World Religions and Cults Volume 2: Moralistic, Mythical and Mysticism Religions

World Religions and Cults #2

by Bodie Hodge, Roger Patterson

This eye-opening second volume deals with many Eastern religions like Hinduism, Taoism, New Age, Sikhism, Confucianism, Shinto, and Buddhism, as well as other pagan-based systems like Witchcraft, Voodoo, and Greek mythology (and many more)!

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian, Christian Non Fiction, Faith, Philosophy

627 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2016

About the author

Bodie Hodge is the author of Fall of Satan and co-author of Dragons: Legends and Lore of Dinosaurs. He is on the staff of Answers in Genesis, and is a speaker, writer, contributor, and researcher on a host of topics related to apologetics, biblical history, and the book of Genesis.

Reviews

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been looking into Wiccan stuff all week (just for fun, YES, that's what I do for fun!)

I read a few chapters from Vol 1 of this series. And then I bought and read almost all of Vol 2 (in two days... I missed the chapter on Buddhism. But I gave the book to my sister to read on her flight home. So i'll go buy another copy - with all 3 books from this series).

It must be said that this is a VERY CHRISTIAN book. Lots of Bible comparisons and Christian Apologetic logic and rationalizing. Which I am very much in favor of: It's very difficult to research a topic like Witches and Warlocks from a neutral unbiased point of view. Even Sam & Dean Winchester couldn't pull this off (Go watch the SUPERNATURAL series where they battle witches and demons and vampires and LOKI "OH MY!")

My favorite loose quote from the book is one of the many footnotes - If I recall correctly:
"Satanists don't like Wiccans (witches) very much, and Wiccans have no real love or tolerance for Satanists"

To a Christian you would think all the enemy forces would be on the same page - but almost never. Even more amusing: I researched a bunch of Wiccan books and reviews: It seems Wiccan's don't generally tolerate each other very much either, although even Satanists can't seem to agree if Satan actually exists or not. Am I the only one that finds that funny?

There is an amusing bit in the bible that deals with this bad guy Utopia: Revelation (after the Anti-christ has taken over the political world and forced all the non-christians to bow to him...

Revelation 17
12And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

15And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

It seems that evil just can't get along with evil. Who KNEW?

But this book is very informative. Some of the authors have been seriously involved in the Cults and Occultic groups they are speaking about. There are many many references to resources FROM these world religions - That's just so you don't have to take a Christians word for it.

The other fun reason I got this book was to read up on Greek mythology (gods and goddesses and demi-gods and Hercules). Some people assume that the Christian Bible is somewhat equal to the scattered lore of confused and contradictory pagan myths. For that I say: Simply read them --- you'll notice a huge difference in the story-line, the story-telling, the story's settings, the drama amongst the battling insecure deities and monkey/cat gods.

It is rather funny when people (feminists) long for a historic pagan female deity: but they must also put up with the insane behavior and emotional outbursts of these goddesses and their scorned or EATENED lovers.

But it's all in this book. Which also has a volume 3. Now I can go back to watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
2020 update- just a reminder to myself to hunt down the three volume set of these Witchhunter scrolls.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This was good! The details about some of these different religions are interesting. I believe it's important to understand the basics of different religions, especially when you want to try to convert someone of a different religion, and these books definitely cover some of the basics.
The layout is simple. There's a lot of compare and contrast between Christianity and the religion being focused on. There were some dry moments, which brought my rating down a half star, but in all, it was good ava provided helpful information.

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is readily accepted that Walter Martin’s classic Kingdom of the Cults is the standard work on the plethora of cult religions across the globe. While I certainly recommend Martin’s contribution to this topic, the recent multi-volume release from Master Books on World Religions and Cults is another valuable tool for understanding how to not just understand these religions and cults, but more importantly, how to respond to those who hold to those types of religious ideologies. The particular volume this review will focus upon is World Religions and Cults: Moralistic, Mythical and Mysticism Religions edited by Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson.

Hodge aptly notes in the introduction an important truth, namely there are only two religions in the world, “God’s and man’s”. Anything not of God or found in God’s Word falls within the category of a man made religion. Hodge correctly reminds the reader these “religions of man are dubbed humanistic since they go back to the mind of man or a human. As Christians, we should not fear them.”

Since far too many believers are wholly unaware of what these man made religions teach, they are unprepared to interact from a biblical approach on the falsity of those ungodly religions ideologies. Thus, instead of reaching out with the truth of Scripture, they shrink back to their pews or homes when someone knocks on their door.

The contributors to this volume engage 21 different false religions from New Age philosophy to Unitarianism to Wicca, Witchcraft, and Druidism. Each chapter provides a short yet thorough overview of the belief in question, the arbitrariness of its teachings, important characteristics, historical development, and key ways to dialogue with those who are adherents of these religions.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the plethora of important facts provided throughout this book, what I most appreciated was the focus on evangelism. Learning about false religions is one thing. Taking that knowledge and then going forth to engage those who hold to these false beliefs with the message of the truth of God’s Word and the gospel is truly what we are all called to do by God. Fundamentally, this is an apologetics book written with a heart towards evangelism.

Many, many people are believing the lies of the 21 moralistic, mythical, and mysticism religions discussed in this book. The reality is these particular religions are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to false beliefs. As believers, we must use helpful tools such as this book to enable us to learn the elements of the error so we can preach the message of the truth found in Scripture.

I highly recommend not only this particular volume, but all three volumes that comprise this wonderful set of books provided by Master Books. If you want all three volumes, Master Books has just released all three in a handy one-volume edition. I encourage you to pick up all three and dive into the information contained in its pages. In a time when the allure of false religions is on the rise, it is high time the people of God get out of the pews, open their doors at home, and learn about what people are falling prey to while at the same time sharing the message of the gospel. World Religions and Cults: Moralistic, Mythical and Mysticism Religions is a great tool for doing just that.

[Madilynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book, I learned things. Did you know that the happy looking statue you may have thought was a statue of Buddha is actually Budai (a Chinese Zen monk from the tenth century)? The Buddha statue is the more peaceful looking one. I also learned about the difference between the Silver rule of Confucianism and the Golden Rule of the Bible (Matthew 7:12). The Silver rule tells you to refrain from doing bad to others while the Golden Rule "is a call to a higher degree of service".
There are chapters on The New Age Movement, Jainism, Wicca and Witchcraft, Shinto, Confucianism, and Unitarianism, as well as others.
Throughout the book, you get advice on how to share the gospel with believers of the different religions. Overall, a very helpful and detailed book.

[Nate Lanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book was very good and informative. Most of the religions in this book I knew nothing about before I started, and I really feel like I learned a lot. Some of my favorite sections were the ones about Shintoism, Buddhism, and some of the smaller pagan religions. Many of the authors in this book came out of the various beliefs that they are writing about and you can really feel their passion through the pages. My biggest complaint and the reason I give it 4 stars is that there were a couple paragraphs that sounded really similar to the ones right before it. At least two or three times while reading this book I would think “wait didn’t I just read this” and looking back a page or two I would see almost the same wording used for a similar argument or the same verse quoted verbatim. It wasn’t a huge issue while reading and it definitely didn’t detract from the message at all, but it’s something that probably should have been noticed in editing the book. My other complaint is one that was espoused by one of the other reviewers, certain religious writings weren’t given as much time as ones in the previous book. The first book in the series gave a lot of time to discussing the issues with the book or Mormon, the Koran etc. this one kind of glossed over most of the writings by these religions and went on to talk about other stuff. This could be because these religions are pretty relativistic, and don’t really take one set of writings as seriously as we take the Bible or simply because dedicating all that time to these writings would double the length of the book. Whatever the reason for not expanding on the other “holy writings” this book taught me a lot especially when it came to discussing Christ with those who believe in these religions.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the whole set of these. I have read book one, and they were both so good! Hard to pick a favorite! This book was so clear and gave much insight into the religions.

[Eduardo Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm writing this from my standpoint as a Christian and a theologian.

This is a very good effort; indeed, a noble one. There are lots of details and information, and a considerable amount of space and effort devoted to a Christian asessment and critique of these religions and cults. In this regard, both authors and editors are to be commended.

However, there are some defects which make the work less than ideal.

1. First, the Christian critique is intermixed with information with no clear seaparation. It would have been much better if the authors wrote first a summary of each religion's beliefs and then, under a separate heading, a Christian evaluation was submitted, complete with Biblical proof.

2. In consonance with #1, information sometimes left a lot to be desired. In the Hinduism chapter, for example, there's no clear presentation of Hindu scriptures. What are the Vedas? What are the epics? What are the Upanishads? Which is more important? For example, these are unanswered questions. In the chapter on Taoism, there is almost zero information on what is chi and what is its relation to the Dao.

3. Like Volumes 1 and 3, this is a multi-author book. Authors are listed below each chapter titles. But we have zero information on them, their studies, affiliations, and so on. Who are they? Why should I trust them? Why should I pay attention to what they say?

However, these objections should not detract from the fact that this is a fantastic effort. A second edition could make great improvements on these defects.

EDIT: I was very disappointed upon reading Chapter 15, "Syncretism in Latin American Religions", authored by someone who goes by the name of Joe Owen. Most of the criticism offered is warranted, but the chapter is marred by a bad mixture of ignorance, lack of precision, and a frustrating, patronizing tone. Answers in Genesis certainly can do better than this.

[Rachel Grepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was volume two in the series and worth every page. While some information was a little over my head, I learned a lot. I especially appreciate how they walked you through sharing the Gospel message with people from the other beliefs. It is so important as Christians that we not only read our Bibles, but that we learn about other beliefs so that we can give an even better defense about the joy that is in us. I hope to save up to get volume 3!!

[Colin Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book, a good primer for some introductory things. Because every chapter is written by someone else, the quality fluctuates up and down. For example, Buddhism and Hinduism were strong but the chapter on Sikhi was quite weak. All in all, would still recommend this book. I used it to teach a highschool Bible class on World Religions and it was a great help for me.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great study of world religions. I've been using this series in homeschooling my daughter and it has proved very fascinating. I did feel that a lot of the religions in this particular volume had a lot of overlap, but I guess that it is to be expected.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this volume
Handy

[Alex Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is excellent, very worthwhile.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series should be a must read for Christians.