Review by adinamurariu -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[adinamurariu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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William E. Combs, a retired Presbyterian minister, chose a suggestive and well-inspired title for his book, God’s famous phrase from the Genesis: Who told you that you were naked? The design of the book cover follows the same note, with a red apple hinting at the original sin, convincing the viewer/reader to browse it at least.

As the title and the subtitle (Who told you that you were naked? A refreshing reexamination of the Garden of Eden) imply, the biblical story of Adam and Eve is the main focus of the book. Combs tries to restore the importance of the Old Testament, which, in his opinion, is outrun by the New Testament. Combs looks up at the Old Testament, and confesses that through his pages he tried to understand God, and managed to fully comprehend the religious key concepts of sin, salvation, faith, fear, deeply analysed in the book.

The book has 10 chapters in which the author mixes biblical passages and personal comments. From the beginning, in the Introduction chapter, the author launches an invitation, which synthesizes in a few words the quintessence of the book :”I invite you to come with me on a mission to delve into the events through which sin and death entered the world (Romans 5:12). It is my hope you too will rediscover, as I did, the glorious Light and Life available to us who believe”.

Many pages from the book are dedicated to the analysis of the word naked, which refers to both physical and spiritual aspects. He draws the attention upon an aspect that I was not aware of before: that the feeling of shame when naked appears only when we are in the presence of someone who is equally evolved spiritually. For instance, we are not ashamed to be naked in front of our little children, or our dog. Modern people also feel naked and therefore they try to cover their emptiness with ”everything the world can offer in an attempt to be complete and fulfilled, but there will always be circumstances that undercut our confidence, leaving us feeling vulnerable and naked. The author of Ecclesiastes describes a life spent in such a pursuit. "Vanity of vanities," All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?"

I like that Combs does not try to convince anyone of anything, does not try to impose his opinion as a general truth, instead he closes each chapter with some study questions for discussions, inviting his readers to draw their own conclusions.
As someone that has not read widely in this area, I felt that this book was a good introduction, and I think it is a great biblical study for everyone, regardless their religion. It will leave you with a state of peace, calm and the certainty that God has a great plan for everyone of us.
I rate it 3 out of 4 stars with the comment that I think it is a very good book for the readers of the genre.

The story about his childhood narrated at the beginning of the book which he used to introduce us to the subject did not achieve its purpose. I also enjoyed less the hypothetical scenarios that he mixes up with passages from the Bible. Some of the chapters contain personal testimonies that are meant to reinforce his comments on the Bible, but few of those testimonies are a little bit strange.

The book has many valuable ideas that impressed me a lot and made me think about certain aspects of the life in a different way…
”Sin is more than a list of our misdeeds”.
”Real faith can accomplish anything”.
”Who told you that you need to be thinner, younger, healthier, prettier, more athletic, more intelligent, one who speaks with more confidence, or have a better sense of humour; have a bigger home in a more upscale neighbourhood, a more impressive job with a larger pay check; have a newer, faster, or classier car, more stylish clothing, influential friends, or more time to devote to the things you want to do? And why are you ‘clothing’ yourself with the trappings of wealth, education, a notable position, or even religious piety so you no longer feel vulnerable?”

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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[Jeremie Mondejar]

Nice review. I also reviewed this book. you have a good insights regarding on this book. this book sounds good to who reviewed this book.

[adinamurariu]

Nice review. I also reviewed this book. you have a good insights regarding on this book. this book sounds good to who reviewed this book.

Thank you.
I found it a little bit difficult to read at the beginning, because I am not a native English speaker but I managed to read it all and understand the author”s point of view.

[Jeremie Mondejar]

Nice try Adi. Is it ok if I will call you Adi? your review sounds good, just keep going.

[Sabina G]

Nice review. I got very interested in these topics since I reviewed a similar book by Daniel Friedmann, Roadmap to the End of Days (which I highly recommend you to read).

[Zelinda]

One of the things that the reviewer said stuck with me, which, paraphrased, seemed to indicate that people only feel shame when they are naked around other people who are more spiritually evolved. I'm not quite getting what he meant, but I think that his example of not feeling ashamed around children when we are naked is not a good example, as they are way more spiritually advanced than adults. Just my opinion. Sounds like a good religious discussion book, but one I probably won't read.

[adinamurariu]

Nice review. I got very interested in these topics since I reviewed a similar book by Daniel Friedmann, Roadmap to the End of Days (which I highly recommend you to read).

Thank you for your appreciation and recommendation. I will read your review of the book you mentioned and, probably, I will also read the book.

-- 19 Sep 2017, 06:07 --

One of the things that the reviewer said stuck with me, which, paraphrased, seemed to indicate that people only feel shame when they are naked around other people who are more spiritually evolved. I'm not quite getting what he meant, but I think that his example of not feeling ashamed around children when we are naked is not a good example, as they are way more spiritually advanced than adults. Just my opinion. Sounds like a good religious discussion book, but one I probably won't read.

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I know that I didn”t express that idea very clear. Many of those who read my review did not understood what I wanted to say. But This is what the author says in his book.

[kislany]

I've read a few reviews for this book recently, and I've noticed that everyone pretty much enjoyed reading it. Great review!

[adinamurariu]

I've read a few reviews for this book recently, and I've noticed that everyone pretty much enjoyed reading it. Great review!

Thank you. Not only have I enjoyed reading this book but I found a few ideas that inspired me, that gave me strength, that motivated me. And the peace that surrounds you .....

[Pinkilicious]

It's apparent you tried your best to give a good review of this book. Thanks for being informative about it, i guess the book will appeal more to people trying to know more about the Christian Faith. Overall, you did great in putting in this work.

[walter7]

As a christian a find this book interesting. Thumbs up to the author for a great measage. Thanks for the review

[adinamurariu]

It's apparent you tried your best to give a good review of this book. Thanks for being informative about it, i guess the book will appeal more to people trying to know more about the Christian Faith. Overall, you did great in putting in this work.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my review. It was a little bit difficult for me to read this book, and I tried my best to do a good review.