Review by juliusotinyo -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[juliusotinyo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden is a novel by William E. Combs. This is a non-fiction Christian study guide and released by Carpenter’s Son Publishing. The book is very well formatted and easy to read. It is an analysis of the origin of sin (nakedness) and the use of continuous faith in Jesus Christ as our salvation. So, are you naked? This book will challenge the most common Christian misconceptions of sin. Which is achieved using a blend of vignettes, testimonies and biblical scripture as references.

Short, detailed evocative descriptions, are used to explain different concepts in this book. Such as the fictional account of Adam and Eve’s life in the Garden of Eden. It was certainly an unorthodox narrative of the well-known Genesis story. Similar vignettes are used elsewhere in the book for different biblical characters, presenting a refreshing outlook to these stories. Most of the book is highly referenced from the biblical passages of Genesis and the letters of Paul.

The author also uses many testimonies to further explain his points. These are actual accounts of events in his personal life and those close to him. At the end of each chapter there’s a study questions section. This offers a chance to further analyze matters discussed using biblical references.

I would only recommend this book to practicing Christians. Especially those who would need to further study the bible. I would not, however, recommend this book to those of a contrary opinion. Personally, I did not like the book. I've always found religious concepts subjective. Thus, open to a multitude of interpretations. However, this book is a (200+) pages of one person’s interpretation of the concept of sin. The same concept is repeated many times, I found it was very monotonous.

I could only console myself by reading the testimonies in this book. They were more objective and relatable. But even then, the author introduced events that I found equally subjective. Especially his descriptions of his encounter with the “light” were vague and open to interpretation. I would relate to similar experiences whenever I camp alone in isolated locations (I do that a lot!). A key consideration when analyzing these other worldly experiences is the individual(s) are usually alone when they occur or in a euphoric state in a group. It all depends on your personal understanding, which is usually unique.

Also, the concept of different forms of death was confusing. I could not tell between relational and spiritual death. They are the same to me given his lengthy descriptions, as both separate you from God. The author took too much effort explaining concepts that were indistinguishable to me.

Due to these reasons, I would rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. I would give the one point for its format. The pages looked appealing and easy to read. While I do understand the religious concepts in this book, it had a monotonous tone making it hard to read. This took all the enjoyment from reading this book and could not finish it quickly enough.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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Like juliusotinyo's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Donatelloo]

Thank you for your honest review ???
I am never going to read this novel

[juliusotinyo]

Thank you for your honest review ???
I am never going to read this novel

I'd not recommend it, unless you are a practicing Christian. Even if you are, it was very boring because of its monotonous tone.

[Czarmaine AM]

Thank you for this thoughtful and honest review. I agree that there are lots of interpretations that can be raised in terms of religion and spirituality. It's good that you were still able to finish reading it despite the monotonous tone.

[juliusotinyo]

Thank you for this thoughtful and honest review. I agree that there are lots of interpretations that can be raised in terms of religion and spirituality. It's good that you were still able to finish reading it despite the monotonous tone.

Thanks, religious sentiments at best are subjective. divisive most of the time.

[ritah]

Thank you for this thoughtful and honest review. I agree that there are lots of interpretations that can be raised in terms of religion and spirituality. It's good that you were still able to finish reading it despite the monotonous tone.

Thanks, religious sentiments at best are subjective. divisive most of the time.

True. Thank you for the well written & honest review.

[juliusotinyo]

You are probably the only person who agrees with me on this one. Thanks for your comments.

[Jeremie Mondejar]

I reviewed this book also, when you can't relate to the author, then this book is hard to understand and basically you won't like it. Thank you for your honest reviewed.

[juliusotinyo]

Thanks Jem.

[Jaime Lync]

It does not seem to me that you are a Christian but I'm glad you took the time to read the book. I'm a Christian and I reviewed this book and had to give it 2 out of 4 stars because there were a few biblical interpretations that I did not agree with. However, I did welcome the author's concept of sin and had actually thought of sin as not simply an act of disobedience but an adversary that seeks dominion over your life for quite a while.

[juliusotinyo]

It does not seem to me that you are a Christian but I'm glad you took the time to read the book. I'm a Christian and I reviewed this book and had to give it 2 out of 4 stars because there were a few biblical interpretations that I did not agree with. However, I did welcome the author's concept of sin and had actually thought of sin as not simply an act of disobedience but an adversary that seeks dominion over your life for quite a while.

Hi Jaime,
I was raised Christian. I went as far as being a church official. But after a set of incidents in my professional and personal life led me to have a change of heart. Obviously I wont go into so much detail but I've found "religion" in its strictest sense is very divisive in nature. I do believe in God though...

-- 11 Aug 2017, 21:17 --

It does not seem to me that you are a Christian but I'm glad you took the time to read the book. I'm a Christian and I reviewed this book and had to give it 2 out of 4 stars because there were a few biblical interpretations that I did not agree with. However, I did welcome the author's concept of sin and had actually thought of sin as not simply an act of disobedience but an adversary that seeks dominion over your life for quite a while.

Hi Jaime,
I was raised Christian. I went as far as being a church official. But after a set of incidents in my professional and personal life led me to have a change of heart. Obviously I wont go into so much detail but I've found "religion" in its strictest sense is very divisive in nature. I do believe in God though...

[Jaime Lync]

Hi Julio,

Thanks for the feedback. I totally understand what you mean. I'm not even a fan of the word "religion" because I don't want Christianity to be put in a category of social control. The organized church system has led many people astray from God. Instead of encouraging personal relationship with God through Christ many preach morality and condemn sinners ( which is not the job of a Christian to do - my role is to love all like Christ loved me while I was still in sin).

Really good to know that you believe in God. I hope that he reveals more truths to you as you continue to seek him out.

[juliusotinyo]

Hi Julio,

Thanks for the feedback. I totally understand what you mean. I'm not even a fan of the word "religion" because I don't want Christianity to be put in a category of social control. The organized church system has led many people astray from God. Instead of encouraging personal relationship with God through Christ many preach morality and condemn sinners ( which is not the job of a Christian to do - my role is to love all like Christ loved me while I was still in sin).

Really good to know that you believe in God. I hope that he reveals more truths to you as you continue to seek him out.

Jaime,
I agree. I was brought up in a multi faith environment. I regularly socialized with muslims, hindus and jews. Back in my day, our parents would have certain inhibitions to allowing us to play with "certain kids from other faiths". I believe the situation got worse of late for obvious reasons. I am still close with my buddies, I just dont have any intention of labelling myself, its all just the same God, right?

[Jaime Lync]

I have no issue socializing with persons with different views than me. We can agree to disagree. While it is my responsibility as a Christian to preach the gospel with my words and actions, it is God that changes the hearts. Jesus is referred to as a friend of sinners.
With regards to your question, if it is all just the same God...the bible informs me that there are many gods but only One True and Living Triune God. God is three in one - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A rough imagery to explain the triune nature is thinking about a loaf of bread cut into three pieces and the three pieces have different spreads - one butter, another ketchup and the last has mayonnaise. It really is just one loaf of bread and to deny that the bread with butter is not a part of the bread with ketchup is wrong. That's why those that deny Jesus are in fact denying God the Father.

[juliusotinyo]

I have no issue socializing with persons with different views than me. We can agree to disagree. While it is my responsibility as a Christian to preach the gospel with my words and actions, it is God that changes the hearts. Jesus is referred to as a friend of sinners.
With regards to your question, if it is all just the same God...the bible informs me that there are many gods but only One True and Living Triune God. God is three in one - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A rough imagery to explain the triune nature is thinking about a loaf of bread cut into three pieces and the three pieces have different spreads - one butter, another ketchup and the last has mayonnaise. It really is just one loaf of bread and to deny that the bread with butter is not a part of the bread with ketchup is wrong. That's why those that deny Jesus are in fact denying God the Father.

Jaime,
Thanks for sharing your beliefs with me. I believe God is God, no matter what faith you believe in. This idea is personally borne from studying other faiths. Specifically spiritual people. One thing we all share is keeping to specific tenets across all religions. To me that is God, true faith. Very subjective isn't it?