God and His Demons

Isn't it time we engage in a dialog about an afterlife and a universe that makes sense? I teach a college level Philosophy course and every year discussions are made cumbersome by a student who is determined to answer every challenging question with a God or faith based reference. This reference usually replaces any knowledge they were supposed to have gleaned from reading the textbook or understanding what a Socratic argument is meant to do.Parenti asks legitimate questions not only about articles of theological faith but also about the hype surrounding those who would have us believe they are so "holy" as to be beyond reproach. He slaughters more than a few sacred cows in the process, asking tough questions about people like Mother Theresa, who treated herself to the best in medical care while allowing donations of medical equipment to rust and offering the poor little more than prayer. He even questions the "perfection" of the "God created" human form which is anything but perfect and certainly not the work of a master planner. Not only does he question but he does so with remarkable wit. Like Parenti I would also like to know why an all powerful God ran the urethra through the prostate and made our spines unlikely to support us without significant pain for much of our lives. These are the kind of practical realistic questions he poses. They are exactly the kind most religions want us to overlook.He takes aim at the damage done by cults as well as more mainline organizations that claim you should abandone reason to please God. Many have criticized him for being a proponent of Atheism. I didn't get that at all. He doesn't deny that some cosmic force might exist. He does makes us look long and hard at the "God" we have created in our image and likeness. If you aren't willing to examine what you believe, don't read this.

It might surprise some readers that a believer can read Dr. Parenti's book and find it refreshing not just for the beautiful prose and impeccable research for which the author is well known, but also edifying. This Christian reader is grateful to the author for exposing the darker underbelly of hypocrites in the religious world who give faith a bad name. In particular, Dr. Parenti discusses the abuses among people who have hijacked the name "Christian", using it to impose upon good, trusting people, such improbable ideas as that they are obligated to turn over billions of their hard earned money to "Christian" leaders, or that they must give up one of America's most cherished freedoms, that is to say, the freedom of having one religion dominate this nation's laws. It is quite surprising that so many people appear to have readily embraced the idea that we do not need to have separation of church and state in America. Thankfully, we have writers like Parenti to remind us of this as part of the first amendment to our constitution! What is more, he exposes the very shocking and worrisome development within the Air Force Academy of blatant anti-Semitism among "Christian" fundamentalists and coercive fundamentalist indoctrination on campus both at the Air Force Academy at West Point. These are just some very small examples of red flags which any citizen who cherishes the separation of church and state in this country should be aware of. Dr. Parenti's book lays out many such examples. Whether a believer in a faith, agnostic or an atheist, all readers can benefit from Parenti's scholarly research.

This is an excellent book that I can honestly say, I am very glad I took the time to read!It let's me know I am not crazy and validates many of the topics and perspectives I have been contemplating for years! I am 45 years old, went to parochial Catholic schools and then on to Born Again Christianity , and Bhuddism for a time looking for the one true faith or answer in the Divine.......Never really satisfying my quest and still unable to agree with what has been passed down generation to generation, I basically just gave up. This book was written for people that contemplate the same age old questions by giving a common sense and cognative look into so many of the NON-sensicle (not a word) issues of the MODERN day. We know what thunder in the dark is, that the earth is round, that we orbit the sun, that a sneeze is an irritation or virus and not a demon inhabiting our body.......that it is wrong to rape and women are not used as cattle like the ancient patriarchal establishments held to be their truth!!!!!!!It is the year 2010 and NO ONE should be living like an Ignorant Billy-Goat all in the name of some ridiculous need for power and glory!!!!!!!!

Michael Parenti's work is a capable detailing of the cruelty, corruption, and hypocrisy of religions from Christianity to Tibetan Buddhism. This is a well researched book with nicely developed details with a very specific agenda - to expose and to chronicle how the actions of religious leaders and their followers can be oppressive, venal, and criminal.Other than allowing the secular reader the opportunity to shake their heads in horror and disgust and to feel more comfortable in their supposedly more enlightened views, this book does not have really that much to offer though. There is no real attempt here to weigh, to seriously explore, or to understand these phenomena and their development. There are no attempts to illuminate insights into how religions turn evil, so other than a sincere plea at the end of the book for tolerance, there is not much to offer here. There will also not be much new for a reader who has spent any serious time researching the subject.

If you start reading this book as an agnostic, by the time you have finished it - after a few cynical laughs - you will be a complete athiest - or at least someone who has no time for organised religion at all! Very witty look at the huge failings of organised religion.

Parenti is one of the few humans who bravely questions some unhealthy mainstream 'norm' that hold us in a state of falsehood! Full marks!!

Parenti helps you to understand the history of religion in a quite easy way whilst he debunks untouchable characters such as Mother Theresa, by pointing out her relationship with the Haitian dictator, Duvallier.With him you'll learn what you weren't taught at school and you'll find out why it wasn't taught.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00C4B2LLY?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_3

Disappointing- it is basically a list of the bad things that Parenti believes can be blamed on religion. He may be right but his writing isn't engaging.