Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Book review
THE Seduction Of Religion
by Paul Singh

I had really been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly, what I thought would be a balanced explanation for why so many people fall for the childish fairy tales from each. man-made religion. What I read instead, was a rant about why religion is a cancer on society. I already knew that. I wanted to know why people needed to invent a supernatural deity,which is nigh on impossible to disprove ( or prove for that matter).
Sadly disappointed.

Originally published in 2017, this is the second edition of The Seduction of Religion reissued in 2020. I was intrigued by the title of this book, thinking it would examine how different religions lure their following, particularly at a time when so many have been outed for the pain and suffering they have caused, crimes they have committed, and all the other hypocrisies and downright craziness. With the opening sentence asking the reader to “reflect on how your own religious position was taken,” I was eager to keep reading.

It didn’t take long into the first chapter on Christianity when I began to feel that perhaps this wouldn’t be a discourse on persuasion, but more a platform for the author’s rant on what he hates about religion. I guess you can’t blame him, however; he does state at the outset that the more you study religion, the more you realise how contrived, corrupt and controlled it is.

The book isn’t bad. The author has definitely done his research, and I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book, along with the quirky cartoons. There are also some giggles to be had. I liked the image of Jesus descending from above the clouds to earth discovering the modern-day version of the Catholic Church, with its royalty in the Vatican and the trillion dollar business the church has become with its elaborate ceremonies and atrocities. I also appreciated the spotlight Paul Singh places on the misogyny of religion and the mistreatment of women and children.

I would have liked more of a discussion on how religions attract its followers, and why, during times of bad PR, people can justify their loyalty. Also, this is a revised and updated second edition - so why in his chapter on cults does Singh refer to Charles Manson as being alive and still serving time in prison, when his evilness kicked the bucket in 2017?

I think this will be an enjoyable book for some. For me, unfortunately it didn’t live up to its title, sucking me into something that ultimately wasn’t what I signed up for … which when you think about it, is religion in a nutshell.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. It's an interesting topic (world religions in historical context), written from a viewpoint with which I mostly agree (there is a lot of irrationality and danger in organized religion), and the description promised "amusing facts and anecdotes".

Despite my interest and optimism, this book under-delivered. The tone was snarky rather than enlightening. The writing was very thin on "historical context", and the writing was clunky (often referring to a certain concept for several paragraphs before explaining the concept, etc). While there were suggested readings at the end of each section, I was astonished to see that there were NO footnotes. The book would also have benefited by having a "header" at the beginning of each section for continuity, perhaps noting the place and time of origin, key tenets, size of membership, etc.

Despite these issues, I did feel like I learned from this book, and I am appreciative to #NetGalley and the author and publisher for an opportunity to read this book. All views are my own. #TheSeductionofReligion

Welcome to Comparative Theology 101.

As luring as the title of the book is, I have to say the real deal here is the content which both surprised and satisfied me beyond my expectations. The Seduction of Religion is a profound, well-researched and methodical reference book for all, who wish to learn about the basics of the commonest organized religions. The author’s description of religion is so good that it should be included in dictionaries:

“Religion is a language that is used to evoke emotions to fulfill human needs and desires so as to achieve calmness in the human psyche.”

Here we have origins of religions and sects, their belief systems, how they became powerful, the similarities and differences.
At the end of the book, you will see the similarities and discrepancies of different religious systems, learn about basic concepts and become more insightful.

What I have confirmed after reading this influential book is that;

a) Religions are nourished by fear. They say that God is merciful but only to a handful of people, leaving the rest to rot in hell. There is not a merciful, all-loving God without hell threats and fires. Organized religion uses fear and guilt and condemn people to damnation and hell.

b)They are all based on more or less the same prophecies, promises of afterlife and punishments.

c) As the author states, religious wars have killed more than plagues and natural disasters, so in that sense, they cause serious mass destruction.

Last but not least, all religions differ in terms of which God or prophet or book to believe in BUT they all have one thing in common: Misogyny. Every religion in the world women are inferior, they should be kept at home, at the service of men and they cannot become priests, monks or imams. Hallelujah!

“…This is the same Pope who would rather baptize aliens and atheists but will not allow devout Catholic women to lead the Church that might actually help reduce incidences of pedophilia to help safeguard our children.” No other sentence could have explained it better.

I have to state the fact that the author is only against religions. Personal beliefs and belief in God is strictly the person’s business and between him and the thing s/he believes in. He is only criticizing the abusive acts and exploitive religions that suck the blood of poor, innocent people by creating false beliefs and hopes for an afterlife. The author also says that he is not an atheist, as it is not possible to know for sure whether there is a creator or not and that he can live with this uncertainty without investing his life in an organized belief system.

“If belief in God is superstition, it is a harmless one. In fact, such superstition can bring some sense of relief to millions in this world, because our world is essentially hostile and unfair to most of us who inhabit this planet. So, I cannot possibly have a quarrel with the belief in God. Belief in God itself has not been responsible for wars and conflicts. The belief in organized religion on the other hand, has been a major contributing factor in some of the bloodiest conflicts in our history in the last several thousands of years.”

One downside of this beautifully constructed book is that I found the author very emotional and subjective most of the time. From such a well-equipped, educated man, I would have expected a more objective, less emotional read. However at times, it was like he was very angry and was lashing out and pouring his pain to relieve himself. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with everything he says, I just did not think the tone was suitable for such an over-sensitive subject. Believers might consider it offensive, but I can totally hear his shout and pissed off questions.


“God must harbor evil in his heart. He is good to some and evil to others. Do we want to worship a God, who is either incapable of removing suffering from this world or does not want to? Perhaps he is both good and evil? It seems that the Methodist God, like the others, cares little whether we suffer, live, or die. The evidence suggests that He does not care if a three-year-old baby, who is completely innocent, drowns in a swimming pool. He does not care if a child is born with a horrific disease and dies at the age of five. He does not care if animals suffer - creatures that lack the ability to have any evil intentions. He does not care if 70 percent of the people on the planet go to bed hungry…”

I don’t know what you have gone through Mr. Singh but it may be a good idea to calm down a little.