Belief & Unbelief

by Barbara G. Walker

Walker's 22 new essays cover the spectrum, from "The Islamic Holocaust" being perpetrated against women to the dizziness of crystal-gazers in "Encountering the New Age." Walker explains in depth how religion has been perverted from its naturalistic roots in the celebration of the mystery of new life to a patriarchal orgy of violence. In "Does Religion Make People Good?," Walker responds with an emphatic "No!," citing extensive evidence of "Bible Morality" to produce today's Christian "God the Monster." Women have borne the brunt of patriarchal religion's evils - Walker even argues cogently for "Religion As the Root of Sexism." Yet in her conclusion, "Family and the Future," the ever-upbeat Walker imagines a return to the original, best traditions of religion as a metaphor for the wonder of the universe.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Barbara Walker studied journalism at the University of Pennsylvania and then took a reporting job at the Washington Star in DC. During her work as a reporter, she became increasingly interested in feminism and women's issues.

Her writing career has been split between knitting instruction books, produced in the late 1960s through the mid-80s; and women's studies and mythology books, produced from the 1980s through the early 21st C.

Reviews

[Emma Berg]

An excellent critique of religion's effects on the diminuation of women throughout time. Ms. Walker's bias is blatant, but it by no means invalidates the points she makes (backed by sources) nor stunts her voice. This series of essays, unfortunately, can be repetitive. Literally, as several quotes are re-used. These repetitions, of course, would not be so obvious if one were to read the essays separately, but to bind them in a book, where one essay with a quote follows another essay with the same quote, makes the repetition quite glaring.

However, the quality of the writing is good, and the arguments sound. These essays allowed me to wallow and delight in critical thinking, which is always a pleasure.

[Sandy]

Barbara G. Walker is the best-selling author of many books which are on such disparate subjects as knitting and feminism, among others. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she's won The American Humanist Association's Humanist Heroine Award. In reading Belief & Unbelief, I've found a new name to add to my "Favorite Authors list" and a new addition to my "Books I Could Read Over and Over List."

This book spoke to me on so many levels and I wish it had been available as I became a skeptic after spending half of my life in a church environment. At first, it appears to be an easy read, but with names of some of the twenty-two essays including words such as "cannibalism," there are many passages that simply were not at all easy to read.


My favorite essay, entitled "Does religion make people good?" especially resonated with me because my husband of 50 years thinks I'm a good person only because of all the years I spent as an active church-goer.

I especially enjoyed the author's sarcasm (not as caustic as Hitchens') and her bluntness. An example, "The history of science's relationship with Christianity yields a prodigious abundance of blunders and stupidity." Two perfect examples are the current denial of man-made global warming and the "homosexuality is a choice" issues.

The book really opened my eyes to the extent that racism/homophobia/misogyny are intertwined. Many of the relevant (to these issues) bible passages must have been left out purposefully when I was a little girl in Sunday School, and are likewise still left out at the women's church circles' bible studies. Let's not forget the wars/conflicts through the ages all caused by religious entities and responsible for almost as many deaths as are in the bible. Interestingly, the discussion re: the commandment "Thous shall not kill" is followed by multiple examples of the killing the biblical god either personally committed or ordered, in the book of Genesis alone.

There is extensive information that was well-researched and exceedingly well-referenced. I wish I could rate more than five stars. If you've done just a little reading on this subject, you may be as astonished as much as I was in reading the vast amount of contradictions and hatefulness that Walker discusses. If you have a bible, you may find yourself frequently checking the passages she cites, as you may find much of it pretty hard to fathom until you read it yourself.

[Dan]

I like the writing of Barbara G. Walker. This book is a collection of almost two dozen of her essays. The author is a scholar on the subject of the Goddess and how women have been affected by patriarchal religions.

The essay titled "Bible Morality" is a cataloging of incidents in the Bible which shows that Biblical morality leaves much to be desired. Citing chapter and verse, Walker shows by her collection the number of times that God violates his own commandment not to kill. The same goes for other offenses (rape, slavery, cannibalization, and more). The essay concludes with quotations about the Bible from notable people in history.

The book is a good review on why one can do better than be a Christian.