Shameful Christianity: Jesus is an Infidel is a collection of poetry exposing the destruction of a once benevolent religion

 

Jesus is an Infidel

Benjamin B. White

Alien Buddha Press, 2025

ISBN: 9798313005775

Print, 63 ppg.

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When someone reads a book that is about a religious figure and/or deity, it’s important to have an open mind. This is especially true if the book in question is a collection of poetry.

 

I am not a religious person. I have no religion and I don’t hold myself to any dogma or beliefs. I used to be a Christian (among other things), so I know a bit about the Bible, church sermons, Sunday school teachings, and basically living as a Christian. I am no longer a Christian, but that doesn’t mean I entertain hatred towards the Christian faith. All the same, even as I am exposed to blasphemy and hate towards a religion, that does not mean I’ll jump on that bandwagon. I take what I see, read and experience with a critical eye.

 

That said, this collection of poetry does contain some blasphemous material (if you’re a Christian), but I perceived it as non-religious writing. Just another person’s opinions and ideas. None of the stuff in this book is meant to be a call to attack Christianity; it’s only literature.

 

I actually found some of the poems to be thought-provoking, as well as entertaining. I was laughing in some parts of the book and rolling my eyes in others.

 

“Fall into Place” is a poem that touches on the fact (NOT a “theory”) that the King James Bible was changed and revised according to the whims of a group of men in government. The Bible we know of and read today (KJV) is the result of all of those changes and wrong translations. It is not the original Word of God.

 

The last 8 lines of the poem “Carpenter” made me laugh!

 

In the poem “Pity,” these lines stood out, in talking about Jesus:

 

“As his is a religion

Of self-pity

Built on obeying

And staying

Out of the orchard

And within the parameters

Of behavior

Without thought

Where knowledge

Has always been

Forbidden.” (Page 43)

 

This is one thing that always bugged me about being a Christian. Being told that I had to obey and not ask questions. Heck, when I read the Bible, I filled up pages of a notebook with questions! And any time I tried to learn about other religions, I was scolded by Bible-bangers and warned that I would start growing horns on my head. When I studied the Druids for research for my novel, my dad kept warning me that they were evil, Devil worshipers and that I shouldn’t believe what I was reading about them.

 

I believe we should be allowed to ask questions. We should be allowed to think for ourselves. We cannot blindly follow leaders! We should not be forced into compliance without being able to have a voice or to seek understanding. But that is what my experiences with Christianity was like and I refused to play along. (And that’s actually not the reason why I decided that I no longer wanted to be a Christian.)

 

Now back to comments on the poems in this book. I have just one more!

 

“The Exorcist” was a hilarious poem! But, really, would Jesus actually choose to drink Cherry Coke? I always thought he would be more of a Mountain Dew guy.

 

Jesus is an Infidel is a collection of poetry showing a different, less brainwashed view of what Jesus’ life was like, how he probably views the Christianity of today and what sort of twists his original idea of religion has gone through to this day. I do not feel that the Christianity that is preached by conservative followers of the faith is not the same that Jesus envisioned (because didn’t he tell us to love our neighbor?), and a lot of the poems in this book address that very thing and goes on to add a bit more of just how far Christians of today have strayed from the path of their religion.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author without any expectation of a review and this review is entirely voluntary.

 

Short fiction with humorous and unexpected twists: Only Animals is a collection of entertaining speculative stories

 

Only Animals

Chelsea Sutton

Wrong Publishing, 2024

Ebook, 44 ppg.

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Only Animals by Chelsea Sutton is an eclectic and creative collection of stories that I truly enjoyed reading. These stories left me thinking outside the box and had me delve into a series of imagery and symbolism to grasp their meanings.

 

"Fish Bowl: a play" was a very interesting and very curious story. It has that whole "turning of the tables" feel to it. As was "The Fold." I loved the open ending of "The Stargazer" because it left much to the reader's imagination.

 

"There Is No Baby In This Story" said so much with so little. I loved how Auggie stayed resolute in her decision not to give in to her mother's expectations. In fact, Auggie was such a lovable character in this story! I kinda knew what her mother meant about finally understanding the value of the unpleasant highchair one day, but for Auggie, it was just a thing that was too uncomfortable for her to sit in or enjoy as a baby. Yet instead of getting rid of it after it comes into her possession, she honors her mother's feelings for it in such a beautiful way.

 

The title story was an excellent read. It says so much about how we handle grief. Grief is different for everyone, but some people think it must be the same for everyone everywhere. I like how the daughter finds someone to connect with in the grief support group and the discussions they have. And I absolutely LOVED the ending of this story, how it all comes together.

 

Only Animals is a collection of stories that takes the reader beyond a normal reading experience. It pulls the reader into a world where everything is upside down and inside out. It offers readers bits and pieces of truth and meaning, holding its breath as it waits for the reader to finally gasp with understanding. That understanding shines this story collection in a brand-new light, one in which this reader was grateful to have the chance of experiencing.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reformo is a Modern-Day Superhero to All: Chasing the Dragon is an action-packed story of funny and inspiring superhero exploits

 

Chasing the Dragon

Mark Towse

Eerie River Publishing, 2024

ISBN-10: 1998112268

ISBN-13: ‎978-1998112265

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When you’re the kind of person raised by a drill sergeant of a mother who demands order and CLEANLINESS, that image tends to stick in your head long into adulthood. And that’s the case with Simon Dooley, an ex-con determined to bring order to his town in the new novel Chasing the Dragon by Mark Towse.

 

The only problem with trying to bring order to a town that has fallen into disorder is that nobody wants any of that. They want to continue littering, allowing their dog’s excrement to just end up wherever it ends up and ignoring the laws. And speaking of, the police don’t really care about the laws either. They are too lazy and disinterested. Everybody has pretty much accepted that their town is in chaos and that’s how life is.

 

But not Simon! He is DETERMINED to change things!

 

So this is all the more reason to take on the role of a superhero, right? That’s what Simon does. Believing he is the one capable of restoring order and hope to his town, he throws on a leo – er, costume, adopts a name and catchphrase, and strolls on out into the horrible nightmare that is his town. Simon transforms into Reformo, superhero extraordinaire who is brave enough to fight against corruption and decay – even if it means getting his butt kicked along the way. What ensues are hilarious antics of people accusing him of being a stalker, rapist, pedo, and meddler. “But I’m just trying to help!” he continuously cries, as he is hit with a chair in the head, kicked in the nuts, smeared with dog doo-doo and thrown against a car he is trying to rescue from a thief.

 

There are many villains Reformo must face in this story, and most of them range from the amateurish to the comical. Crime never sleeps, and Reformo is on the job, taking on them all!

 

There are also big villains he goes up against. Big Villain #1 is Bum Fluff – a notorious drug dealer. Will he achieve his goal in restoring order and eliminating the bad guys?

 

Then comes Big Villain #2, Butter Balls, and Big Villain #3, The Dragon.

 

As I read this novel, I was laughing, shaking my head and face-palming my way through it all to find out if Reformo escapes from them all. There are so many humorous scenes, even the painful ones. This book is loaded with humor, romance, action, excitement, a bit of horror, mystery and a good dose of family drama.

 

Being a superhero without abs of steel, special powers and an invulnerability to pain is not easy work, but Reformo is going to keep trying, even if he has to bring down a bad guy with only one good arm!

 

After getting his butt kicked by bad guys so much, you might wonder what it is that keeps driving Reformo on his quest to restore order to the town. Not only did he make a promise to his late mother to get rid of the chaos but he is also inspired by the many comic books he read growing up. In fact, that and his time in prison gives him ideas on how to handle the bad guys. But is he willing to give it all up for love? That’s the question that held me in suspense. Would he really do it? Or would he make sure Reformo does not die?

 

There is so much that I loved about this book. It’s got a lot of humor, yes, but also a lot of superhero action scenes – complete with the sound effect words of comics from the old days!

 

There’s that plus Simon’s mother constantly nagging him. He uses this as fuel to keep going and to try to prove he’s not a failure, like she thought he was. His mother also makes appearances in the story in scattered memories Simon occasionally dwells upon.

 

The biggest thing that I loved about this book, though, is the quest that Simon is on to break free from generational trauma. He’s trying to establish his own identity. His whole life was haunted by a nagging, domineering mother who probably endured the same kind of treatment when she was growing up. She was convinced Simon would be just like his father, but this is something which Simon refuses. A huge part of why he chooses to become a modern-day superhero is because he’s fighting against the prediction that he will turn out to be weak, just like his father was weak (weak to stand up for him, anyway). So in establishing a new identity as Reformo, he is fighting against that prediction. And in becoming Reformo – sticking to this new identity no matter what it takes – he finds himself and discovers his real superpower: His own unique identity.

 

Chasing the Dragon was an action-packed, adventurous and inspiring novel to read. I love the idea of someone actually being brave enough to don a costume and become a superhero to restore order to town! Reformo may have become a superhero in the eyes of civilians in this story, but he has also become a superhero to this reader! The world needed someone like Reformo, and our superhero answered that call to fight for order as well as self-respect.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.