When apostates get angry and ashamed, they often go to great lengths to prove that they made the right decision in abandoning their faith. Now, in our era of easy self-publishing, when anyone with a few K's (like me) can pump out books on demand, there's a new door open for the spiritually bankrupt to share their demented insight and ignorance with others. Solomon Tulbure's Christianity Exposed is, to put it mildly, an example of this.

It's hard to come up with an original way to say it after so many times having to do so -- I have commented before on books by skeptics like McKinsey and Barker who have no knowledge of the Bible's social, literary, an cultural background; so let's just take my previous comments and multiply them by two. How did Tulbure come to compile this massive volume? He "began to hang out in libraries after school, and began to study various subjects, including about his own religions." [sic] He also has a degree in Electronics. Ouch. Instant expert; just add water. Isn't that how Ben Witherington got all of his education?

We'll reserve our own accounting of the crimes against scholarship ("Tulbure Exposed") for the article linked below; for now I have some comments on general methodology. I learned about this book when three different persons wrote me with copies of material Tulbure had posted on various discussion boards -- not all of them relevant (for example, an "ex-Mormon" board). The post consisted almost entirely of "argument by outrage" against God; investigation of Tulbure's Web site reveals a childish mindset, for example, a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount in which no effort is made to address the Beatitudes in their social context, but answers given to the effect, "This is a stupid rule because..." followed by, "Do you believe this moron/idiot Jesus taught this?" One wonders if Confucius would escape thusly unscathed, or any other ancient teacher who taught some of the same things. At any rate, the childishness is carried over into book format, but in addition to referring to Christians as "complete irrational morons" we have other, different forms. Between enormous numbers of typos (the back cover refers to the "United Sates") and crimes against grammar (it has been related to me that Tulbure blames the English language for being "the stupidest language" he has ever seen), we have annoying "smile" symbols dotting the pages, purposeful misspellings for polemical purposes ("JeZus", "GeeZeus"), and plenty of hayseed to spread. Why didn't Sol study harder? "...most authors seemed more interested in showing off their linguistic scholarship, instead of concentrating on the subjects they covered." Er, well, addressing linguistic issues is necessary in order to cover a subject that involves another language...it sounds more like Sol couldn't figure out what he was reading and plain gave up. We have vague generalizations: "...in every nation where Christians lived, they have divided, hated and persecuted each other with all the power they had." Don't expect even a few lines about history proving this, though. I expect Sol has a couple of examples of this that he prefers to universalize, and has no idea that "dividing, hating" etc. is a universal province in which Christianity (and other systems of faith) has been used as a tool to baptize an agenda. When the critics can do no better than hurl elephants, that's a sign that they aren't worth listening to.

We have screeds sure to evoke atheistic sympathy: "Don't you think that churches would serve a better purpose if we tear them down and build apartments for the poor or schools?" (Sol, who's gonna pay for all of that construction? Isn't it less expensive to build on land that is still open?) On the other hand, we should give more respect to scientists who "gave you cars, light bulbs, calculators, medicine, airplanes, trains, candy [!], good foods, wonderful music and instruments (pollution, nuclear weapons, anthrax, couch potatoes -- come to think of it, wouldn't the candy factories and record companies also be better off as low-income housing?)..." With such commentary I can't help but ask which of the elements off the periodic table Sol has been smoking. The mention of candy makes me want to ask what year he plans to grow up.

Perhaps one may think I would be wasting my time addressing this rant in print, but I really don't mind. For one thing, I already have refuted most of the material in it, and it won't be hard at all to address the rest. For another thing, it is clear from reviews online and from the letters I have received that Sol has set off alarms in the hearts of true believers who don't know how to answer him, and has incurred at least one apostasy to his eternal and infernal credit. As for me, it's just another day of stepping on the bugs -- and I'm pleased to do the part for the sake of others.