Myths of Christianity: A Five Thousand Year Journey To Find The Son of God by Jedediah McClure is not a criticism of the Christian religion; nothing could be farther from the truth. This book tries to put Jesus Christ and the men and women who followed Him and created a religion around His teachings in context with the other religions that existed or were known about at that time. This book is also not about a single sect or denomination of Christianity, it is a history of religion and how the Christian church evolved from ancient times to present day, how many other religions had an impact on the founders of Christianity and what is exclusive to Christianity and what is not. Using entertaining examples as diverse as Bruce Lee, Dante’s Inferno and McDonald's, Mr. McClure takes us through the development of angels, demons, gods and the holidays we celebrate today, sharing volumes of historical information in an easy-to-understand and interesting way. He shows us how miracles and magic were part of the lives of the people who lived in Biblical times, and how that impacted the men who authored the Bible.

I recommend this book without hesitation to anyone who likes to know more about what they believe and how those beliefs have been shaped and reshaped over time. Christianity was not created in a vacuum. It shares elements of its makeup with many religions, those that no longer exist and those that are still practiced today. There are no new discoveries in this book, but I guarantee you will learn things about your religion that you never dreamed were true.

Myths of Christianity by Jedediah McClure, takes you on a comprehensive historic journey into the Christian faith with the accuracy and detail of a college level text book, coupled with the personal accounts associated with a great autobiography.
Mr. McClure’s scholarly background and detailed study are clearly apparent from the onset. However, this is done in such an intellectually attainable way, as to never distance or bore the reader. He covers in detail the origins of the most popular ideas surrounding religion, from angels & demons, heaven & hell, Easter & Christmas, to most importantly the origins of the doctrine itself. He offers a meticulous account of the religious history without taking sides, never trying to argue for or against a specific denomination in the Christian faith. This deliberately allows the reader to draw their own conclusions, with the comfortable knowledge that they have all the appropriate information to do so. I particularly liked the fact that Mr. McClure took the time to define religious nomenclature terms throughout the text, so as to not to break your reading stride. Stopping to Google unfamiliar terms can be exhaustive and disconcerting while enjoying a great book, often breaking your reading cadence.
This subject matter is vast and complex by its very nature. However, this well organized work, allows the reader to digest the information in manageable portions. He explains things consistently well, often drawing parallels between modern day politics and pop culture. From famous martial artists, to infamous corporate giants, these analogies cement complex ideas for the general reader.
The reality is this book as takeaways for everyone. The religious fundamentalist or extremist will benefit from the accuracy and unfiltered information, hopefully refocusing on the common themes throughout all faiths, which is love, connectedness, compassion, tolerance, etc. The everyday believer will enjoy the myths, stories and concrete knowledge surrounding the faith that they espouse to believe in. Even the Atheist will walk away with an increased historically knowledge, appreciating the hard facts without the emotional faith supporting interpretations that often taint religious literature.
I enthusiastically recommend this work to anyone wanting an unbiased, comprehensive, and easily readable history into the Christian faith and its vast intricacies.