Everything You Know About God is Wrong

more info about the book ~ more books by Russ Kick

So what will you find when I assemble and Disinformation publishes one of our patented huge anthologies, with the theme being religion? The proceedings open with a trinity of articles—from Richard Dawkins, James A. Haught, and Douglas Rushkoff—looking at the general problems inherent in religious belief. From this foundation, we jump right into several of the ways in which religion is presently grating its nails down society's chalkboard—from posting an old list of rules for late-Bronze-Age Israelites in public places to the decades-long cover-up of priests who rape children. The Buckners, a father-son team, demonstrate that the US simply was not founded on Christianity, and Douglas Rushkoff gives first-hand accounts of institutionalized Judaism's attempts to smother itself. Nasrin Alavi sounds a note of some hope regarding a possible Islamic Reformation beginning in Iran.

Next up, four steely-eyed looks at the Bible. Ruth Hurmence Green's long article irreparably destroys the lovely image of Jesus by doing the most straightforward thing imaginable: reading the New Testament, particularly the Gospels, and relaying what they say. And if you've wondered who actually wrote the Gospels traditionally accorded to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Gary Greenberg's article will be, shall we say, a revelation. Bobbie Kirkhart examines the pretzels people make of themselves while trying to take the Bible literally (except when they don't want to). And what would a look at "the good book" be without an illustrated story from it? You know, the kind you find in dentists' offices. Except that they never contain the gang rape, murder, and dismemberment of the Book of Judges chapter 19, presented by none other than Neil Gaiman and Steve Gibson.

The next section, bearing the pulpesque title "I Was There!," presents spine-tingling, nail-biting accounts of a jihad-oriented Muslim student's conference, a blood-thirsty Christian church, a new religious movement's weekend retreat, and a Macumba ceremony, complete with animal sacrifice. Two photo essays present startling images of religious relics, places, and rituals.

After that, Dianna Narciso, Greta Christina, and Paul Krassner discuss their nonbelief in a supreme being, which segues nicely into the following section, which looks at a few things that people have done in the name of God and prophecy, from cursing enemies to enslaving attractive women.

Because I'm constitutionally incapable of editing an anthology that doesn't deal to some degree with sex, prepare yourself for four articles on "The Most Popular Sin." The first two give us Eastern approaches, with a literal look at the explicit statues on Hindu temples and a sampling of the erotic verses crafted by one of the Dalai Lamas. In the second set, Christianity gets exposed when Jack Murnighan unearths a surprising Medieval poem and Kristan Lawson finds something very peculiar on Christianity's most sacred altar.

From there, we turn to music and books. In the anthology's longest article, Dan Barker provides an epic look at the nonbelievers who gave us much of the world's greatest music through classical compositions and the Great American Songbook. You'll find some very familiar names. Then David V. Barrett and Michael Standaert read between the lines of two of the all-time most successful religious publishing phenomena: The Da Vinci Code and the Left Behind series.

Our history lessons opens with Bill Brent's breezy look at the surprising nexus of religion and bowling, then becomes deadly serious when Michael Parenti strips away the romance and sugar-coating from Tibet's theocratic history. Robert Damon Schneck entertains us with the true tale of a nineteenth-century man who took it upon himself to build a messiah, and Erik Davis brings us up to recent times by examining California's role as religious Petri dish.

We conclude with an unthemed collection of odds and ends, including H.G. Wells' surprising conversation with Jesus, an examination of the underappreciated roles of feces and urine in religious worship, Bejamin Radford's drubbing of exorcisms, and a collection of religion-related notes found by everyday folks. At the very end, I offer up mini-essays on a number of topics—from the long-running theological debate about exactly how the Virgin Mary got pregnant to the movie that triggered a major, though largely forgotten terrorist incident in the US—and book reviews covering, among other things, Jesus' penis in Renaissance art, Mark Twain's takedown of Christianity, the Islamic slave trade, the myth of Confucius, and the real creator of the word scientology.

Important Note

The beliefs (or lack thereof) of any contributor cannot be assumed simply because he or she appears in this anthology. If a contributor reveals his or her beliefs in the course of an article, that's obviously a different matter, but simply appearing here is not an indication of affiliation.

Similarly, bear in mind that no contributor necessarily agrees with the other contributors. In fact, I'm sure some would get into arguments if invited to the same dinner party. So, inclusion is not an indication of collusion.