Kersey Graves (1818–1883)

This work of Kersey Graves was originally published in 1875, a time when Christianity was the only acknowledged religion in America. Graves was a Freethinker, and did his best to unseat Christianity as the one acceptable religion. This work finds 16 other religions that have a Son of God who is crucified . The preface is an excellent biography that puts the author and his work into context. One wonders if Karl Jung, the psychologist who created the use of archetypes in dream interpretation, was inspired by this work.… (mer)

A reprint of an 1879 book, the author compares 27 books of sacred scripture with the Bible and finds inconsistencies within the Bible itself. His stated purpose is to use science and history to prove that the Bible was written at a time when the level of civilization was of an animal (or lower) nature and that it should not be used as a moral or religlious text for that reason. I have also studied some of the other sacred texts, and found that most of them include the same moral precepts, such as the Golden Rule. Details differ and wording is not the same (due to different languages and social cultures behind the works), but the God that appears in each of them has the same basic capabilities and purposes. Further, it should be noticed that this book was authored in America, a land of religious freedom, something that would not have been possible in many of the lands and times that produced all of these sacred texts. For me, it is an excellent resource for the questions raised in the study of apologetics.… (mer)