Review of Come Now, Let Us Reason Together
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Judy Burr
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Review of Come Now, Let Us Reason Together
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Come Now, Let Us Reason Together" by Mark D. Friedman.]
COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER: UNCOVERING THE TORAH’S LIBERAL VALUES By Mark D. Friedman
The author is a retired attorney with a law degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from Columbia. After retiring, the author revisited his study of philosophy he took in college, writing two books and journal papers; he then shifted his focus to the study of Judaism. Despite his engagement in Judaism throughout his entire adult life, he had never considered it from a philosophical perspective. He found that much of what he knew about “authentic” Judaism was incorrect. He wrote this book to share his conclusions.
As a Christian brought up in church and a minister's daughter, I am familiar with the Old Testament. This book was a wonderful learning experience for me to look at the Bible together with the author and learn about his experience of Judaism.
It is not a surprise that there are different opinions about creation and God’s relationship with Moses. However, Judaism astonished me with its creation-based discrepancies, presenting seemingly irreconcilable opinions that appear to defy reconciliation. From my experience in Christianity, differences of opinion are more about modern Christianity— for instance, the new-style church services, how people dress informally in church, and how Christians conduct their lives in the world.
There is a divergence of writings on how God made the first man and the first woman. Did God create Adam first, or did He create both at the same time? Another controversy centers on whether God gave Moses just the 10 commandments, or did God give Moses all the laws that are contained in the Torah? This debate asks: Where did all the laws and commands come from, God or man? It is intriguing how the author relates early history and their philosophers who formed Judaism. As time passed, Jewish leaders debated whether to modify or change undignified Bible stories. They asked if the laws and punishments they thought were too harsh, for example, like "an eye for an eye," should be removed or changed to a gentler Bible.
I found this book to be very informative and an awakening for both Christianity and Judaism. Many revisions to the Christian Bible have been making it almost unrecognizable in our modern times, attempting to make it palatable for today’s followers.
There were no typos or grammatical errors in the excellently edited book. I thought the first pages could have been written easier to understand, but thereafter, I enjoyed reading the rest of the book. There is nothing I disliked that would lower my rating. Some of the Bible stories discussed in the book contain sexual content that is best suited for adults. Both religious and nonreligious readers could find this book fascinating for its history and the philosophers' quotes and opinions. For all the reasons above, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 rating.
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Come Now, Let Us Reason Together
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER: UNCOVERING THE TORAH’S LIBERAL VALUES By Mark D. Friedman
The author is a retired attorney with a law degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from Columbia. After retiring, the author revisited his study of philosophy he took in college, writing two books and journal papers; he then shifted his focus to the study of Judaism. Despite his engagement in Judaism throughout his entire adult life, he had never considered it from a philosophical perspective. He found that much of what he knew about “authentic” Judaism was incorrect. He wrote this book to share his conclusions.
As a Christian brought up in church and a minister's daughter, I am familiar with the Old Testament. This book was a wonderful learning experience for me to look at the Bible together with the author and learn about his experience of Judaism.
It is not a surprise that there are different opinions about creation and God’s relationship with Moses. However, Judaism astonished me with its creation-based discrepancies, presenting seemingly irreconcilable opinions that appear to defy reconciliation. From my experience in Christianity, differences of opinion are more about modern Christianity— for instance, the new-style church services, how people dress informally in church, and how Christians conduct their lives in the world.
There is a divergence of writings on how God made the first man and the first woman. Did God create Adam first, or did He create both at the same time? Another controversy centers on whether God gave Moses just the 10 commandments, or did God give Moses all the laws that are contained in the Torah? This debate asks: Where did all the laws and commands come from, God or man? It is intriguing how the author relates early history and their philosophers who formed Judaism. As time passed, Jewish leaders debated whether to modify or change undignified Bible stories. They asked if the laws and punishments they thought were too harsh, for example, like "an eye for an eye," should be removed or changed to a gentler Bible.
I found this book to be very informative and an awakening for both Christianity and Judaism. Many revisions to the Christian Bible have been making it almost unrecognizable in our modern times, attempting to make it palatable for today’s followers.
There were no typos or grammatical errors in the excellently edited book. I thought the first pages could have been written easier to understand, but thereafter, I enjoyed reading the rest of the book. There is nothing I disliked that would lower my rating. Some of the Bible stories discussed in the book contain sexual content that is best suited for adults. Both religious and nonreligious readers could find this book fascinating for its history and the philosophers' quotes and opinions. For all the reasons above, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 rating.
******
Come Now, Let Us Reason Together
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Judy
Latest Review: Keys to Harmony by Margalit Jakob
