Bondage of the Mind: How Old Testament Fundamentalism Shackles the Mind and Enslaves the Spirit by R. D. Gold
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Book Reviews of Bondage of the Mind: How Old Testament Fundamentalism Shackles the Mind and Enslaves the Spirit
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading through these reviews, I am flabbergasted as to the vitriol thrown against R.D. Gold's fabulous book. With such stellar authors out there nowadays about the anti-religion venue (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, etc.) Gold brings something new to the table, and he does it in a very unpretentious way. He doesn't act like you're a complete idiot if you choose to believe; he doesn't talk down to you, which is something these atheist authors do all too often. Also, Gold isn't TRYING to get you to change religions or be an atheist. He's not poking fun at faith, in fact quite the contrary. He's saying that if you ascribe to the beliefs of fundamentalism/Orthodox Judaism, than you should do so on faith because the so-called facts that fundamentalists adhere to are full of holes.
And to say that Mr. Gold doesn't understand the concept of faith, quite the contrary. Consider a line from pg. 116, "The Jews may indeed be God's chosen people, but this conclusion does not follow logically from the historical evidence. If you believe that, you are taking it purely on faith." In other words, Gold is ENCOURAGING faith, over the unwavering belief in "facts" that simply aren't true. He's not even really writing in an overly persuasive manner; he's simply laying the facts at your feet, so if you do choose to believe, at least you'll be aware of the truth. It seems to me that the people who are the most offended by this book are those who are biased, and take offense at Gold's stark (but honest) portrayal of their religion. That's an intellectual error on their part. I can understand how a person who has lived according to the supposed factual creeds described in this book could be made to feel stupid after reading it, but I don't think you should write a review unless you can be completely objective.
And this book is not like the books out now by Dawkins and Hitchens, as some make it out to be. This is not a treatise for atheism, far from it. It is exactly what its cover claims it is - the explanation of "How Old Testament Fundamentalism Shackles the Mind and Enslaves the Spirit." I'd recommend it to anyone who believes they can read objectively.
Book Review: Almost missed this one.
Summary: 5 Stars
I had heard of this book, but didn't think I cared about "Old Testament Fundamentalism," so I had ignored it. But the review in the latest Skeptic magazine praised it so highly I thought I should give it a try. What a remarkable book. It's no exaggeration to call it a page-turner, and Gold manages to pack a lot of information into a tight space not by writing dense prose, as academics often do, but by selecting examples and quotations that are so on-target that no more need be said. And as far as not caring about "Old Testament" fundamentalism (I came out of a Christian fundamentalist background), it turns out that all fundamentalisms are basically the same thing. Who knew? What's more, a very efficient way of countering Christian extremism turns out to be countering Old Testament extremism, because much of what is fanatical and wicked in Christianity has roots in the Torah as much as if not more than in the gospels, letters of Paul, and Revelation. I cannot recommend this book too highly, even to people with no real interest in the topic, because it is an exemplar of how to present a persuasive case that is long on reason and short on mere rhetoric. I have seen no finer recent example of a book that manages to be genuinely cogent while avoiding polemics.
I was shocked to read a couple of the 1-star reviews...that is, until I read the one that says, in essence, that it doesn't matter that archeology and reason point in another direction, what really matters is "faith." I can't help wondering how faith is possible given that the thing being believed is not merely unknown, or mysterious, or unknowable, but demonstrably wrong. I mean, it's one thing to believe your mate is faithful because you've never seen him or her cheating, but it's quite another to maintain that faith when you walk in on a tryst. This book demonstrates as clearly as anything could that fundamentalists are like the spouse who stays married after being asked by the cheater, "Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?"
Book Review: Highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
The author quotes the leading arguments for literal interpretation of the Torah and then logically deconstructs them, using archeology and history as data points. His ongoing argument that many of the fundamentalist stands are immoral as well as illogical leads to the conclusion that they enslave the mind and damage the soul. A very important read, highly recommended.Book Review: Doesn't live up to the title
Summary: 3 Stars
Although well written and researched, the book doesn't live up to its' title. Instead, the author shows why the Old Testament appears to have been written by human hands and minds rather than being divinely inspired, a topic which has been well covered by other books. Any reader who is not familiar with the orthodox Jewish lifestyle will be baflled by this book, as the author does not tell us just how the ritualistic and dogmatic day to day life of the orthodox Jew is influenced by a literal reading of the Bible. Obviously, no fundementalist is going to read this, and there are better books showing up the weakness of fundementalist thinking - Christopher Hitchins and Richard Dawkins, for example, spread the net wider to catch believers in other faiths. However, If you are one of those Jews who observes the Sabbath and eats kosher food simply out of a sense of belonging to the Jewish community, I would strongly recommend this book simply to see your own observance in a proper perspective.Book Review: Don't waste your money
Summary: 1 Stars
I finished this book over one month ago and have been waiting to submit a review until I could write objectively.
This book had been heavily advertised in Jewish publications and, based upon the advertising, I thought that the book could reasonably inform the debate on the efficacy of orthodoxy. What I found was an ad hominen screed primarily against orthodox Judaism.
This author, as far as I could determine, does not have any academic credentials that would lend weight to his writing. Further, as someone who has done a fair amount of reading and study on the subject, I was concerned that the author refers, primarily, to sources that have been acknowledged in the world of "biblical archeology" as revisionist. The fact that some of the Biblical accounts are allegorical, metaphorical or frankly fanciful, does not detract from the acknowledged fact that there is some historical basis to many of the Biblical stories.
If the author, chooses, as he does, to refrain from practicing orthodox Judaism, that is his right. He should, however, not attack those who choose to adhere, for whatever reason, to an orthdoxy which he finds abhorent.
This is not scholarship. It is an example of what continues to divide us. There is little ground for intelligent discussion based upon this author's presentation. Do not waste your money.