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Dear Friends
I have published a book which I believe will be of interest to your members and I would be grateful if you could share the following information with them. I have attached details of the cover and a review by Charles Cornwall which was published in The Australian Atheist – Magazine – July/August issue.
The book is titled: FROM FAITH TO REASON – I pose the question ‘Did God create mankind or did mankind create God?
Within the pages are the reasons why I changed from a successful Fundamentalist Christian Minster into Rationalist, Realist, Skeptic and Atheist.
The Chapter Titles are:
How did we get here – did God do it?
The good, the bad and the ugly influences of religion
Intelligent designer or schizophrenic sadist?
Crimes against humanity
Five good reasons to doubt the existence of God
Jesus – fact or fiction?
Family values and the Bible
Faith, fatalism and destiny
Angels, demons & the human spirit
Visions, dreams and other illusions
Why do intelligent, sensible, down to earth people seek a religious or spiritual experience?
What is the meaning of life?
Personal peace without God!
Epilogue – a Christian response
My qualifications for writing this book and my journey from faith to reason
FROM FAITH TO REASON – ISBN: 9780980545999 (pbk)
Published by Vivid Publishing – Fremantle Western Australia
Available from http://www.vividpublishing.com.au $AUD24.95+Postage
Also NOW AVAILABLE as an eBook from amazon.com in iPad and Kindle format ($US14.95)
Enquires to: Brian Baker – brianbaker101@bigpond.com
Kind regards
Brian
(Graduate of Rhema Bible Training Centre – Tulsa OK – 1979)
BOOK REVIEW
From Faith to Reason
Did God Create Mankind or did Mankind Create God?
By Brian Baker
ISBN: 9780980545999 paperback 210 pages
Reviewed By Charles Cornwall
Brian Baker is a former ‘born again’ Christian and fundamentalist Pastor. In the years1979-89 attendances at his church in Perth, W.A. grew from a handful to over 2500. He is now an atheist. Except for the latter chapters, From Faith to Reason is not an autobiographical account of his journey from faith to reason but an exposé of the unsustainability of Christian faith in the light of reason.
Despite the book’s eye-catching cover that fairly shouts “Pick me up”, I must confess I began to read it in a rather doubtful frame of mind. With so many books over recent years by eminent authors (Dawkins and Co.), how could yet another book possibly throw any new light on the same subject? I did not have to read far, however, before my misgivings were dispelled.
What Baker does add to the literature on the subject is the direction and perspective from which he approaches it. This gives his book specific relevance. To quote Baker himself in a letter to the AFA, “My book differs from these excellent works [Dawkins, Harris, etc] as I have approached the subject from my experiences as a former fundamentalist Christian Minister (1979-89) and have used the Bible to question the existence of God and the afterlife.”
The modus operandi used by the author is to pit the Bible against itself. By juxtaposing Biblical passages and commonly held Christian beliefs with other Biblical passages and historical facts, he sets the Bible up to ‘shoot itself in the foot’. For example, in examining the current Christian fad of “Intelligent Design” he highlights sections of the Biblical creation story that reveal God as the very antithesis of intelligent. Indeed, as he points out, some of these blindingly obvious passages, which Christians either ignore or rationalize with great inventiveness, portray God as extremely nasty, tricky and stupid.
This process of contrasting those bits of the Bible Christians love to believe with those they choose to ignore is ideally suited to irony, which the author uses to good effect. In this way he confronts such subjects as How did we get here – did God do it?; Intelligent designer or schizophrenic sadist?; Jesus – fact or fiction?; Family values and the Bible; and more.
In the latter chapters Baker draws from his own life experiences as a fundamentalist Pastor turned atheist to focus on life issues resulting from the abandonment of Christian beliefs. In What is the meaning of life? he effectively counters the Christian claim that without God life has no meaning. In Personal peace without God he offers sound practical advice for finding peace of mind. In the final chapter he recounts the very moving story of the life experiences associated with his own journey from faith to reason.
While I found Baker’s no-frills writing style to be clear and straightforward, I consider that the book’s textual formatting, particularly in the chapters where he pits the Bible against itself, leaves something to be desired. However, despite the book’s need of some editorial ‘polishing’, Baker argues his case with clarity and logic, while highlighting, from the Bible itself, the absurdities of Christian beliefs.
Because Baker’s book takes a different approach to the subject faith v reason, it can rightfully take its place among those already available on the subject. From Faith to Reason is guaranteed to make any Bible believer, who reads it with an honest, open mind, distinctly uncomfortable. And, as they see from the very pages of the Bible itself how demonstrably and grossly flawed it is, hopefully to reconsider their faith-held beliefs.
Published in the Australian Atheist Magazine July/August 2010
Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
LETTERS RECEIVED RECENTLY
Dear Mr Baker
My background is deep involvement as a Minister in a Protestant Church Denomination for most of my life. However in recent years I have found that the Church is unable or unwilling to accept any criticism or prepared to answer questions – indeed to even venture into such a world which would indicate lack of faith. It was therefore a breath of fresh air to read your story. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I realise I am normal after all! I hope your book has wide circulation. No doubt you will receive widespread criticism from Churchgoers, many of whom will condemn the book without bothering to read it.
With my best wishes
DT – WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Hi Brian
I have just finished reading your excellent book. Congratulations. A much-needed book, and I will be recommending it to many others. It must have taken some courage to write this book, knowing that many of your former fellow-believers would be shocked to read it. Doubtless you have lost some "friends" as a result?
KM - NSW AUSTRALIA
REVIEW POSTED ON - AMAZON.COM – (KINDLE/IPAD)
I am very familiar with Brian Baker's writings from his books written when he was Pastor of Rhema Family Church (Australia). He has a down to earth writing style. It was a surprise to me that he has since reversed his beliefs in Christianity and has become an atheist. This book sums up his journey to that decision.
Baker cleverly uses arguments in the Bible against itself e.g. God is love but he has no qualms about killing, God heals but there is still no evidence to support that claim, the Bible is the Word of God yet it contains teachings of hatred and racism. These are painful subjects that Christians today skirt around.
The arguments are well and clearly presented. Baker draws from many other writings and evidence to support his arguments. Overall, I find this book an excellent book. For Christians reading it, it will open you to subjects the church prefers not to discuss. But they are right there in the Bible. You owe it to yourself to know the other side of the coin. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..." Hosea 4:6
PL. Malaysia