World Religions and Cults, by Body Hodge & Robert Patterson....A REVIEW

A review of Comparative Religions by MasterBooks that consists of three books titled World Religions and Cults Volume 1-3 I first came across this set of books when forming my scope and sequence for my high school students. I knew I wanted Apologetics and Bible in every year so as to keep my children sharp in the Word. But then the book made a splash on a Social Media page for support for MasterBooks when someone questioned its hardline stance on certain things. Please re-read this, I did not say legalistic stance but rather hard-line; meaning an uncompromising view of the Scriptures. I was so impressed with the stand that MasterBooks took that, if I had not already been, I would become one of their biggest supporters and advocates! So, when the books and teacher guide were offered for review I jumped on the chance. This would mean an opportunity to read the material a full year before I had planned to purchase it for our own homeschool use. First being a mom that is finishing up a degree that includes a Biblical Studies Minor has meant countless hours in classes on theology, doctrine, the history of Christian thought, the history of the church and of course a rather lengthy comparative religions course – I can say with confidence that this course section is at the collegiate level and most likely exceeds some collegiate level courses in its explanation. Saying this I need to qualify it with the fact that Bodie Hodge is a writer that, while writing about rather deep and sometimes difficult subject matter, always is able to present it in an easy to read format that anyone can read, understand and walk away with some basic knowledge. In fact, my experience with Bodie Hodge’s writing is that most of the time the active student is driven to the Scriptures to study more, to formulate their own questions that lead to an internalization of God’s Word and a better ability to “defend” or refute the secular world view they are so often bombarded with. Offered first as a set of stand-alone books these three volumes with a teacher guide are now offered as a course for grades 11 and 12 as a full year credit in Apologetics or Biblical Studies. I would also say this would fall under other subjects. The course work is simple enough but thought provoking as it asks a student to really think through issues and formulate their own opinions. In a world where there are so many different versions of religion, so many different denominations and sects how do our children or even ourselves discern Truth from heresies? I could not help but think of a quote from Brother Andrew as I read these books,”You can't use strong-arm tactics against the church without strengthening it. It's always been that way. Under persecution a man looks at his faith to see if it's worth fighting for, and this is a scrutiny Christianity can always withstand. The real danger comes with an indirect attack, where a person is lured away from the Church before he has a chance to become strong.” This real danger is also in the form of subtle changes to the Truth and this has always been the trouble, since the first century till now. These heresies are so close to the Truth, shadow the Truth so well that it would be easy to be deceived into thinking they are the same as the Truth. That is what is so great about these books and even greater now that it is an actual course with worksheets. The student, whether adult or teen, will come away with a greater knowledge of other religions and cults. This will include an understanding of their history, their basic beliefs and how best to witness to those immersed in these false belief systems. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to better understand not only other religions but also Christianity,