Review of St Augustine's Sin

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Erico Jackson
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Review of St Augustine's Sin

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[Following is a volunteer review of "St Augustine's Sin" by Joe Baker.]
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4 out of 5 stars
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St Augustine's Sin by Joe Baker is a non-fiction book about how Augustine contributed to many crimes happening in the church. The author discusses how indoctrination in religion is a punishment. Augustine wrote a book named Confessions, which the author criticizes, saying he wanted to show his beliefs were of Christianity, but his actions weren't. Augustine connects the original sin to sex when he says people are born with it because of the sexual lust between Adam and Eve. Some churches have formalized his idea saying that sexual sin, which was the original sin because of Adam and Eve's sexual lust, is transferred from generation to generation. Augustine's ideas have misled Christians to believe sex is bad; and that they should be ashamed of it. Even though most British people are not religious, the teachings of Augustine have affected them, and many people follow his teachings. He claims that government should stop financing and promoting religion in education.

I don't think the author is a believer, but I think his criticisms are constructive to some people since religion should be something the government gives children a chance to make their own choices. When the government forces religion into education, it does not give children a chance to make choices for themselves. They should be given a chance to decide whether they want to learn it. I liked that he provides websites containing more information on what he talks about. It helps readers find more information if they need to. I liked how the author provided examples to verify his claims; for instance, a priest in Pennsylvania forced a nine-year-old to give him oral sex and rinsed his mouth with purified water to purify him. He provides examples to show how Augustine has affected the world.

What I criticize in this book is how the author is against religion. He talks about it as if it is a bad thing, and according to his claims, he shows his desire to lure people out of their religions. He was abused, but he thinks religion contributed to that; he should inspire change and not destroy other doctrines just because of his claims.

I rate St Augustine's Sin, written by Joe Baker, four out of five stars. The book was explicitly edited because I wouldn't discover any errors. There are several things I liked in this book that makes the book deserve a perfect rating, but I deducted a star because of the author's unconstructive criticism of religion. He makes the matter look like a joke and wants people to be like him.

I recommend this book to anyone not offended by some serious issues about Christianity. Christians may get offended by Baker's criticisms since they don't seem to build a Christian but to destroy their beliefs. He shows them how their beliefs are built on Augustine's book, Confessions.

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St Augustine's Sin
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