Like all of Weldon's books (75), this excellent overview is well-researched and copiously documented.

Weldon quotes extensively from pro-Hindu authors and leading gurus. He provides 197 footnotes (in a booklet consisting of 48) pages, enabling readers to check statements in context and encouraging further study.

Weldon writes from an orthodox, evangelical Christian point of view.

Highly recommended.

Anton Hein (Publisher, Apologetics Index)

In the preface of this 48 pages booklet, authors state that this booklet is to evaluate teachings of gurus in USA but this booklet ended up with a very critical, totally one-sided, condemnation of Hindu culture. Amazing to see authors repeatedly using metaphors such as "conflicting", "contradictory" "occult" "immoral" to describe every Hindu scripture, philosophy, ritual and practice. This booklet was written with clear cut motive to belittle Hinduism - the TRUE CULTURE OF INDIA. This booklet very selectively misquoted even Hindu authors to make their points. Alas! not even one good word about Hindu culture! How can anyone forget its contribution to the world such as metric system, Arabic numerals etc. India was a very prosperous nation in ancient times. That is why Columbus sailed to India. Columbus did not sail to see America, but prosperous Hindu India!!!!!! West as well as Holy Bible did not have a clue a! bout America until Columbus stumbled upon it, on his was to India. Hope authors have studied world history.

Little the authors know that TRUE Hinduism in USA and Canada is seen in the Hindu temples constructed by Indian professionals built with their own hard earned money to teach their young ones all about Hindu culture. In those institutions,[ just like Jews teach children about their culture in synagogues], Hindu children learn Hindu dances, Hindu classical music, Indian history, art and architecture apart from Hindu scriptures. Those institutions are not used to convert anyone to Hinduism. In fact, Hindus DO NOT convert anyone to Hinduism. These institutions do not even invite others to come and participate in temple ceremonies.

On page-7th of the very first chapter authors state, Hinduism is a religion based on mythology----That summation is totally wrong. Hinduism is a religion based on six philosophies like platonic philosophy of Greece. Mythology is a pa! rt of Hinduism, like Ayurveda [Hindu medicine], Jyothisha [! astronomy and astrology], Chahandas [measurements], Nirukta [ Etymology] Vyakarana [ grammar] Archary [Hindu art of fighting] etc.

Authors state Vedas as "conflicting and contradictory" without showing any proof of that. Authors who can quote hundreds verses from the Holy Bible, seldom quote a Hindu scripture!!!! Anyway since Hinduism never persecuted any one for writing a book or preaching a different philosophy, it is full of ideas and concepts; Whereas the Christian church since its birth had killed any author who wrote or preach against church's adapted teachings through out history. May be authors need history lessons about BISHOP ARIUS [ who was thrown out since he preached against Trinity doctrine] WILLIAM TYNDALE [ who was crucified since church did not like his very first English translation of the Holy Bible. ] and about MARTIN LUTHER [ who stood against the tyranny of Pope]. Authors see Vedas having spritistic inspiration [page-8] not divine inspir! ed. It is funny to see authors see Bible as God-inspired but due to their limited vision they see Vedas as spirit inspired!!All of you out there, who read this booklet, this one sided tirade against Hindu culture also should read another international best seller AM I A HINDU? to get another side of the whole story. This book is highly recommended for all libraries by LIBRARY JOURNAL and BOOKLIST magazines.

On page-10 they wrote basic philosophy of Hinduism can be described as NIHILISM. The word NIHILISM is more associated with Buddhism than Hinduism. NIHILISM only means that spiritual world is the true world and material world is constantly changing.

Authors have no idea about the true meaning of MAYA DOCTRINE. Maya means ILLUSION. What Hindu scriptures teach is that MATERIAL WORLD IS AN ILLUSION AND WE SHOULD NOT GET ATTACHED TO MATERIAL THINGS. Hindu scriptures never ever taught to disregard material life. In fact, Hindu scriptures teach every one TO DO ONE'S DUTY -! DHARMA. Nobody is allowed to run away from his/her duties. ! Among 800 millions Hindus only less than one million are Saints or Sadhus who roam about teaching people all about Hindu culture.

This booklet wants to give an impression that Hinduism promotes anarchy and lawlessness, since they believe in Maya Doctrine. That is totally wrong. After all the Hindu Bible, the Baghavad Gita, was taught in the middle of the battlefield as a very lively discussion between the God and a warrior prince. After that lengthy [ 18 chapters 700 verses] discussion THE WARRIOR PRINCE TOOK BOW AND ARROW AND KILLED ALL HIS ENEMIES. He did not run away from duty.

I have no idea why authors write that when a you do yoga meditation, you reach ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS [page 14] where as when you mediate on Christ, you do not reach that, instead you reach Almighty God!!!!

Things were very prosperous in India until Moslem attacked and plundered North India. Hindu Chola kings of southern India sent emissaries to Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tha! iland etc. That is why one can still see relics of Hinduism in all those South Eastern nations. Just like Jews, Hindus were in bondage under Moslems and then under British until 1947. How can anyone looked down upon Hinduism - the ONE AND ONLY CULTURE OF INDIA, when it has delivered the world metric system, Arabic numerals, quadratic equation, alchemy, breathing exercises etc.

Authors have no idea [ page-21] about I AM GOD concept in Hinduism. Unluckily they do not know that Hindu scriptures do not teach the body is God but the IMMORTAL SOUL WITH IN [ ATMAN] IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF GOD [PARAMATHMAN] . Of course, I can understand their dilemma since there is no word IMMORTAL SOUL in the Holy Bible. The individual Soul can be destroyed as per the Holy Bible. That is why authors are totally confused about Hindu salvation. All of you out there, who read this booklet, this one sided tirade against Hindu culture also should read another international best seller AM I A HIND! U? to get another side of the whole story. This book is hig! hly recommended for all libraries by LIBRARY JOURNAL and BOOKLIST magazines. Thanks for reading arvind-4@msn.com

Many books of this nature have been birthed since the September 11 2001 terrorist atrocities in the US, as countless people have tried to come to terms with, or perhaps seeking an understanding of, a religion that could so mercilessly and indiscriminately slaughter so many innocent people at a given moment in time. The religion of course is Islam.

This is indeed one of the better such books published with that aim in mind. The work shows extensive research and knowledge and is articulate and authoritative, with a deep understanding and comprehension of Islamic politics, theology, beliefs and mind-set. This book is not a diatribe filled with hostility against Islam. Indeed there is no hostility here at all, just a measured approach to many critical issues of this time.

In light of recent Islamic terrorism, this book investigates what the writers describe as 'a festering hostility that had been growing around the World for more than a generation', together with the creation of a global network of Islamic terrorist organisations/cells supported by a variety of nation-states such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Islam itself as a religion is examined from it's very foundations including the basic Moslem beliefs & what it teaches about the 'Moslem God' Allah plus the Jewish & Christian faiths.

The book examines the Islamic doctrine of Jihad and the connection between Islam and terrorism, studying in some depth what motivates the Islamic suicide terrorists into perpetrating such fundamentally evil terrorist atrocities with often unparalleled barbarism, including their irrational hatred for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

The mind-set of such suicide terrorists is further investigated to uncover the heinous teachings that declare that the murdering of innocent civilians will guarantee such 'zealots' their residence in a so-called 'heavenly paradise' forever. The "martyr's death" for Islam being revealed as the ONLY Islamic guarantee available for 'salvation' in this life.

Other aspects of Islam are also studied including the place of women, their individual rights and how they are mostly classed as 'inferior' in status, deficient in intelligence, religion and legal testimony. The right for Moslem men to beat their wives is also studied together with other practices which many will find questionable.

The Islamic claim of 'tolerance' is also studied in view of the severe penalties declared for Moslems who venture to convert to other religions, and also the penalties facing Christians who dare to share their faith in many Moslem lands, both who are often under penalty of death for daring to walk these paths.

Towards the end of the book the writers devote sections to describing certain Islamic terrorist groups such as HAMAS, Hizballah, PLO and Al Qaeda. Reference is made as to how much of the Western world has turned a blind eye to modern day terrorism prior to recent events. Special mention being made of Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader, whose vast true history of terrorism and bloodshed has been ignored, with much of the West & the media now embracing him as some form of 'celebrity'.

This is indeed a worthwhile and timely addition to anyone's library.

Ankerberg and Weldon present vital information about Islam in easy-to-read, bite-sized chunks and cite multiple resources to give foundation for their statements.

While the media and even our President have been telling us that Islam is a "religion of peace" and that Muslims worship the same God that is worshipped by Jews and Christians, you will know after reading this book that such sentiments (while probably well-intentioned) are simply inaccurate.

The authors explain that the English translations of the Q'uran available in the west are "toned down" versions that exclude many of the verses that are popular among the Arabic-reading extremists... such as those verses that call for the beheading of all Jews and Christians or verses that instruct a man to beat his wife if he believes she might be disobedient in the near future.

The book outlines major tenets of the Muslim faith, its origins and how it is being directed today by various clerics and other influential Muslims in the Arab world.

This book was authored after the attacks on the World Trade Center for the purpose of informing readers what the driving force was behind those attacks. Information specifically concerning the attacks and people involved is also covered.

The appendices at the back of the book cite various books, magazines and web sites for additional information that is sound and not exaggerated.

The book is presented in a scholarly format and is not an emotional diatribe.

The book is less than 160 pages including the appendix, index and table of contents - so it's fairly brief and to the point. If you're interested in learning more about Islam and you want to get accurate information, not some biased emotional tome, I highly recommend this book.

I don't have children, but I found this in a children's asile in my local bookstore and I had to buy it! This is the book I have on my backyard picnic table right now and I read thru it daily and love it! It's NUMBER 1 on my list of books to read right now with summer here. The photos are wonderful; the small editorials are written so that anyone can understand them, and as an adult I don't see the "child -like" reading here, but rather a book that everyone can enjoy and learn from and all of Time Life Books are finely manufactured. For a book I'd rate them as "Excellent Quality" and suggest this along with the other's from this series would make a wonderful gift for children and adults alike. You'll learn alot about gardening, how to attract butterflies or hummingbirds to your backyard; wild flowering, A-Z, way too much to mention.

This book is beautifully designed and well organized. Full color photography enhances each page. It includes basic information on gardening with native plants, planning a garden, attracting birds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your yard. Photographs and desriptions of plants and trees, organized by geographic location, are accompanied by maps, field notes, tips, and drawings of animals prefered by each. Lots of references are included in the back. It may be geared more towards the layperson than the expert, but this book really opened my eyes to the possibilities of gardening. Gardening is not just picking pretty flowers anymore! Natural Gardening a joy to browse through and to read.

This was a very informational and interesting book. I would recomend for everyone interested in biblical history to read this book. Even though it has to do with the Torah, any Christian could also read it. The Bible Code is very accurate and could be used in a protective way. It cannot tell the future, but can help us find out what lay ahead in our lives. I liked this book better than any other I read.

Ankerberg and Weldon do a superb job of refuting many of the so-called "principles" of the "Health and Wealth Gospel" espoused by many popular "faith" teachers. Ankerberg and Weldon give a heart-felt admonition for all Christians to diligently study the Bible and "prove all things," so that false teachers cannot deceive them

If you've ever read a book on UFO's you know that you can end up wading through a whole lot of information that doesn't seem to really have anything to do with what might be evidence we can really judge. But this simple booklet dumps all of that and gets right to the core evidences.

This book is indeed a masterpiece and it is great for someone who is studying to be an engineer or is interested in architecture. It is fantastic and has everything from the Lovely Louvre to the palace at Petra, from the Great Golden Gate to the construction of the Chrysler. It shows fine examples of art deco, modern, classical, Greek, Muslim etc. architectural wonders. It not only explains and shows the construction of these great buildings, but for certain buildings it also shows their plan, it's legends, along with information about who built it, why did they build it, whom did it build it for, when was it built, and where it is. It also has sections showing the greatest styles of architecture ever used along with a series of historic sites in the world. All in all this is a fantastic and very useful guide to the masterpieces of Architecture and Engineering.

-------------------------AHMED MASHHOOD--------------------------

Ankerberg and Weldon have produced a highly detailed examination of several aspects of New Age thought in this book. In my view, what makes this book good is that it spends a large amount of time quoting from folks in the New Age movement, rather than simply writing an exclusively Christian commentary on New Age thought. By analyzing what New Age leaders are saying about their own teachings, Ankerberg and Weldon help quell the notion that they are simply writing an ad hominem attack on the New Age. In particular, I thought that the section on Eastern gurus was one of the best commentaries yet written on this phenomenon, precisely because the chapter includes so many quotes from the gurus themselves that are simply devastating. When confronting New Age thought, Christians have the considerable challenge of getting the discussion out of the clouds and getting down to the level of how New Age thought can be practically lived with any real assurance that its claims are true. It's very hard to get the discussion to this level precisely because many New Age disciples don't want to go there. The one thing about this book that came across loud and clear without it ever being said is that many folks who become involved in the New Age don't want a practical spirituality that can be relied upon and put into everyday living. They want a dimestore spirituality that doesn't require them to live by any moral code other than whatever they think is right at any point in time. Self divinity sounds nice and it attracts an awful lot of people to New Age thought, but this book effectively shows that not only is the concept of self divinity a complete denial of what we know to be true about the human race, it also tends to be very debilitating to the New Age disciple once it becomes clear that the realities of the New Age movement don't fulfill the promises it makes.

I did not give the book 5 stars for 2 main reasons. First, I thought that the authors spent too much time interjecting the concept of demonic possession or demonic influence into the discussion. After a while, this became a distraction to me while reading the book, and frankly, I think the whole concept was significantly overemphasized. Entering the concept of demonic influences into a discussion with a non Christian is probably the best way to alienate that person from the joy of Christianity. Secondly, the one thing I was hoping to see that I didn't see was an in depth discussion of the latest New Age craze - nature based spirituality. Whether it takes the form of wicca, native american spirituality, or other forms of paganism, there is not a comprehensive discussion of this area. It is touched upon in a few places in the book, but because it's such a hot topic right now, I would have greatly enjoyed a separate section that was devoted specifically to this arm of New Age thought and having it thoroughly examined as its own topic.

With the exception of the 2 concerns addressed above, Ankerberg and Weldon have produced a formidable response to New Age thought. It is my hope that as the New Age movement continues to change, the authors will continue to publish revised versions of this book in order to keep current.

The New Age is not so new, as the authors point out in this fine book. They cover a variety of topics that could be considered as occultic and definitely not Christian. I have found it useful more than once when a topic came up where I wanted more information. They have written this book in such a way that you don't have to read it cover to cover. I like the dual columns, and the information they provide is well worth the price of admission. As a researcher myself, I know that it took these gentleman thousands of hours of tedious research to compile this tome, so my hat goes off to them.

If you are a Christian apologist addressing the New Age Movement or simply a curious seeker of truth, this book is simply one of the best apologetic resources on the market. Due to the influx of the New Age Movement into the Christian Church, I find myself referring to this book more and more often. Ankerberg and Weldon have done a masterful job.

Good, concise book on apologetics. The evidence they present for Christ's resurrection is thin, but I like the refutations of the various "empty tomb" theories. They also have an excellent refutation of the current myth that Christian resurrection theology evolved from pagan "rising god" myths. The worst part is probably the part where they ask "would the evidence for Christ stand up in a court of law?" Dr. Ankerberg totally misuses testimonials in this section, and merely stacks the cards in favor of Christianity in an almost unscholarly manner by quoting lawyers who happen to be Christians. One could do the same thing with almost any belief! It would have been better to quote the lawyers who believed in Christ -and- their reasons why. The sections on science and the Bible are good, the section on Biblical prophecy is decent but contains some inconclusive evidence. This book would have been much better had they gone more into archaeology and the evidence for Christ's resurrection. I really enjoyed most of the book, though, and it really offers good food for thought.

This is a fantastic book that will give you a concise, logical look at many, many facets of Christian apologetics.

One of my favorite sections of the book focuses on Biblical prophecy, and discusses in detail the many, many prophecies written hundreds of years B.C. that point directly to Jesus Christ as our Savior.

This book will enable you to talk intelligently on numerous subjects that are relevant to your Christian walk. I also highly recommend it for every Christian in college. (Like me.)

This is a one-stop-shop of major reasons to believe in the existence of God and the truth of Christianity and is presented in a compelling and inspiring fashion. Easy to read, yet scholarly in its objective, logical, and systematic presentation of arguments. Highly recommended for both personal use and for giving to others.

The three major parts of the book are: 1. Jesus Christ: The Most Unique Man in History; 2. Creation: The Most Unique Phenomenon of Existence; 3. The Bible: The Most Unique Book on Earth.

It goes way beyond a "I'm embarrassed to talk about Jesus" support book. Although the emphasis is on a positive presentation of Christian arguments, one result is that it TOASTS the atheistic/humanistic world view with the light of truth.

If you have never been exposed to the Christian perspective, read this book. You will be staggered at how ridiculus a theory macro evolution really is and be amazed that such effective arguments for the truth of God and Christianity could be left out of public education and mainstream discourse.

This booklet defends the modern bible versions. Although I agree with most of what was written, I have to disagree with the idea that there were no homosexuals on the translation committee. There were at least two of them.

I think this booklet will give you the "other side of the story" of the Bible version controversy.

Within 42 pages, Ankerberg and Weldon effectively manage to detail the facts for why the "KJV Only" (aka KJO) controversy exists, where the KJO argumentation is flawed, how the known ancient and not-so-ancient manuscripts fit into the compilation efforts of the KJV and modern English translations, and expose the dishonesty of a few of the KJO leaders. The analyses supplied by Ankerberg and Weldon reflect objective and scholarly recognition and appreciation of textual criticism, and fair evaluation methodologies. All of this is done in verbage that is not overly academic, thus making it useful for a broad audience. Unlike what has been penned by the KJO advocates, the presentation from Ankerberg and Weldon is without insult, without hostility, and without questionable behavior--a stark contrast from what is presented by Ruckman and Riplinger in their KJO literary works, which do not reflect the love of Christ anywhere. If you do not have time to read D.A. Carson's and James R. White's books, then this educational 42 page book is for you (especially since Ankerberg and Weldon use Carson's and White's books for some of their supportive argumentation). Even if you want more than just a summarizer publication, this is still a nice reference to own.

Ankerberg and Weldon have done their usual reliable job of gathering the facts and presenting them in a clear and systematic way. Here they take aim at a heterodoxy that's split churches, the crazy idea that the only Bible we should use is one first translated in the archaic language of 1611 (even though the version all KJV-onlyists use is actually the 1769 revision).

They point out words that are just not understood today. Sure, I guess you could produce a KJV dictionary or a KJV with definitions of these archaisms, but why not put the modern understandable words in the main text? It's a sad joke to see preachers use the KJV, then spend most of their sermon explaining what the words mean, when if they'd used a modern version, they wouldn't have had to explain all this. The cynical side of me suspects that this is why many of them still use the KJV -- otherwise there wouldn't be anything left in their sermons!

A&W refute the usual misinformation by the Riplingers of the world about allegedly corrupt versions and texts, and show that good modern versions such as the NIV, NASB and NKJV clearly teach the deity of Christ.

As for this Riplinger claim about a lesbian sympathizer on the NIV committee, this refers to Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. The problem was, Mollenkott once moved in evangelical circles and gave every impression of being one herself. But she started questioning the biblical teachings on the roles of men and women, and eventually apostatized completely. Her slippery slide is documented by Mary A. Kassian in her excellent book "The Feminist Gospel : The Movement to Unite Feminism With the Church". So the NIV hired her as a stylistic consultant in good faith, and dropped her when her heresy became known.

To show that her views didn't influence the KJV on moral issues, and that the idea that the NIV is soft on homosexuality is arrant nonsense, see this extract from Romans 1:24-28

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -- who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

Here, homosexual acts are called:

* sinful desires of their hearts

* sexual impurity

* degrading of their bodies

* shameful lusts

* unnatural relations

* indecent acts

* perversion

* the result of a depraved mind that's rejected the knowledge of God.

For more information, I recommend the following books:

* "The King James Version Debate : A Plea for Realism" by D. A. Carson -- covers a lot of historical and methodological fallacies, and critiques Pickering's defence of the Majority text.

* "The King James Only Controversy : Can You Trust the Modern Translations?" by James R. White -- a much more recent book, which gives a good overview of the main issues, interacts with the fallacies of Riplinger and Ruckman, and analyses many key verses in detail.