Title: Christianity’s Murderous Totalitarianism: Volume 1 – Christian Beliefs
Author: William Sierichs Jr.
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1977221308
Pages: 506
Genre: History / Christian Church History
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
With so much conflict and hardship happening in multiple countries all around the world, including but not limited to the United States, the need for some to find a meaning or cause behind the conflicts we are seeing today is quickly overtaking our social consciousness. There are many factors which play into this widespread conflict, and cannot be relegated to one idea or concept in particular. However, something that has played a large role in the United States as of late, and has been a part of major conflict for centuries is religion; in this case, the Christian faith. The line which keeps our politics and laws separate from a person’s personal faith has begun to blur for many, especially on the more conservative side of things, and many feel the Christian theology is strongly tied to this divide.
In author William Sierichs Jr’s Christianity’s Murderous Totalitarianism: Volume 1 – Christian Beliefs, the author explores this concept in depth, honing in on the idea Christian theology may be one of the bloodiest and cruelest belief systems to drive the world toward a more totalitarian point of view. Split into two volumes and coming in at over 540,000 words in length, this work by the author explores the works and quotes of various sources from the 1st to 21st centuries tied directly to the Christian theology, and balances this with scholarly and non-Christian sources for context. Allowing history and Christians to explain through their own faith and in their own words, the author hopes to showcase how the faith adheres more towards a fear-based, anti-intellectual, apocalyptic and militant worldview, using examples such as the oppression of the Jewish people by Christians throughout history and the genocidal extermination of European pagans.
The author did a profound job of capturing the terrors many have carried out in the name of the Christian faith. The most interesting concept the author introduces early on and which this book thoroughly explores is the idea that Christianity as a faith was not originally designed to be this hateful or fear-based. Instead, it was the greed and power men craved which led to such hateful ideas being introduced into later iterations of the faith. The amount of research and history the author used to balance out the Christian quotes and records that were collected gave the book a more curated and non-biased feeling, no matter the overall message of the book. For despite the number of horrors the faith has carried out over the years, the author also mentions and showcases the singular individuals or groups who have used their faith to advocate for acceptance and love – rather than hate and fear.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy non-fiction books which relate to history, especially those that directly talk about the history surrounding the Christian faith throughout all of its history, and how it has been manipulated and used for negativity and violence. While many readers will come to this from a more non-believer or even atheist point of view, even faith-based readers who are more open to questioning the status quo will find this book profoundly interesting, and bring a different light to the subject of faith.
Impactful, captivating, and engaging, author William Sierichs Jr’s Christianity’s Murderous Totalitarianism: Volume 1 – Christian Beliefs is a must-read nonfiction and historical book on Christianity readers will not want to miss. Speaking out against the hateful rhetoric of historical and modern-day Christians who wish to perpetuate a more judgmental point of view, the author’s work to bring balance to the book and the sheer volume of research and atmosphere the author brought to this work reflected both the professionalism and scholarly work the author put into it, and the emotional impact this history has had on so many throughout our world’s past.
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