he is using historical (or lack thereof) basis to point out the obvious flaws in Biblical stories. Thankfully, Baker does not try to pull fast ones by quoting lines out of context. Instead, he provides full passages, underlining the part in question. This gives the reader the choice to study the entire passage or just the portion that is "nonsense."
This book is at its weakest when Baker digs through passages to show the inconsistencies in the various books. As Baker mentions, it is historical fact that the Bible was written by many authors over many years. To say the story of Jesus cannot possibly be true because the Gospel writers present different facts is a bit far-fetched. Since we must accept that none of the Bible was written by eye-witnesses, and was therefore written based on stories that were passed down, it's no surprise that the stories would not be in complete agreement. Baker should focus on arguing that this shows the book is not inspired by a divine being rather than on repeatedly suggesting this is proof that Jesus never existed. After all, if you ask enough people to tell the same story, you will hear plenty of different answers. These inconsistencies do not disprove the existence of Jesus, but they may be enough to prove the Bible is not inspired by any god.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and fast read that shows a deep understanding of the Bible (at least from a historical perspective if not a theological one). I recommend this book to anyone exploring the debate about the Bible, Christianity, God, or religion in general. However, I do not think this is even close to the be-all and end-all of the argument. When you are finished reading this, do yourself a favor and check out a variety of other books on the topic. My next read was "Jesus on Trial," which argues the opposite viewpoint (using a very different approach). I'm sure Brian Baker would agree that one must take in a variety of perspectives in order to formulate a definitive answer on such a huge issue.
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