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Bearing False Witness

Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History

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Bearing False Witness

By: Rodney Stark
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
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About this listen

As we all know, and as many of our well-established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called "Hitler's Pope", the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long-held beliefs were all wrong?

In this stunning, powerful, and ultimately persuasive book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and the best-selling author of The Rise of Christianity, argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light, are in fact fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what is the truth? In each chapter Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth, gives a fascinating history of how it became the conventional wisdom, and presents a startling picture of the real truth.

©2016 Rodney Stark (P)2016 Tantor Bible Study Bibles & Bible Study Christianity History Middle ages Pope Middle East Africa Crusade

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Critic reviews

"A majestically argued, gorgeously written, and essential book by one of the truly indispensable minds of our time. Bearing False Witness is one more gift to history from Rodney Stark. It should in turn be given to and read by students and professors everywhere, whatever their beliefs." (Mary Eberstadt, author of How the West Really Lost God)
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this book changed my outlook on church history. An amazingly accessible and readable book which clarifies and demolishes anti church biases that many take for granted.

Not a history buff but...

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so much information that was completely new to me, but a very serious and convincing case was presented. A must read!!!

extremely eye opening

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Even handed treatment of the subject which to my mind has the ring of truth about it. Recommended.

Entertaining and Informative

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Rodney Stark debunks anti-Catholic lies and propaganda.

The so-called "Enlightenment" was a bigoted and anti-intellectal cult which itself hindered progress and contributed nothing positive.

Explains the vicious lies directed at Catholicism

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Like lots of books that challenge long-held beliefs, this was pretty jaw-dropping. I got a little confused about what was being presented as the mistaken beliefs and what was the alternative story. The Spanish Inquisition chapter was a real eye-opener.

Challenges long-held beliefs

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Reading this book shone the light on a hidden world. A world of endeavour, enterprise, nobility, and faith. Never have the lies of Edward Gibbon been so comprehensively refutes. The falsehoods of Voltaire so carefully exposed. The narrative of Protestantism so easily confounded. A marvellous insight to the enlightened medieval age.

Smashing Secular Orthodoxy

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