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.

This book is super interesting. It is an accessible way to explore a complex subject that exposes the darker side of religion and culture. A great addition to anyone curious about the origin of religion, its structure/formation, and the variations between polytheism and monotheism. Definitely worth a read.

Interesting and thought-provoking... This won't be everyone's cup of tea, for sure. Requires an open mind, or at least some openness, because this book presses a lot of buttons and you need some detachment to be able to read it, let alone get through. Especially liked the glimpses in Ancient Egypt - not very common and not well-known about that civilization, so that was fresh and novel.
Overall, it is pretty much an opinion piece, and these should be taken with a grain of salt, aka take it as a springboard to go and do your own deepening research then
Still, lots of food for thought here.
If you can't stomach criticism and see that as 'attack', then steer clear of this one

I have to agree with fellow reviewer, Kevin B. In fact, I am quoting a portion of his review because I couldn't possibly word it any better.

"I see this book as an attempt to discredit faith in general.... Though it is well written, meaning, sentence structure, fluency, punctuation, spelling, the main concern and alarm does relate to the Biblical passages that the author uses out of context. It is not a book to be regarded in any high manner, or a book to be treated as an authority on the subject. But it should be treated as an opinion piece, and treated solely as opinion."I

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mr. Colombo poses a question about violence and its connection to monotheistic religions. The book is written like a research paper divided into four parts. Each one addressing a different aspect of monotheistic and polytheistic religions.

Book 1: The Ancient Egyptian Philosophy: Mythology, Cosmogony, Cosmology, and Religion
Book 2: Abrahamic Monotheism: A Theological Investigation of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Book 3: The Monotheistic Era: The Era of Oppression, Torture, and Genocide
Book 4: Abrahamic Monotheism: A Literary Investigation

I was impressed with the amount of research and thought that has gone into writing this book. The information was written in a way that was easy to read and understand. Some of the statements in the book really made me question what I know. There were several “Hmm” moments too. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the differences between the types of religions and their connection to intolerance, hatred and genocide.

I don't know why there are books like these today, if you want to criticize religion, in my opinion, you have to respect religious.

The premise for this book appears to be that the Abrahamic God is actually a minor demon. He makes a good case for that, especially in light of beliefs from other groups in Canaan as well as Egypt. This entity gets his followers to commit genocides and worse in the Old Testament and Talmund. Is there a more effective way to spread evil actions on Earth than convincing people that they are doing the right in God’s sight, that they are guided by a wise being who knows what is best for the world, and that they will be blessed by this being if they follow his commands without listening to their own consciences?

However, I think he overstates his case somewhat. Certainly, followers other gods, such as those in South America, who had no contact with the people of Asia Minor, also committed atrocities such as human sacrifice for their deities. Wars have been fought worldwide throughout time in order to please a deity by killing followers of rival deities. Holy wars are not unique to the Abrahamic faiths.

I will not be recommending this book, simply because the author's so called research and study of the Biblical text is full of eisegesis. The author is clearly against the Abrahamic faiths. (Christianity, Judaism, Islam). My concern is that the author treats his so called "Biblical studies" and selection of the passages from the Bible to be the only correct viewpoint.

However, when considering the passages under study: The New Testament has been commented on for not quite 2000 years, and the Old Testament far longer. The author has not done proper exegesis of the text - it is quite obvious and while he does try to hide and slowly reveal his disdain for faith throughout the book, proper study of faith and religion must be done correctly.

I see this book as an attempt to discredit faith in general, in similar fashion as "The God Delusion" by Dawkins. Though it is well written, meaning, sentence structure, fluency, punctuation, spelling, the main concern and alarm does relate to the Biblical passages that the author uses out of context. It is not a book to be regarded in any high manner, or a book to be treated as an authority on the subject. But it should be treated as an opinion piece, and treated solely as opinion.

This is a good book with some interesting and thought provoking information on a very sensitive subject. I definitely came away learning some new information I was previously unaware of. It may be a tough read for those deeply invested in one of the big three though. I would advise anyone to give it a read and form your own opinion, just like with the religions criticized (and really anything else in the world), not just take anyone's information as fact but rather take what information they have provided, do your own further research and come to your own conclusion.

A worth while read, emotions run deep on both sides of this subject matter, so I would suggest trying not to let personal bias (for either side) color your thinking too much.

Certainly makes sense. I've never been particularly fond of any of of the religions of the Bible. They were always a bit too vindictive and blood thirst for my tastes. And what is up with everyone always ooo-ing and awe-ing over one person saying some god spoke to them, or some angel, no witnesses to these events, and everyone believes the person??? People were such sheep, or something... Sorry to be so disparaging, but I'm not a christian. pagan and proud. Yeah, Eloy Colombo! Eye opening and well thought out and researched book!

An interesting historical journey concerning the growth that the three mainstream religions took each lead by, and carried on to this day by clever snake-oil salesmen especially when it's hard to differentiate between politics and religion. All this reinforces the old saying 'God didn't create man, man created God'
Poland at this time in history would be an excellent example and Putin cosying up with the Russian Orthodox Church is another. Nothing has changed, however, this has made me more interested in Egyptian prehistory and I thank the author for this.
An independent review thanks to NetGalley

This was a truly educational experience for me as it went into detail of many religions which I really knew very little about. Certainly not a relaxing read, it was interesting. At times, the author perhaps got a little caught up in their own eagerness to share details of specific areas and the book then became more of a scholarly tome than just an interesting account of Is history.

I was not a fan. There was certainly some interesting information here and gave reason to stop and think. But there was a clear agenda being touted and some generalizations as well as unreasonable (to me) conclusions. This is not a book I will be recommending....

pretty complicated material to review... religious research is always a very complex subject to touch and emotions may be way influencing in review than in any other material.

from an academic and rational standpoint, I do agree with the author on an understanding of monotheistic religions as somewhat destructive and limiting view on natural understanding of the world. this book is a very solid read for me in terms of research and historical background and overall anthropological development of human race and understanding of natural forces...
but reviewing any religion, being it monotheistic or polytheistic, we may come to some conclusions...
A solid, good read for me personally but may be very triggering to individuals with the very deep and somewhat not rational attitude towards religion.