Official Review: The Bible Dilemma by M.L. Gutierrez

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 07 Sep 2015, 10:28

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Bible Dilemma" by M.L. Gutierrez.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Bible Dilemma is a non-fiction book by M. L. Gutierrez.

The subtitle of this book perfectly sums it up: “Historical contradictions, misquoted statements, failed prophecies and oddities in the Bible.” The author begins by going through the Old Testament, with great emphasis on Genesis. He challenges the stories about the creation of this world and the Great Flood. He then moves onto the New Testament, covering Jesus’s crucifixion and questioning if he really is the Messiah. Along the way, he places doubt on God’s power, knowledge, and the notion of his perfection. The author points out fables and doctrines that may have been borrowed from to write the Bible. He also highlights unfulfilled promises and historical inaccuracies. This book doesn’t just deal with the major questions about the Bible. It heavily nitpicks at the minor details, like inconsistencies in lineage and subtle differences across Bible versions.

The structure of the book is an outline, which makes it very easy to read. The author often poses a question and then compares two Bible verses that seem to contradict each other. Sometimes there is a brief note at the end of a point to expand on the idea or provide background information. There are some charts that list things like genealogies.

The book is filled with dark and crude humor, which keeps things interesting. This was the best aspect of the book. The author shows that God punished the Philistines by giving them hemorrhoids in their "secret parts.” He also points out that David bought his wife by giving the king the foreskins of 200 men he slew. Another of the author’s strong suits is posing interesting questions, like why plants were created before the sun. In many ways, the book goes beyond common knowledge. The author provides fascinating information from historical, sociological, and scientific standpoints. One such example is a more realistic explanation about the parting of the Red Sea. Though the author’s purpose is to debunk religion, he does so in a non-aggressive way. This was both surprising and refreshing.

While there are a lot of good things about this book, there is also some bad. One major problem is that there are ellipses in the verses the author presents. He cuts out a lot of words and potentially takes them out of context in order to make his point. The verses don’t always back up the claims he is trying to make. This was the worst aspect of the book. Some sections from earlier in the book unnecessarily appear later in the book. Additionally, some of the author’s notes are just restatements of the point he just made. While there is a bibliography at the end, there are no citations in the text so the reader can directly look up the information the author used. Occasionally, the author is mistaken in his usage of verb tenses.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Sometimes it’s convincing; other times it’s not. Despite its faults, it manages to be humorous and intriguing. The author expands on a lot of questions that I’ve had about the Bible through the years; he also made me ponder many new questions I hadn’t before considered. I would caution the reader to use this as a reference book for one’s own studies rather than taking all of its content at face value.

If you tend to stay away from the topic of religion altogether, then this isn’t the book for you. Religious skeptics would most likely appreciate this book. I think it would also appeal to believers who are curious about the seeming errors in the Bible.

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The Bible Dilemma
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zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 08 Sep 2015, 22:24

Wow, intriguing review. I don't think I'd care for this book, but I enjoyed reading your review. I was also a little scandalized, but in a good way.

gali · Post by **gali** » 08 Sep 2015, 22:31

Intriguing review indeed, but the book isn't for me either.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 08 Sep 2015, 22:39

@Tanaya Great job on your impartial review. It pays to study and always ask questions, while also keeping a discerning mind. I like how you pointed out the interesting things about the book, but also noticed that some things were possibly just vitriol, and then warned the reader to not take everything at face value, but to think for themselves. This is critical with these kind of subjects. Sounds like the author did a good job conveying his point, and congrats to him on a positive review.

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 09 Sep 2015, 11:54

zeldas_lullaby wrote:Wow, intriguing review. I don't think I'd care for this book, but I enjoyed reading your review. I was also a little scandalized, but in a good way.

gali wrote:Intriguing review indeed, but the book isn't for me either.

This definitely isn't a book that just anyone would be into, but thanks for the nice comments about the review! I tried to make the book sound as interesting as possible, because it certainly was.

@Escapeartist Thanks so much for your comment! I always appreciate your thorough feedback.

gali · Post by **gali** » 09 Sep 2015, 12:17

Tanaya wrote:
zeldas_lullaby wrote:Wow, intriguing review. I don't think I'd care for this book, but I enjoyed reading your review. I was also a little scandalized, but in a good way.

gali wrote:Intriguing review indeed, but the book isn't for me either.
This definitely isn't a book that just anyone would be into, but thanks for the nice comments about the review! I tried to make the book sound as interesting as possible, because it certainly was.

You certainly succeeded.

peprica21 · Post by **peprica21** » 09 Sep 2015, 12:36

Great review. I think the book sounds very interesting and has some good qualities to it. I do appreciate you mentioning the author's inconsistencies (such as taking quotes out of context). Sounds like a good read to be exposed to another point of view of such a widely known and translated text. Thanks for the review!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 09 Sep 2015, 12:45

@peprica21 Thanks for your comment! I agree that's it's good to be open-minded and to try to see things from others' perspectives.

mlbustos · Post by **mlbustos** » 13 Sep 2015, 18:08

I do not agree with your review that the author took "the lines out of context in order to make his point". Can you name the passages that were taken out of context? Did you read the Bible verses and compared it to what is explained in this book? Before reading this book, the reader must open his mind about the possible flaws of the Bible instead of sticking to some belief system with blind obedience. If you do not have an open mind before reading this book, then you may not be the right reader or reviewer.

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 13 Sep 2015, 18:43

I said that he potentially takes them out of context, the keyword being "potentially." Because he doesn't fully show the verses, you have to take his word for it; and the verses don't always clearly indicate the point he is trying to make. I agree that the reader should have an open mind, and I truly did read the book with an open mind. He made several great points throughout the book, which is why I gave it 3 stars.

mlbustos · Post by **mlbustos** » 13 Sep 2015, 19:33

The book needs to be concise and direct to the point thus the unnecessary words unrelated to the topic were omitted. This book is meant for people with an open mind and not some religious fanatic. To say that some parts the book was written out of context without having something to support such claim is being presumptuous.

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 13 Sep 2015, 20:00

I stand by what I wrote in the review, and you're entitled to your opinion.

Gravy · Post by **Gravy** » 13 Sep 2015, 21:28

@"mlbustos"

Comments from authors should remain about the review itself, or the book. Attacking the reviewer is not allowed.

mlbustos · Post by **mlbustos** » 14 Sep 2015, 10:11

Your review is not correct and very misleading.

-- Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:56 pm --

Your statement contains no proof to back it up.

Kappy · Post by **Kappy** » 23 Sep 2015, 14:13

Excellent review! I have read several books with similar subject matter, and found them fascinating. I haven't read this book, but it sounds like the author is clarifying events in the Bible, rather than trying to debunk religion.