Book Description
The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Robert Graysmith's Zodiac as "provocative...the taut narrative brings the horror back jolt upon jolt."
And that wasn't even the whole story.
When the Zodiac killings began in 1968, Robert Graysmith, employed at the San Francisco Chronicle, became fascinated with the case. Before the murder spree was over, Zodiac claimed 37 victims. His mocking notes to authorities dared them to catch him. They never did. Now after following the clues for thirty years, Graysmith provides the final chapter-with hundreds of never-before-published photos and the only complete reproduction of the Zodiac letters.
Customer Reviews:
BOOK A+, BUT TOO LONG.......2007-08-27
I enjoyed both Graysmith/Zodiac books, but ZODIAC UNMASKED was 100 PAGES TOO LONG. Plus much of the info was repeated 2-4 times. I was almost expecting a test at the end!
Not as good as it should have been.......2007-08-01
Author too long winded. I love true crime, but this book just couldn't hold my attention.
chopping, uninteresting, self-promoting.......2007-07-22
This is an awful book is myriad ways, but I'll try to mention the very worst aspects. Graysmith's style was choppy and very hard to follow. he frequently refers to events with no context at all and in random order - unless you have committed the entire Zodiac case to memory (and he seems to assume everyone has), you will be as lost as I was. The direct quotes are often difficult to make sense of, as is of course typical when quotes are taken out of full conversations, but a good writer provides elaborating text; Graysmith never bothers. The date format Graysmith imposes is probably intended to give some kind of structure to what really seems to be a bunch of random notes, but it doesn't work at all as he still jumps forward and backward in time and the dates don't seem to be related to anything in particular.
Graysmith's case for Allen as the Zodiac seems no more compelling than the cases for other suspects, and the fact that there was no DNA match, no fingerprint match, and no handwriting match make it clear his whole theory is pure speculation. If Allen hadn't been a pedophile you'd feel sorry for the guy. Whe middle of the book contains constant references to Graysmith's book "Zodiac" and how it was used as a "bible" by police, whom he states bought enormous numbers of copies to learn from, and how "Zodiac" was so wonderfully helpful to a wide variety of people. He also makes several statements such as "had there ever been a greater mystery?" and calls the unresolved hunt for Zodiac "one of the greatest mysteries of all time." Is he kidding? My only remembrance of the Zodiac was because of some old Clint Eastwood movie. If I were to rank eternal mysteries, Zodiac wouldn't even make the list. Graysmith seems to be so obsessed with this topic that he thinks the whole world revolves around it. Move on already.
Obsession Continued.......2007-05-29
It is true that this book is not as engaging and riveting as the first. For some reason though, some people have it out for the author Graysmith. This book is based on and is a literal text of Graysmith's thought process. Like anyone's thought process, this doesn't mean that it's all based entirely in fact. As I said in my review of "Zodiac", most police work isn't based totally in the facts but in speculation that most likely fits those facts. Being as how we weren't at the scene as the crimes were being committed, and if we had all the facts we'd know without a doubt who Zodiac was or is, speculation, whether loosely based on the facts or not, is necessary.
It is fact that Arthur Leigh Allen is the favorite suspect of many of the law enforcement officials closest to the Zodiac investigation. This book isn't how they came to that, but how Graysmith did. Graysmith is no Mike Hammer or, even a spin-off of Zodiac's favorite SFPD inspector Dave Toschi. He's a novice taking a novice's approach. This book is a good continuation of the first book, but it obviously loses a little bit because it doesn't contain the introductions to the crimes and the imagery that comes with such descriptions. I enjoyed it for what it was; don't let people deter you from this work because they have it out for the author. Read it and decide for yourself, make your own conclusions. I'm glad I did.
Mike Mageau's Man.......2007-05-21
Didn't think this was that bad a book. Admittedly, not as well written as "Zodiac", as it does tend to meander back and forth and there were some typos/grammatical errors, etc.
I always had the impression from reading the first "Zodiac" that there was something personal (Allen or whoever did it) with one of the attacks, and that the others were done to make it seem that there was a serial killer on the loose.
Darlene Ferrin, the second of the string of victims, seems the most likely candidate for the "real" target of the killer. As those who read either book know, Darlene, a married woman, was out "chatting" with a friend, Mike Mageau, in a car at an isolated location - a parking lot of a country club or golf club.
Witnesses at the Ferrin's house (she had vistors and babysitters over, as a Fourth of July party had been planned) say that a car had pulled up at the Ferrins' house and the car's occupant appeared to be stalking Darlene. We're led to surmise that the killer followed Darlene and Mike Mageau to the location where they were shot.
Years later, Mageau identifed Allen (from a photograph) as the man who approached the two in the car that night.
Book Description
As the feature list of Adobe Photoshop continues to grow, even users with years of experience can feel overwhelmed by the many tools and methods for selecting or isolating parts of an image. Layers, channels, paths, clipping masks, layer masks, vector masks, the Pen tool, Magic Wand, and so on — all let users work on specific regions of an image, but in fundamentally different ways. Making clean, efficient selections are essential skills for any Photoshop user, whether a graphic designer, professional photographer,
or hobbyist.
Graphic designer, teacher, and Photoshop expert Nigel French saves you hours of frustration by illuminating the best selection tools and techniques for specific tasks, and the most flexible approaches to correcting and editing images in Photoshop. Using step-by-step examples, this book clarifies often-misunderstood selection methods, shows which masks best select a range of tone or color, and demonstrates how the right tools and techniques can help transform even the most mediocre picture into a polished image, saving you hours of time.
• Learn the fundamentals of making selections, and when to choose which method
• Blend images and replace backgrounds using layer, vector, and channel masks
• Correct color and exposure using adjustment layers
• Make next-to-impossible hair selections with channel masks
• Create a non-destructive workflow, giving you total creative freedom
Book Description
This is Alex Boraine's account of South Africa's acclaimed Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was set up after the collapse of the apartheid regime. The TRC had the monumental task not only of uncovering decades of systematic human rights violations, but of doing so in a way that would help a very damaged nation to reconcile and move forward. Boaraine clearly sets out the process leading to the establishment of the TRC, describes the hearings at which victims and perpetrators testified about human rights violations, and considers reactions - inclusding criticisms - to the TRC and its final report. He analyses the key features that contributed to the Commission's success, and gives an honest assessment of some of its mistakes. This is also a personal story, giving insight into the feelings, disappointments, and rewards that the TRC's participants experienced. This book helps to elucidate and answer the many difficlut questions that were crucial to South Africa's TRC , and that need to be addressed by all people who are working with societies in transition.
Customer Reviews:
Speaking from experience.......2007-09-07
I would like to give this book no stars at all, but that seems impossible. Any person who spread material like this is not of God, nor is he trying to further his work. My reason for making such high claims is that having done some study myself, (But, in no way am I prefect) find that this books contains a lot of truths, but mixed into them are flat out lies. As the Bible teaches Satan is the Father of all lies, so if this book claims these lies as truth in which it has it is not of God. I have many friends who are Mormons, and have even studied with the "Elders" of the Church. These lies and hypocrisys are very hurtful to me, and to those who I call my friends. I fell this books goal is not to bring Mormon's to the truth, but to distingush their belief in God. What great can be said of such a thing. I could not even finish reading it, because it made me feel sick, and even confused. As it is written in Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Don't allow yourselves to believe such things as misinterrepted scripture, no happiness will come from it.
very informative.......2007-08-28
This is a great book if you are looking for side by side info. As a Christian, I found it to be a well presented book. I felt they were careful with the facts. Very useful. The fact two people who had mormon background had input was a plus.
They've been Unmasked ... now what should we be doing ?.......2007-07-16
This is another important book for those who have Mormon friends and/or family. These good people need to hear the truth, not just what their leaders have convinced them is the truth.
Are u kidding me?.......2007-03-26
I have never met a person who has ever become too familiar with "Mormons" that has not come to respect them. If u want to learn more about Mormons, ask them, cuz anything from anyone else is totally biased.
NOT A REVIEW.......2007-01-05
this is not a review of the book, and i hope i haven't changed its rating, but i feel that i must clarify something about what other people have said.
i grew up a Morman, now i am an atheist (sort of). I also attended a methodist church for about five years while i lived with my aunt. Mormons are NO different than any other christian religian except the fact that they are heavily family oriented and other churches are act like a lunatic and scream hallelujiah oriented. That was kind of a joke.
Bassically it comes to this, Mormon doctrine sometimes contradicts the Bible. So What? the BIBLE contradicts the bible. the last supper doesnt have the same events in any of the four gospels. i know, i've read them, in NIV and KJ versions. the Mormons only use kj.
therefore if mormons aren't christians because they're doctrine contradicts the bible, then what are christians because theirs does too.
Book Description
What if you were told that the revered leader Abraham Lincoln was actually a political tyrant who stifled his opponents by suppressing their civil rights? What if you learned that the man so affectionately referred to as the “Great Emancipator” supported white supremacy and pledged not to interfere with slavery in the South? Would you suddenly start to question everything you thought you knew about Lincoln and his presidency?
You should.
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who ignited a fierce debate about Lincoln’s legacy with his book The Real Lincoln, now presents a litany of stunning new revelations that explode the most enduring (and pernicious) myths about our sixteenth president. Marshaling an astonishing amount of new evidence, Lincoln Unmasked offers an alarming portrait of a political manipulator and opportunist who bears little resemblance to the heroic, stoic, and principled figure of mainstream history.
Did you know that Lincoln . . .
• did NOT save the union? In fact, Lincoln did more than any other individual to destroy the voluntary union the Founding Fathers recognized.
• did NOT want to free the slaves? Lincoln, who did not believe in equality of the races, wanted the Constitution to make slavery “irrevocable.”
• was NOT a champion of the Constitution? Contrary to his high-minded rhetoric, Lincoln repeatedly trampled on the Constitution—and even issued an arrest warrant for the chief justice of the United States!
• was NOT a great statesman? Lincoln was actually a warmonger who manipulated his own people into a civil war.
• did NOT utter many of his most admired quotations? DiLorenzo exposes a legion of statements that have been falsely attributed to Lincoln for generations—usually to enhance his image.
In addition to detailing Lincoln’s offenses against the principles of freedom, equality, and states’ rights, Lincoln Unmasked exposes the vast network of academics, historians, politicians, and other “gatekeepers” who have sanitized his true beliefs and willfully distorted his legacy. DiLorenzo reveals how the deification of Lincoln reflects a not-so-hidden agenda to expand the size and scope of the American state far beyond what the Founding Fathers envisioned—an expansion that Lincoln himself began.
The hagiographers have shaped Lincoln’s image to the point that it has become more fiction than fact. With Lincoln Unmasked, DiLorenzo shows us an Abraham Lincoln without the rhetoric, lies, and political bias that have clouded a disastrous president’s enduring damage to the nation.
Customer Reviews:
Things you won't hear anywhere else.......2007-10-05
This is an excellent book for anyone looking to learn more about President Abraham Lincoln. This is one book that is not afraid to look at the truth and ask the hard questions about his presidency, his policies and the war. I would recommend this to anyone who is tired of the politically correct hero worship of President Lincoln.
best book in years!!.......2007-08-23
Those who want to read and understand the real history of Lincoln that has never made it into public school teachings, have an invaluable source with Tom Dilorenzo. History of the myth of Lincoln and the War of northern aggression have been absent from the big government controlled public schools, while American states citizens dont realize, or choose to ignore for economic, social, political reasons, the truth of Lincoln's beliefs, views and his party attitudes towards him.
Whats so truthful is how his party(Republican)manipulated his image away from his pro-white and sessionist views into a savior to the American population post the war. It so exposes the lies and deceit he and Sec of state Seward perpetrated in THEIR OWN WORDS on the American population. They used their "please your enemy" on the surface political approaches, while sneaking behind the scenes with their real agenda of centralizing businesses under governmental control with taxes and tariffs!! Drawing fire on Ft. Sumter (protecting a main tariff collection point in Charleston) was always a known tactic and its nice to see it confirmed.
The special interests of the day and the republican involved in banking and railroads, and the tariffs the government dumped on the population at northern businesses request, made certain groups and special interests cash positive at the expense of others. This invoked changes in the nature of the individual and free markets of the first 80+ years of the real constitution. Lots of political patronage efforts with land giveaways are enlightening and forgotten as to why it was done at the time.
People need to be reminded the government was and still is, giving things away to dumb down the population. No wonder the south was angry and seceeded, and freeing black people from the oppression of slavery had NOTHING to do with it. It sounds noble, but was never true
all about the messenger rather than the message.......2007-06-25
This is a curious book.
Primarily it is a cut and paste job from other sources. DiLorenzo liberally, almost exclusively, quotes other books and articles. In fact, due to this liberal use of double-quotes it is frequently difficult to tell his words from the others. The general effect is nothing more than a review of recent anti-Lincoln scholarship and critiques. In doing so, he trumpets himself as the scholar of the 'true' Lincoln. However, his critique of Lincoln scholarship ignores the most of the new work done in the last 3 decades or so.
The greatest failing of the book is its lack of almost all historical background and context. Conclusions are presented "de facto", typically with nothing more than 'we say so', rather than any attempt at vigorous historical methodology.
In many cases, DiLorenzo stretches credulity. Once, for instance, he compares Sherman's bombardment of Atlanta with the potential 'carpet-bombing' of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco
DiLorenzo 'demolishes' several Lincoln myths. All well and good, but I sincerely doubt that the 'myths' so lovingly demolished are such in anyone's mind than the authors. He gives no references to Lincoln writing, biographies or other works promoting the 'myths'. Additionally he 'proves' that a handful of Lincoln 'quotes' are not from Lincoln, Again, the quotes are not rolling-off-the-tongue, common Lincoln attributions and DiLorenzo provides no direction as to where these quotes are used in the Lincoln historiography. DiLorenzo seems appalled that Lincoln, a non-Christian, would use the Bible for moral guidance. After a couple of brief chapters, DiLorenzo inserts a tangential chapter on the 'The myth of morally superior Yankee', in which Lincoln's name appears less than a handful of times and then only parenthetically!
Other parts of the book border on the ridiculous.
In reviewing the important social and economic legislation, DiLorenzo looks at 19th century advances from his vantage point 150 years later. He derides the 'high-priced steel' caused by tariffs as a 'hindrance'. It is difficult to fathom a history of manufacturing more robust than the half century after Appomattox. He shoos this aside by saying, industry developed 'in spite of the tariff'.
Land grant colleges are targeted as a 'mixed blessing' due to 'today's plague of political correctness'. Apparently the tens of millions of graduates in education, engineering, medicine, agriculture, the law, economics and other fields do not count for much.
The author continues his personal history of confused facts. Among a number: he states that 75% of white southern military-aged men were either killed or maimed for life in the war, and that the Southern slave population was only 3% of its total.
All in all, DiLorenzo continues his practice of measuring Lincoln's actions with his own ivory-tower intentions. As with his previous books, we learn more about the messenger than the message. DiLorenzo appears to be afraid of change. His Lincoln of 1862 is the same Lincoln of 1838, as if the man did not move through time and experience, and any change and maturing of views is seen as weakness.
Hogswallop.......2007-06-15
I don't know, perhaps the teaching of history has declined since I learned it way back when, but I've heard all of this before. Indeed, I learned some of the main points from those Dilorenzo calls "the Lincoln cult." Consequently, I don't dispute most of the facts that the author puts forward. I do argue with Dilorenzo's interpretation of history, his view of government, and even what he considers desirable. What really irks me, however, is the shopworn rhetorical strategy he adopts: a Conspiracy of Evil has prevented a just estimation of things. It gets a little tiresome, particularly when the brush is so broad and the tar so liberally (you should pardon the expression) applied. Unless you want to hear questions begged and second-hand news broadcast as revelation, read a real book on Lincoln instead.
Methinks the critics doth protest too much.......2007-06-06
It's always essential to separate history from writings which simply favor the victor, since the conflict of interest between truth and jingo require careful examination and objective analysis-- in addition to wariness of pro-victor bias in popular hagiography. However critics here seem intent on throwing out this rule, in favor of unquestioning Lincoln-worship.
First, Publisher's Weekly states that "the author's loathing of Lincoln is an ideological commitment to states' sovereignty, a doctrine largely undone by the Civil War." This reveals an ideological bias so strong that it doesn't realize its own error: if the doctrine was "undone" by the war, then it clearly existed beforehand-- and was "undone" only by brute force of Lincoln's military rule, rather than actual legal merits of his position; one could easily make the same argument for any successful dictator. However the critic condones this without question, apparently blinded by bias.
The critic likewise blasts DiLorenzo for attacking biased historians as "cover-up artists" and "propagandists--" while tacitly conceding the truth of these statements, and resorts to ad hominem attack: again presenting an apparent bias.
"Booklist" critic Gilbert Taylor likewise directs the invective that "DiLorenzo directs acid criticism at President Lincoln in this espousal of 'Lost Cause' ideology," arbitrarily stating that "Lincoln was the legal winner of the 1860 presidential election, and it is vital to contrast the legality of his election with the speculative right to nullification and secession that DiLorenzo champions in this defense of the Lost Cause." He then continues that "DiLorenzo has a nugget of a case, but it is overargued and is not measured against the secessionists' thwarting of a legitimate election by sundering the U.S."
Any objective student of American history should know quite well, that Nullification-arguments were (and are) based entirely on the premise of unqualified sovereignty of a state's people over that of the federal compact as regards to supreme rule within their state; therefore no such "contrast" is applicable, and any argument against Nullification and Secession, must first address and negate this premise of popular sovereignty. However neither of these critics seems willing or able to do so, each being too thoroughly (and arbitrarily) convinced that history truly happened as the victors wrote it-- and that the law means what the victors claimed it meant, regardless of all evidence to the contrary. This defies all responsibility of basic objective introspection, which typifies egocentrism.
Taylor likewise responds to DiLorenzo's claims of a "'cult' of biographers and Civil War historians who conceals the historical Lincoln from the public," stating that "but if this cabal exits, it is unable to stanch a steady flow of anti-Lincoln books."
Here Taylor confuses DiLorenzo's claims of mass-hagiography with claims of censorship, implying that somehow the mass-idolization of Lincoln cannot supplant objective scrutiny, unless it results in absolute book-bans regarding anything to the contrary.
Likewise, Taylor's phrase "steady flow" is misleading and devoid of all proportion, basically "straining out gnats and swallowing camels" in failing to address the relative steady and ever-increasing deluge of PRO-Lincoln books and media, which has flooded the American and world mainstream for almost 150 years-- against which the anti-Lincoln media is a drop in the ocean. Refusal to recognize quality vs. quantity in such an outrageous manner, is inexcusable.
(Ironically, Taylor closes with the statement that "However, general readers are accustomed to noncritical admiration of Lincoln and might be motivated by DiLorenzo's assertive, free-swinging style into exploring the validity of his argument." Apparently, Taylor admits that Lincoln is so non-critically admired as to "accustom general readers" to such, but at the same time implies that no such popular bias exists.)
Here it seems that these critics are too blind to their own pro-Lincoln prejudices, to be capable of rendering an objective evaluation of either Lincoln or any arguments against him.
Book Description
NEWLY REVISED, REWRITTEN, AND EXPANDED with TWO ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS. This NEW EDITION contains a plethora of fresh material woven into the text in response to reviewers, readers, critics, friends and foes alike! JEHOVAH UNMASKED is now more hard-hitting, controversial, and informative than ever! ACHARYA S, best-selling author of THE CHRIST CONSPIRACY and SUNS OF GOD highly recommends JEHOVAH UNMASKED: "Rev. Merritt illustrates a powerful personal journey that many people can relate to but may not yet have made themselves. Like our individualized personalities, our conclusions to cosmic conundrums may be different. Nevertheless, JEHOVAH UNMASKED represents another nail in the biblical coffin that contains a mummified and rotten god belonging to the violent barbarians and troglodytes of the Stone Age." Acharya S, Archaeologist, Historian, Mythologist, Linguist, Member of The American School of Classical Studies at Athens Greece.
From LIVING TRADITIONS magazine, 5-13-2007:
Jehovah Unmasked is a controversial and confronting book; it will shock many Christians who are used to accepting their faith without question. The author is someone who has been seeking for a long time. After a lifetime of searching, with his youth in the "Jehovah's Witnesses", fifteen years as a Baptist minister and time as a Buddhist, he returned to the Bible once and for all to really see what was "going on". What he discovered was a revelation, a Gnostic Revelation.
The view Merritt presents, will, at first, seem alien to most Christians and may even infuriate many readers and yet it was a view held by many early Christians. While modern "fundamentalist and evangelical" authors like to portray Gnosticism as a Christian heresy, the evidence now available is quite the reverse. The early Christian faith including a diversity of opinions and Gnosticism was a normal segment of that continuum; it was only with the ascendancy of the "Catholic Church" as a power structure that Gnosticism (and other alternatives) were suppressed.
Merritt offers us an excellent introduction to Christian origins and shows, quite conclusively I think, that the development of the Bible was manipulated and controlled by the various Church councils. It did not evolve under the inspiration of the "Holy Spirit" but was developed, censored and edited to fit the political agenda of a developing power structure. But there was more than power in the mix here.
Merritt explores Gnosticism and comes to the conclusion that the being known as Jehovah rather than being the father of Jesus and the God of mankind is actually a violent demi-god, in the terms of Gnosticism, the Demiurge. Matter like spirit is eternal and Jehovah is one of many demi gods (Aeons) who on the lower rung of spiritual hierarchy, he manipulated man's creation and hence was the "creator of man's body", but it was the forces of light which breathed life into man. This conflict between the lord of matter and the true Lord of Spirit is central to the Gnostic vision. As outlined in various Gnostic scriptures Jehovah became too big for his boots and tried to claim the whole of creation for himself, hence his rather insane ravings in the Old Testament and, sadly, the evolution of Judaism and Christianity.
Like many dualist Gnostics Merritt sees Jehovah as Samael or Satan, the Lord of this World and hence Jehovah and the Elohim (the Aeons) are in direct opposition to the Kingdom of Light from which Jesus emanated. The Elohim or Aeons do not offer man liberation, indeed as we read the Old Testament we find a harrowing account of the violence inflicted on and encouraged by Jehovah.
Merritt does not just expound his views without sources; he offers his vast Biblical knowledge to show from BIBLICAL sources- the evidence for his thesis. He proves from the Bible itself that Jehovah is not the true God of Light and indeed is a rather violent if not insane demi-god.
He also explores reincarnation in the Bible, the nature of Gnosticism and his vision of real spirituality.
This is a challenging read which offers an impeccably researched and extremely well documented alternative view to mainstream Christianity. It is an important read for those who see the violence the world's fundamentalists have caused and wonder if this was really what Jesus intended and if there is another way to understand the Christian message.
Customer Reviews:
This book will change your life........2007-10-06
Absolutely a five-star book! My favorite gnostic Christian book for many reasons. Handing a copy of the Nag Hammadi Library to a Christian fundamentalist isn't going to awake him from the lies. Handing them a book on the history of gnosticism or a book that sounds new-agey won't help them either. But this book is different. The information presented is very powerful. Nathaniel Merritt plays on the turf that Christians like: the bible. There's no more denying the shocking and liberating truth! Jehovah is not our loving Heavenly Father!
I laughed with joy while reading this book. I hope you will as well.
Thank you, thank you Nathaniel for fearlessly serving your fellow man with the publishing of this book.
Lifting The Veil ..........2007-09-27
Nathaniel Merritt has tackled The Problem of Jehovah, and has done an excellent job in uncovering the true nature of the Judeo-Christian "God". I found it very interesting to read the other reviews of this book. The reviews were quite revealing, in regard to the particular mind-set and prejudices of each reviewer.
I was brought up to believe that Jehovah was the One and Only True God, and, that he was also The Father, the God of Love, that Jesus proclaimed. Even as a child, I found it hard to reconcile the harsh, jealous God of the Old Testament with the loving Father of Jesus, as described in the New Testament. I found it hard to love this bloody, demanding God. Fear him - Yes. Love him - No. As I grew older, I noticed, as Merritt pointed out, that the majority of Christians that I knew acted more like Jehovah than Jesus.
The most insidious thing about religious programming is that it casts a veil over the mind, and it is extremely difficult to overcome. Reading about the terrible and destructive exploits of Jehovah should set off an alarm in any "normal" person's head. This is our loving Father?
Over the last 25 years, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in Biblical research. What I discovered shocked and disturbed me, but, it - definitely - lifted the veil. Along the way, I found out that the majority of educated Jews that I came in contact with don't believe that major portions of the Old Testament are Literal. They look at them as Allegory. I look at them as Horror, and unfit for children, as well as for adults.
Merritt's efforts in this book are reminiscent of the child in the children's story, "The Emperor's New Clothes". The child in the story loudly proclaimed that the Emperor was, in fact, naked ... It was all a con job, and the people were too intimidated to speak up. Like the child, Merritt is not deterred from speaking out the truth.
Nathaniel Merritt deserves a place of honor among his peers, the Honest biblical scholars who have risked it all in the name of truth. Do yourself a favor. Read this book.
Opening Pandoras box a little wider.......2007-08-09
This book highlights an age old belief in the demiurge (craftsman or creator). Alternative Gnostic names for the Demiurge include Yaldabaoth, Yao or Iao, Ialdabaoth and several other variants. The author must be applauded for bringing forth the following information to enlighten specifically those who have influence of a Judeo-Christian background:
The flawed Character of Jehovah depicting an evil and malevolent deity comparison to the devil himself (much evidence eg 1 Chronicles 21:1 and 2 Samuel 24:1, yet page 171 "may or may not" shows uncertainty to this position)- The Divine Feminine - The formulation of the bible and its corruption by Jewish and Catholic authorities - The murder & destruction of Gnostics, Gnostic views and manuscripts - Gnostics as being the true Christians - The widely held belief and acceptance of reincarnation and the suppression of this by the Catholic Church (excellent sources provided) - `Monkey see monkey do' I.e. humanity following in the footsteps in the sins of the father (Jehovah); Jehovah as an evil, malevolent role model for humanity. A look at the other reviews for this present work will provide numerous scriptural references for that which I have just mentioned.
Of special interest to myself was page 116 of this book. Herein is described the book of Genesis comprising two sources; one from the Elohist source and one from the Jehovist source. The author points out that within the Elohist document we find the religion of the northern tribes (Israel) who worshiped the God El and his underling elohim. The Jehovist document describes the evil and bloodthirsty Jehovah or Yahweh. It is stated that "in the 5th century B.C. Jewish priests combined portions of the J and E documents, adding some of their own thoughts, which are referred to as JE Documents". It is unfortunate that the author of this book did not provide further sources of information to corroborate this information, as this is a pivotal point, especially as this present book contains much repetition needlessly clamouring for authenticity. My own studies reveal that the God El has its roots in Armenia Mesopotamia. It is interesting to note that the wife of El is Ashtoreth, the mother of the Gods; interesting in that Ashtoreth is suppressed in the Old Testament in sync with the suppression of the Divine feminine. Also interesting to note is that Baal is the son of El. Further study is needed in clarifying sources and linking all of this with the Gnostic position of the seven Cosmo creators. H. P. Blavatsky in the `Secret Doctrine Vol 1' pages 136-152 provides information towards the Gnostic view of the 7 Cosmo creators, inclusive of correlation with the Bhagavad-Gita.
On the negative side I found the author inconsistent. Firstly according to Gnostic understanding there are levels in the way scripture can be read I.e. Exoteric, mesoteric and esoteric. I've even heard it said that there were 3 bibles written in correlation to this. With this in mind, even with the acceptance of corruption, it is advised to not chuck the baby out with the bath water. Example: firstly the genesis story is not particular to the Jews. Second there is an esoteric side to the rendering of Genesis, inclusive of `spiritual death'. The author maligns the genesis story in sink with literalism, yet on page 173 slams Christians and Jews for using the "grammatical historical method" in interpreting scripture. The author does end the book admonishing to see beyond literalism (Archetypes etc) but this is a little too late when it comes to his maligning of the Genesis account.
Sin and sinners: even Gnostics acknowledge sin and the need for repentance and right moral conduct. It should be noted that there is an esoteric perspective on sin which is beyond the scope of this review.
Gnostic > knower. (Mythomania & the Gnostic egoic also require either the blade or fire). This goes beyond intellect. For those of understanding and insight, it is apparent when an author has Gnosis and when an author has merely an intellectual understanding of Gnosis; to the following next two points does this also apply (To transcend the physical body is to know of the reality of which I speak).
Hell: The author does not accept the reality of this realm. A study of most religions will reveal that this is widely accepted. See also the Divine Comedy and journeys of Emanuel Swedenborg etc.
Acceptance of Homo_exuality: The deeper work of Gnosis usually reveals a divergence at this point. See recommend book review inclusive of work with Divine Mother Kundalini, + - polarities.
Buddhism: The author states that he is disillusioned by his experiences; personally I have found that there is a good deal of correlation with the Gnostic work. I am aware that there are different schools, but once again filtering for that which is needful is always a good method.
Easy street, now that Jehovah is out of the picture: No such luck, the work just got harder since this Pandora's Box got opened. Take up thy cross and follow me is the admonishment. Readers are now required to ask "So what do I do now" especially in light of the revelation of the Gnostic work. Unfortunately the author only alludes to the NT Christ and book recommendations found in the last pages. This admittedly is a good start, especially Stephan A Hoeller's website and products. Still this only gives an intellectual understanding of Gnosis and sides with stagnant results similar to most in the 4th way school. The present author states in his book that the Gnostic can function on his own, citing the biblical reference of 'not needing any to teach you'; Good luck! Most adepts are of an order/school, empowered and helped; a sincere heart, willing to sacrifice all to obtain the great pearl, will always find a way.
Recommend Reading as a next step to go beyond the mind and exoteric gnosis:
Gnosis I, II, & III by Boris Mouravieff
Seeker of Truth.......2007-08-05
I could not give this book 5 stars because it left me somewhat confused as to the author's position. The book overall was an eye opener for me. I have been a Christian for more than 25 years and always had questions about some of the actions of Jehovah. As I read the last chapter, I was surprised at my emotions (tears down my cheeks). My confusion however, stemmed from the author exposing all of the atrocious acts of Jehovah as literal act, but in the last chapter, states that we should not take anything we read in the Bible literally...yet he does in the OT. If OT scripture is literal, then I can understand his anger, but if it is mythical, then he should have explained all the wars and violence as our war with our animal nature and the spiritual enemies that seek to destroy us. In the question and answer chapter, it seems to me that he believes in Christ coming in the flesh, but again in the final chapter, he states that Christ is a myth. Other than that, the book was very interesting and I am open to his ideas, but found it hard to accept that Satan/Elohim and rebellious gods created this universe. That is stretching it, in my opinion.
A book for those on the cusp between the lies and the truth.......2007-03-18
This book helped me finally dispel the last vestiges of my imprisonment when I read it a year ago. Nate doesn't pull any punches about the counterfeit Christianity, but it's balanced by a celestial compassion that only one who has gone through the pain of living in the shadow of Christianity could understand.
This is an important book. It will reveal the meme, the virus and the sickness we've been dealing with for 2000 years. At the same time, it is a portal into what the first and real Christians called gnosis (or enlightenment, satori or just waking up from a bad dream).
It really comes down to this-- you can believe in God like you can believe the weather will be in a few days or you can directly experience the unconditional love and freedom of the Divine.
It's your choice.
Abraxas
Book Description
Despite what the jury thought, does the evidence demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that O.J. Simpson was guilty of murdering two people? O.J. Unmasked is a devastating review of the Simpson trial evidence, with disturbing and sometimes startling findings.
Customer Reviews:
Detailed Review of Defense Contradictions and Exaggerations.......2002-09-08
I have read most of the popular books about the Simpson case except for the Marcia Clark book, which I skimmed in a bookstore and decided that it added nothing new. This summer, I read Fuhrman's book and now this.
O.J. Unmasked is similar to Bugliosi's book, Outrage, in that it provides a great deal of detail and analysis of contradictions and exaggerations in the defense arguments. The two books even directly share some observations such as the fact that Simpson admitted during questioning by the police that he had bled around his house the night of the murders so there was little incentive for the police to then go and replant blood at a location he already had admitted bleeding in. The book is not so much a continuous narrative of the trial and related issues as it is a consideration of different bits of evidence and arguments put forth by the defense. Each chapter considers a different bit of evidence and underlying strategy. Rantala tries and I think succeeds in showing much of the defense's case was bunk when examined in detail and considered as a whole.
Some examples: there is a chapter on how the defense treated Fung as both a bungling idiot who handled no evidence correctly and yet was able to deftly participate in a massive coverup leaving almost no clues except perhaps some wet bindles. There is a good discussion of how Scheck's sneering closing argument misrepresented Henry Lee's actual testimony and other evidence and of the complete irrelevance of the Furhman tapes. There is also a small section on how the jury clearly misunderstood the DNA evidence and the non-issue of EDTA contamination of the blood stains on the back gate (there was no EDTA in these stains). And while numerous police arriving at the scene prior to Fuhrman confirmed they saw only a single glove at the crime scene, this was largely ignored at trial.
The ending, whereby she discusses all of the coincidences that would have to be true if Simpson were innocent, is almost worth the price of the book. I do think one flaw is that she does not discuss enough how Ito's abdication of the courtroom to all kinds of lawyer antics played a large role in the aura of confusion they were permitted to create and that ultimately won the case for Simpson. I also like how her argument that the media (read Geraldo, et al.) relied almost exclusively on lawyers for analysis and as a result, never had scientific or forensic specialists in to examine some of the court room claims for their factuality.
Overall, I would put this in the must read category for Simpson trial buffs along with Toobin's book (best overview), Bugliosi's book (how the prosecution should have tried the case), Schiller's book (a detailed behind the scenes look at defense team intrigues and strategy), and Fuhrman's book (what the crime scene evidence showed and how Vanatter et al. really messed up.)
And finally, to answer some of one reviewers' ersatz concerns: Simpson did not "smear blood all over the console". There were some blood spots and a bloody foot print on the floor mat (size 12) but not smeared blood. Some of the spots were so small, they were hard to get enough sample for DNA testing. Simpson even admitted he bled in his car (the "cut myself on my cell phone" excuse) though it is hard to fathom how Goldman's blood got there if it was that sharp cell phone that caused the bleeding. And Simpson DID bring home his shoes, clothes, and knife as well as the glove and socks. He put the shoes, clothes and knife in a knapsack which he let no one touch and which not even the defense team could produce. To this day, no one can say where that bag is. Most likely, Simpson tossed it in an airport garbage can and was lucky that no one found it before it was taken to a city dump. The socks he just took off and probably did not think there was any evidence on them. And/or he forgot them near his bed in his hurry. The glove was dropped as he banged into the air conditioner in Kato's guest house. He did not have time to go back and get it nor may he even have been aware that he had dropped it. BTW, the glove was soaked with his blood. If it were a plant and there were another killer, it should have had other blood on it as well. And so on....
The Final Verdict.......2001-12-11
For OJ to be guilty, you must believe that he quickly disposed of the bloody clothes, shoes, and knives so they would NEVER be found, yet brought the socks and glove back to his home! And then smeared blood all over the console!
The coroner who did the autopsies testified "the forensic evidence says the murders occurred after 11PM". The limousine driver testified he brought OJ to the airport at that time. When you read this book, note how they avoid discussing these facts.
The Best Single Book to Read.......2001-07-18
If you only read one book about the criminal trial of O. J. Simpson, this little gem is the one to read.
Yes, Ms. Rantala believes that O. J. participated in the murders. If you count that as a bias, then you must consider paying attention and retaining information to be vices.
The strength of her book, however, is not her fervent belief that O. J. got away with murder(s). Rather, the book's virtue is her clear communication of why the prosecutors ought to have been able to prove O. J. guilty in court.
I believe that the jurors did what they had to do, given the hash that the prosecutors made of the case: the liars for whom the prosecutors vouched; the handling of evidence that raised more questions than the prosecutors could swat away; the motives that made no sense as presented; and so on. However, Rantala shows that, although the verdict was legally correct because Simpson was not proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the result of the trial was at odds with the facts.
Great book. Ignore the "OJ is innocent" reviewer!.......2001-07-10
.... Now, turning to the relatively sane rest of the world...this is a compelling and intelligent read that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all OJ buffs, even if you think you've already read enough books on the subject (as I thought I had). Jeffrey Toobin's book remains the best overview of the whole loopy story, and Bugliosi's "Outrage" stands as the most powerful analysis of the trial, what went wrong with it, and how it could/should have gone down. But THIS serves as the most inscrutably logical dissection of the evidence and arguments presented in the trial (as well as some delightful bonuses like the trivia quiz). Rantala does a wonderful job of proving the contradictions and nonsense in the defense arguments simply by providing examples from the text and forcing the reader to ask himself the most obvious questions about it, again and again confirming that no conclusion other than OJ's guilt is even within the realm of possibility.
Don't let the book's low profile fool you (I'd never even heard of it, I just happened upon it in the library). Even if you already agree with its conclusions, it's a terrific read, and conversely, it SHOULD (though obviously HASN'T) convince anyone who still harbors doubts: The verdict was wrong. A killer walks free.
The Reason Why O.J. Simpson is Not Guilty.......2000-06-03
The testimony of the two witnesses who cannot lie say that OJ Simpson is not guilty.
Blood and flesh were found under Nicole Brown's fingernails; the blood type did not match OJ (or Nicole or Ron). Ron Goldman walked to work, worked out, and practiced karate; his hands showed bruises from punching someone in the face or head more than once. OJ had no scratches or bruises on his hands, arms, face, or body: he could not have been a lone murderer.
The newspapers said that when the bodies were found after 12:15 AM their red blood was trickling down the sidewalk. The crime scene pictures printed in the National Enquirer showed the red blood. This says they were freshly killed, around 11:30, because their blood would be black and clotted if dead for over an hour (as in the Borden Murders).
The above physical evidence proves OJ Simpson to be innocent of these murders. Some say the 25 to 30 stab wounds on Ron Goldman suggest an emotional frenzy from a personal enemy, and Nicole Brown was the innocent bystander. The book "Killing Time" is the first and only objective book (arguments for both sides) to discuss all the evidence.
I hope that those who want to know the facts will read this, and reconsider any prejudgments that they made in June 1994.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful Book
- Originally Posted on Romance Junkies in 2005
- Un-bearable (but I bought it. . . .)
- Sci-Fi Thrills and Sensual Chills
- CJ Barry has done it again
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Unmasked (Futuristic Romance)
C. J. Barry
Manufacturer: Love Spell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0505525747 |
Book Description
To the merchants he plunders, he's the Ghost Rider of the Dead Zone. To sector law enforcement, he's a wanted pirate. To the slaves he rescues, he's the savior, laghato. To one determined female, Qaade Deter is serious trouble.
Torrie Masters had heard of the legendary raider, but she'd never expected to encounter him. Nor would she have expected that beneath his black mask lurked an enticing man destined to challenge her in ways she couldn't shoot her way out of.
But a great threat has emerged—one that's left no choice but for them to join forces. Entrusted with the fate of thousands, Torrie has discovered Qaade's impossible dream. Only she has the power to help him. Only she has the power to see him…UNMASKED.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2007-08-14
I enoyed this entire series.
Well written, start right off and go.
Kudo's to ya!
Originally Posted on Romance Junkies in 2005.......2007-05-13
The Unforgettable Series by C.J. Barry began with Unearthed, followed in short order by Unraveled and Unleashed (Futuristic Romance). With UNMASKED, the author has brought us the most delectable hero of all-Qaade Deter. A man of many faces, he's at once a plunderer known only as the Ghost Rider of the Dead Zone. To law enforcement officials on a number of planets, he's a pirate wanted dead or alive. For the men and women forced into slavery and set free by an unknown hero, he's laghato, the savior. To Torrie Masters, a freight captain on a maiden voyage for her family's business, the man in the mask is nothing but trouble with a capital T.
When the Ghost Rider and his gang of roughshod, yet lovable pirates capture the Ventura2, Torrie refuses to bail. This is her ship, by God, and if the engine core is going to melt down, it will just have to take her with it. Fortunately-or not, depending on your point of view-the inevitable breakdown doesn't happen. Instead, her ship is overrun by pirates, and Torrie is taken captive.
In what could have been the end of a very short-lived life as a Captain, the leader of the Ghost Riders sets her free-then turns around and demands her help in return. The pirates are intent on setting free those in slavery, and Qaade expects a grateful Torrie to assist him. Torrie, who had a hand in the rescue of her brother Zain from just such a fate, admires Qaade and his gangly band of merry men in their endeavors. But Torrie isn't sure that joining forces with a man both feared and admired the solar system over is someone to go into league with.
As passions ignite, tempers flare, and forces unite in a bid to save the universe, both Torrie and Qaade are thrown into more and more desperate-and dangerous-circumstances. They'll have to trust each other to survive, and dealing with the emotions of their hearts seems to be the least of their worries.
UNMASKED, although the fourth in the series, is a stand-alone book that lovers of action-adventure, science fiction, and futuristic romances can all enjoy. The story is almost like a ragtag Robin Hood, with the bad guys as good guys in disguise, and a heroine that makes Maid Marian look like a wimp. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and happily anticipate the next book in the series.
Un-bearable (but I bought it. . . .).......2007-03-20
The universe of Unmasked is just a little less flat than the characters. Torrie, the female lead, is a spoiled rich brat who whines her way through one situation after another. She's presented as a no-holds-barred butt-kicking action hero, but she's got no practical experience. The product of an equally as whiney family, I don't know that I would expect much better from her. None of the secondary characters have any backbone. The villian really doesn't have any motivation for what he's doing that's explained until 2/3 of the way through the book and comes off as a pale copy of a 007 antagonist. The pirates aren't terribly believable since they're just kind of there, even when they're beating the tar out of people who deserve it. There isn't a lot to explain the slaves either, beyond a few lines about what they sometimes do, and their owners love to thump on them. The love scenes left me cold as well since a description about a man kissing "ribs" and "hipbones" makes the reader imagine that Torrie is built like a long-time heroin user, not to mention I lost count of how many times the word erection appeared. . . .
However, I *adored* the hero. Qaade, having lived the life he did, has every reason to want to save the universe from a past like he had. He's gruff and numbed by the indignities he sees on a daily basis but still has a heart and the desire to fight for what's right. He's the kind of soul who'd offer the shirt off his back if it helped someone. This is a character who deserves something for himself for all the good he's done in the universe. Too bad he finds this raging whiner instead of the kind of woman he truly deserves.
Sci-Fi Thrills and Sensual Chills.......2005-11-06
I love how C. J. Barry's books continue to be great no matter how good she gets. No churning out books at the speed of light for this author, no sir! The amount of waiting time between her books is enough to make a person scream, but that only makes the reading of them all the sweeter for the effort she puts into them. Her latest, "Unmasked", is the best of her books to date. She's turned a new page with this installment in her "Un" series, taking the usual fluff and morphing it into a true sci-fi tale that is sure to please any readers of the genre.
Qaade Deter is the famous Ghost Rider, a space pirate that is the bane of many peoples existance. But through his efforts, millions of lives have also been saved. He won't rest until he's saved millions more from a terrible drug that wipes people's minds, making it easier to subjugate and enslave them. Torrie Masters is the only girl in an overprotective family with a huge shipping operation. On her maiden voyage as captain, which took moving a mountain to accomplish (with all those overprotective family memebers), she has the rotten luck to run into the notorious Ghost Rider. He only wants to confiscate part of her cargo, a drug that is his operation's only hope of reversing the effects of the drugs that help to enslave his people.The situation quickly escalates out of control though and Qaade is forces to take Torrie hostage in order to escape.
Both despise one another instantly (and are attracted too)- Torrie thinking that Qaade is just a dirty pirate who is responsible for a lot of the lost profits and damages her families company has sustained over the years; Qaade thinks Torrie is nothing but a spoiled little rich girl that has the resources to help the victims of the slave trade, but chooses instead to turn a blind eye. To say Qaade is a man on a mission would be an understatement. He has his own personal reasons for the life he has chosen. Torrie is exposed to the underworld of space, quickly realizing that there is a need for the kind of help Qaade gives. She is torn between loyalty to her family and business and the cause that Qaade is leading. No whilting willow, Torrie can more than take care of herself. She turns out in the end to be an admirable heroine for Qaade while he in turn is truly noble for all he is trying to accomplish. He does get hung up on the revenge a bit, but other than that, he and Torrie made a fiery pair that complimented each other nicely. The sensual side was slightly underdone in comparison to her previous titles, but still satisfactory when we did get a glimpse of it. The focus here was more on the plot, which was great for a change.
Unmasked is a futuristic Robin Hood-like read filled with vivid characters that struggle with the horrors of slavery and oppression and the means to go about abolishing it. Qaade and Torrie both have very different ideas of how to go about doing this too, making for an exciting book the whole way through. Another wonderful tale from C. J. Barry, and here's to many more!
CJ Barry has done it again.......2005-09-25
Torrie Masters has fought long and hard to get a chance to run her own ship for Masters Shipping, but her maiden voyage goes sour when her shipment is stolen by pirates. What the thieves do not know is that Torrie is eager to prove herself able to the task and has slipped a tracking device into the shipment. She follows the pirates in an attempt to get the stolen property back, but is captured by ruthless criminals instead.
Qaade is not the average pirate. He has stolen Torrie's cargo of Phellium for its ability to undo the devestating effects of mind swipe drugs on slaves. Qaade is actually a slave freeing Robin Hood. When Torrie is captured during his negotiations with a ruthless crime lord, he gives up his precious Phellium to save the attractive woman from life as a slave. But now he needs Torrie's help to get the Phellium back...
CJ Barry is my favorite romance writer. Each of her books are filled with action, humor and zesty romance. The fourth book in the Un series is no exception, albeit this entry is a tad darker in tone than the previous books were, due to the story's subject matter, human slavery. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Self-deception raises complex questions about the nature of belief and the structure of the human mind. In this book, Alfred Mele addresses four of the most critical of these questions: What is it to deceive oneself? How do we deceive ourselves? Why do we deceive ourselves? Is self-deception really possible?
Drawing on cutting-edge empirical research on everyday reasoning and biases, Mele takes issue with commonplace attempts to equate the processes of self-deception with those of stereotypical interpersonal deception. Such attempts, he demonstrates, are fundamentally misguided, particularly in the assumption that self-deception is intentional. In their place, Mele proposes a compelling, empirically informed account of the motivational causes of biased beliefs. At the heart of this theory is an appreciation of how emotion and motivation may, without our knowing it, bias our assessment of evidence for beliefs. Highlighting motivation and emotion, Mele develops a pair of approaches for explaining the two forms of self-deception: the "straight" form, in which we believe what we want to be true, and the "twisted" form, in which we believe what we wish to be false.
Underlying Mele's work is an abiding interest in understanding and explaining the behavior of real human beings. The result is a comprehensive, elegant, empirically grounded theory of everyday self-deception that should engage philosophers and social scientists alike.
Customer Reviews:
the best reference available.......2003-10-31
The book description above is a reliable guide to the contents covered in the book. The author minimizes the use of jargon and enters the subject gradually and clearly. While he seems mainly interested in refuting the contention that self-deception is as easily dismissed as most philosophers think, in his detailed exploration of the subject a reader unfamiliar with that particular debate can still become very informed.
The subject of self-deception is as important as it is difficult to address in book form. All the reader needs is a suspicion that there's more going on in one's mind than is readily available to conscious thought, and then this book helps open a personal exploration of what's really going on in mental processes.
Finding references in this area has been a difficult process. This is the best reference I could find after much effort. It was definitely worth the effort.
Book Description
The Ingersoll Lecture.
Customer Reviews:
The Real Question.......2007-10-08
The Talmud is not a "book" in the normal sense, that it can be just picked up and "read" like a novel or a history. Its language and vocabulary can be very technical and specialized; its meaning never clear on the surface. If you think you can understand what's going on on any particular page simply by reading it and taking it on its face value, you are wrong. Not that it is a secret code. Rather it is a complex and extremely sophisticated text that needs to be "learned", not merely "read."
That said, the real question isn't so much the truth value of this book (yes, many of the quotes are real; what the author implies they mean is highly misguided) as it is why has it been republished and why does Amazon feel the need to market and sell it, especially under the "Judaism" category rather than the "Anti-semitism" or "Prejudice" category?
Most disturbing!.......2007-10-02
Having read Israel Shahak's book, "Jewish History, Jewish Religion", "The Traditions of the Jews" by Johann Eisenmenger and now this, "The Talmud Unmasked", I am deeply saddened and disgusted.
I was raised in a Christian family and community and was taught that the followers of the tenents of Judaism are our "elder brothers in the faith"...that their God and ours (the God of Abraham) is One and the same.
This is not true.
Eye opener.......2007-05-17
After reading this book the things Jesus spoke of so often now make perfect sense. The whole Bible now comes alive. Knowing from the first prophecy in the Bible all the way to the very end makes complete sense now. What an eye opener this book has been to me. It is a life changer.
This is what happens when you do not study Talmud face-to-face with a Rabbi (Chacham).......2007-01-20
This book is a perfect example of what happens when a non-Torah Hebrew educated person reads a Torah Hebrew text. The careful student would also discover that a Righteous Gentile (Ben Noach) who studies and performs their commandments (The 7 Laws of Noah), is, figuratively, more spiritually elevated than a (Jewish) High Priest, who failed to study and perform his commandments (paraphrased). So this notion of some spiritual apartheid is silliness.
There are so many differences in meanings between, say, orthodox Christianity's definitions of common biblical terms -- such as sin, righteousness, sacrifice, offering, repentance, etc., and Torah Hebrew, differences that misunderstandings are unavoidable, ESPECIALLY in the Talmud. And since orthodox Jewish scholars would unlikely familiarize themselves with Christian texts, the well-meaning Jewish Talmud teacher will fail, when he tries to teach. The Christian brings a different dictionary to the conversation. It's exasperating! Therefore, the non-Jewish student will discover these important differences only by face-to-face questions and answers. I know this personally, as a gentile student (Christian heritage) having studied face-to-face for nearly 20 years.
Suffice it to say, the arguments in the gamara (explanation), about the mishnah (law) under examination speak to type, status, and allusion -- but should not necessarily be taken literally; they are often short-hand indicators for more general principles. They cannot be taken literally sometimes, and at othertimes are precisely literal. It is usually the case that a definitive opinion on any single topic will require many citations from several Talmud tractates (books).
The sincere non-Jewish student that seeks an authentic, historical understanding of the Torah should ask a qualified Orthodox Rabbi to first teach him/her the Laws of Noah -- what Abraham taught humanity in his day. Begin there, and then realize quickly that apparently anti-Gentile statements in the Talmud are not what they seem to be, taken out of context.
Please, throw this book in the trash heap. Nothing good will come of it.
Truth Hurts.......2005-12-17
I have read this book and it is very good. Unlike someothers who haven't even read the book, but have wrote negative reviews about it. Presumably out of loyalty to their people. Truth is the truth, and some times the truth hurts. I will defend Pranaitis by quoting the late Dr. Israel Shahak, a former professor at Hebrew University and author of,"Jewish History, Jewish Religion." In his book Dr. Shahak quoted the very popular, Israeli-published Talmudic Encyclopidia, which discusses the relationship between Jew and Gentile.
"If a Jew has coitus [sexual intercourse] with a gentile woman, whether she be a child of three or an adult, whether married or unmarried, and even if she is a minor aged only nine years and one day - because he had willful coitus with her, she must be killed, and as is the case with a beast, because through her a Jew got into trouble.(The Talmudic Encyclopedia)
Shahak, I. (1994). Jewish History, Jewish Religion. pg 87.
Here are some excerpts from Israel Skahak's book exposing the attitude of the Jewish religion toward Chrstianity:
"According to the Talmud, Jesus was executed by a proper rabbinical court for idolatry, inciting other Jews to idolatry, and contempt of rabbinical authority. All classical Jewish sources which mention his execution are quite happy to take responsibility for it; in the Talmudic account the Romans are not even mentioned..."
"The very name Jesus was for Jews a symbol of all that is abominabl, and this popular tradition still persists. The Gospels are equally detested, and they are not allowed to be quoted (let alone taught) even in modern Israeli schools."
Shahak, I. (1994) Jewish History, Jewish Religion. pgs. 97/98
Who can more persuasivly defend Pranaitis than a Jewish Holocaust survivor. All imformation can be easily researched and verified.
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