The Purpose Driven Life is Warren's signature book and his manifesto. I destroy it page by page, line by line where appropriate, and I demonstrate the intellectual, moral, and spiritual vacuity and emptiness of Rick Warren.  There's more spirituality, morality, and godliness in my pinky than there is in Rick Warren's whole body.  But that's just my opinion and it not to be confused as an absolute creed of God's.

First, Warren frequently puts together 3-4 logically disconnected statements and then concludes with a sentence that he claims "The bible says ......"  While the obvious problem is that these bible statements don't often coincide with the illogical, flawed, and conclusory ramblings of Warren, Warren does not reveal, unless you turn to Appendix 3 on page 325, that Warren gets his Bible quotes from FIFTEEN DIFFERENT BIBLE TRANSLATIONS, all of which were copyrighted from 1958 to 1996. Many of the quotes Warren claims are from the bible do NOT appear in the other 14 translations.  Moreover, he rotates translations to fit his needs at the given moment.  Thus, you can point out that Warren disagrees with at least 14 bibles he cites from time to time.  Of course Warren claims in the books that "God never makes mistakes" so one must ask which 14 of the 15 bibles Warren cites is a mistake since they differ from the other ones?

Next, his book is written for low information, low level thinkers.  And I mean REAL low.  Anybody with an IQ over 75 should laugh at it.  Warren's typical line of thinking would go something like this:

A cake has many flavors.  It has a frosting on top of the layers.  The cake should be eaten frosting first, then layers second.  The bible says, "Thou shall be organized in all thy does."  (This illogical and childish format of a paragraph literally appears about a 1000 times.  It's 3rd grade writing at best.)

Each of Warren's flaws will be dissected in detail section by section but in a nutshell Warren is saying this, "You are a product of his version of Creationism and his interpretation of god and unless you act exactly like Warren tells you and you give your life to Jesus Christ, you are a worthless human being who has no purpose in life.  Morever you are being watched in everything you do so be afraid, real afraid."  I see little difference between the mindset of Warren and that of groups like the Taliban, the Crusades, and other religious zealots who have caused so much harm to this society over so long a period of time.

My critique starts in Chapter 1 of Warren’s book.  The Chapter is called It All Starts With God and is part of the introductory section titled "What on Earth Am I Here For."

Warren’s claims

"If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God."

(P. 17) This is innocent enough but exclusionary.  Plus, who's god?

Warren next states on page 17,

"You were born by his purpose and for his purpose." (italics are Warren’s)

We do not know that people were born by God’s purpose.  As for being born "for" God’s purpose, if that is the case, we’re in trouble.  Who defines that purpose?  Aryan Nation?  Osama Bin Laden?  Rick Warren?  Dave From Queens?  Who?

Warren then goes on to claim that if you ask questions like

What do I want to be?  What should I do with my life?  What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future?

 He then downplays all of this since it’s not god centered.  Warren’s approach to me is that of a spiritually bankrupt dolt.  He reminds me of that kid Cameron in Dead's Poet Society.

Warren gets life all wrong with this gem of fundamentalism on page 18.

"Contrary to what many popular books, movies and sermons tell you, you won’t discover life’s meaning by looking within yourself"

and

"Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose."

And in my opinion if you follow Warren’s advice you will never grow spiritually beyond that of the average 7 year old.  Clearly while all answers are not found within ourselves, many are.  Self reflection, meditation, and perhaps even progressive prayer do help us to better understand life's meaning as do external sources such as our environment, mother nature, and the wisdom of others.  If I sound like someone who makes a million times more spiritual sense than Rick Warren, you are probably right.

Warren later claims on page 18,

"you were made for God, not vice versa and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose."

 The pot has just met the kettle. Certainly there are those who use god's name in vein but the notion that we are here for God's purpose devalues life.  We are not a bunch of puppets on a string, we are human beings and perhaps God, if there is one, simply gives us that gift commonly known as free will.

Warren further goes off the deep end.  

"You were made by God and for God – and until you understand that, life will never make sense."

 Well there are billions of people who haven't believed in Warren's god and have come far closer to making sense out of life than Warren ever will.

On Page 19, Warren writes

"Philosophy is an important subject and has itsuses but when it comes to determining the purpose of life, even the wisest philosophers are just guessing."

Once again, pot meets kettle.  Warren's philosophy is just a guess. His claims about Jesus, the bible, god, etc... are guesses.

Warren tries to simplify it all for the low IQ crowd on page 20.  He writes:

"Fortunately there is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life.  It's revelation.  We can turn to what God has revealed about life in his Word.  The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it.  The same is true for discovering your life's purpose.  Ask God.

And herein lies a big problem.  Whoever said that Warren's bible (There are thousands of bibles out there) is the "Word?"  And even if it was, whoever said that Warren's interpretation of that "Word" is the correct one?  Plus, for someone to say several hundred times throughout the book that "The bible says" while using 15 different translations is beyond hypocrisy and dishonesty.

Warren continues on:

"God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed his five purpose for our lives through the Bible.  It is our Owner's Manual, explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future.  It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could know."

Warren then conclusory cites a sentence in the bible that purports to back this all up.

Where do I begin with this ungodly, non spiritual, and immoral rigmarole?  Since when does all of life come through one book (or 15 different books now called translations) which some claim is the word of God but mathematical and scientific evidence suggests is definitely NOT the word of god?  How does the Bible explain any or all of life's daily travails?  How does the Bible know what will happen in the future?  If it does, please let me know so I could bet the ranch on future events.  And whatever happened to self help?  Certainly, people sometimes need to help themselves and do so independent of a deity.

Warren gets even more ridiculous in his next paragraph.  He writes:

"To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom.  You must build your life on eteneral truths, not pop psychology, success-motivation, or inspirational sources."

Again Warren cites a sentence in the bible in conclusory fashion which he purports represents this point of view.

There are multiple problems with this paragraph.  Purpose in life does NOT depend on a deity.  Purpose in life does not depend on Warren's bible.  The world's wisdom certainly makes our lives more purposeful.  Pop psychology could sometimes have a positive purposeful impact as can success motivation or inspirational sources.  Once again, Warren devalues life.

Warren writes at the end of page 20

"You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ."

 Well here we go again.  Most people in this world would find this offensive.  Are we to believe that all people who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God now lack identity and purpose in life?  This is ludicrous.

I move to Chapter 2 titled, "You Are Not an Accident."  On page 22 Warren writes, "

Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God.  He thought of you first.  It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment.  You are alive because God wanted to create you."

 Once again Warren just inserts a sentence from the bible after his illogical ramblings which he must think validates this incoherent thought.

A few things.  Warren constantly refers to god as he.  How does he know this?  Next, do you really think God was thinking of me or you prior to my or your birth?  

This next paragraph scares me.  Warren writes,

"God prescribed every single detail of your body.  He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair and every other feature.  He custom made your body just the way he wanted it.  He also determined the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality.

 (Again, Warren finds a sentence in the bible to validiate his 1st grade logical skills.)

With all respect to God, my ass does not look like god wants it too, nor does my nose or stomach for that matter.  As for natural talents and personalities, while heck I thought I was in this world and was given the skill set to learn, grow, and mature.  If God has pre-determined all this, then what's my point?  If one believes that God has decided all of their talents and destinies ahead of time, then this person is spiritually doomed.

After continuing along these silly lines Warren had a couple of noteworthy comments on page 23.  Warren writes

"While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children."

I agree with the second part but not the first but this is certainly better than right wing pastors of the past who label children as illegitimate.

Next, Warren writes

"God never does anything accidentially and he never makes mistakes."

 My ass, the presidency of George Bush, and the existence of Osama Bin Laden would be examples to the contrary.  How arrogant of Warren to suggest such a thing?  It is this thinking that religious wackos use to justify hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and even Holocausts.  Additionally, if you are to believe that God wanted something terrible to happen in your life, then you have created an excuse to numb yourself in healthily confronting this tragedy and dealing with it.  The Warren approach hurts the soul and hinders growth.  My spiritual common sense does just the opposite.

On page 28 of Chapter 3 Warren writes,

"God specializes in giving people a fresh start."

And for only $9.99 more I can get the totebag with the keychain throw in as well plus a coupon for $2 off my next purchase at a supermarket near me.  Actually, Warren's fake version of god gives people an excuse not to take responsibility for their past behavior, to avoid consequences for past crimes, and to provide spiritually weak people with a pop psychology crutch in which not to advance morally or spiritually in life.  I thought my pinky had more morality, spirituality, and godliness in it than Warren's entire being but maybe I was wrong.  Perhaps it's just the fingernail on my pinky.

On page 29 Warren writes,

"Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from you -- your relationship with God."

 I never knew real security could only be found in this location.

On page 30, Warren claims that there are 5 benefits of living a purpose driven life.  Warren writes,

"Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning."

And if I was to write, "Without atheism, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning," what would Warren think of that?  If someone wrote, "Without Allah, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning," wouldn't the entire Republican Party (or what's left of it) be calling such a person an Islamofascist?

On pages 31-33 Warren makes some valid points about purpose which would have merit except that they are couch potatoed by his faulty premise as to what a purpose driven life is.  He cites Dobson on page 33 and calls him Jim.  Warren then writes on page 33,

"Living to create an earthly legacy is a short sighted goal.  A wiser use of time is to build an etenal legacy. You weren't put on this earth to be remembered.  You were put here to prepare for eternity."

This is comical but what follows on page 34 is even funnier.  Warren writes,

"One day you will stand before God, and he will do an audit of your life, a final exam, before you enter eternity."

Now I'm not sure if this exam is given in English or whether you get a bathroom break but Warren claims to know the two questions you will be asked ahead of time.  (Yes Warren writes that God will actually ask these questions and says he can surmise this from the Bible.)

The two questions according to Warren on page 34 are:

1.  What did you do with my son, Jesus Christ?

2.  What did you do with what I gave you?

As to the first question, Warren claims that your religion doesn't matter but only  you accepted, trusted, and loved Jesus?  If you did these 3 things according to Wisdom, you are still eligible to go to Heaven.  If somehow you cure cancer, save the world from global warming, alleviate poverty but are a Buddhist, you have flunked the exam.

On to Chapter 4 we go and on page 36 Warren writes,

"Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production.  You will spend far more time on the other side of death -- in eternity -- than you will here.  Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity."

 And I guess Car Pe Diem is now blasphemous.  If you have the approach in life that you are hear for a dress rehearsal, your life sucks.

Of course Warren claims he knows how you get to heaven.  He writes on page 37,

"While life on earth offers many choices, eternity offers only two: heaven or hell."

 And of course in Warren's world the only way to get there is to be his religion.  

"If you learn to love and trust God's Son, Jesus, you will be invited to spend the rest of eternity with him.  On the other hand, if you reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you will spend eternity apart from God forever."

 How many hundreds of millions of people have been killed by zealots who thought they were on this earth to convert everybody to Christianity at gunpoint?  In Warren's world, a man like Gandhi is in hell and Falwell is in heaven because the latter profess to believe in Jesus.

On page 38, Warren writes this which intrigued me:

"If your time on earth were all there is to your life, I would suggest you start living it up immediately.  You could forget being good and ethical, and you wouldn't have to worry about any consequences of your actions.  You could indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions would have no long-term repercussions."

I might rewrite the paragraph as follows:

If you believe life is a dress rehearsal and that going to heaven mostly requires professing love to a tall tale character, I would suggest you start living it up immediately.  You could forget about being good and ethical because you can always claim that you found Jesus at a later point and you no longer have to take responsibility for your misdeeds.  Moreover you don't have to worry about any consequences of your actions because simply tell the judge that you just found Jesus and you get a get out of jail pass for free.  You could continualy indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions have no repercussions whatsoever.

And of course, it is this type of mindset that explains why right wing religious zealots do what they do at rates disproportionate to the general population.  A more moral and more spiritual alternative is to perhaps recognize that what we do on earth matters, that we should be concerned with others, that we are accountable, and that the gifts of a real purpose driven life can be found in a multitude of sources.  I'm reminded of the parable of a rabbi who once said that there are many different ways to climb a mountain but only the fool thinks there is just one way.  And the fool who thinks there is but one way is going to be the one who falls off the quickest.

We trek on to Chapter 5 where on page 42 Warren opines:

"To fulfill the purposes God made you for, you will have to challenge conventional wisdom and replace it with the biblical metaphors of life....  The bible offers three metaphors that teach us God's view of life:  Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment.  These ideas are the foundation of the purpose-driven living."

 While indeed there can be wisdom found in the bible and many of the allegorical stories have something constructive to teach, the whole notion that we should disregard everything outside the bible is preposterous.

On page 43, Warren talks about his belief that life on earth is a Test.  Warren first states that "Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test."  I think there's a lot of truth in that.  But then Warren goes berserk and says,

"God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather.  He even watches your simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a piece of trash, or when you're polite toward a cleark or waitress."

Here's where I have a problem.  I don't believe in a God that watches over people like Big Brother.  God does not have 7 billion active security cameras all working simultaneously and processing this information within nanaseconds.

Warren makes reference to tests and justifies bad events as god's way of testing people and god deciding to withdraw from someone's life as a test.  On page 44, Warren claims that each test is one you are capable of passing.  Then Warren claims,

"Every time you pass a test, God notices and makes plans to reward you in eternity."

Crackpot?

Later on page 44 Warren talks about how Life on earth is a Trust.  Here he makes some valid points about taking care of God's stuff on earth and this theology could be a place where he and I have common ground on issues like the environment.  On page 45, Warren claims that "Christians live by a higher standard."  While Warren uses this to justify his belief in taking care of the earth, what makes Warren so sure that Christians live by a higher standard and not other people?

In Chapter 6, Warren claims that life on earth is a temporary assignment.  On page 48, Warren asserts

"God says his children are to think differently about life from the way unbelievers do."

 Since I'm rebutting the writings of someone whose logica skills are below that of an avg third grader, bear with me for a moment.  If God created all children and controls everything everybody says, how can this be?  And who is Warren to lump people into categories of believers and unbelievers?

The rest of Chapter 6 is basically puff with Warren making claims that your happiest days are in heaven and childishly referring to heaven as God's Hall of Fame.

In chapter 7, Warren writes on page 53,

"The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God.  It is the reason for everything that exists, including you.  God made it all for his glory.  Without god's glory, there would be nothing."

 And of course Warren thinks he knows how this glory is achieved on page 54 where he writes,

"God's glory is best seen in Jesus Christ.  He, the Light of the world, illuminates God's nature.  Because of Jesus, we are no longer in the dark about what God is really like."

 Basically, that means that all the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Shintos, atheiests, agnostics, etc... are dirt.

Warren claims to be an expert on sin.  He writes, "All sin, at its root, is failing to give God glory.  It is loving anything else more than God.  Refusing to bring glory to God is prideful rebellion, and it is the sin that caused Satan's fall."  So if you are an agnostic and you love your child more than God, you have sinned in Warren's world.  If you murder in Christianity's name, then you have not sinned in Warren's world because you thought you were giving God glory.  This is truly sick.

Warren talks about bringing god glory by worshipping him onp age 55 and calls it "our first responsibility to God."  Then you see the Crusade mentality on page 56.  Warren writes,

"We bring God glory by loving other believers.  When you were born again, you became a part of God's family.  Following is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belong and learning to love the family of God."

 Reread this one again because it's dangerous.  First, I thought god would find it glorious to love everybody not those who Warren calls believers.  Second, in Warren's world, only those who are born again are part of God's family. (He contradicts himself)  This is also Warren's way of telling CAtholics that they are going to hell along with all non Christians of his ilk.

Warren's zealotry continues on page 56,

"Once we are born into god's family, he wants us to grow to spiritual maturity.  What does that look like?  Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel, and act.  The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring glory to God."

 Time to dissect.

Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with Warren's definition.  In my view, his path is the path to the lowest levels of spiritual development.  Next, what does Jesus think, feel or act?  What is Jesus's thoughts on global warming?  Health care?  School vouchers? Abortion? Warren claims on page 58 that

"God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for.  It's really the only way to live.  Everything else is just existing.  Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ."

 So Warren is saying that if you don't believe in Jesus, your life is meaningless crap.  Warren writes,

"Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior.  Receive his forgiveness for his sins."

 And therein lies the problem with born agains.  It's a crutch for people to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions and to cut off their internal emotional and spiritual growth by succumbing to a ruse which actually permanently destroys their lives spiritually, not begins it.

As with all Elmer Gantry types like Rick Warren, Warren simply likes to substitute his views of the world as those of God's.  They are not one in the same.

PART TWO - PAGES 63-113 - YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD'S
PLEASURE

Initially this was going to be a separate diary but since I'm ahead of schedule and got this done last night, I cut and pasted it here.

To Rick Warren, one of your 5 (yes you only get 5) purposes in life is that "You were Planned for God's Pleasure."  

Warren writes on page 63,

"The moment you were born into the world, god was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth.  He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave him great pleasure.  God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment.  You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight."

 And this kind of logic, despite later attempts by Warren to twist it 180 degrees, makes life worthless and miserable.  As a human being, and a flawed one with tremendous room for improvement, I am here to learn and grow as much as possible.  I am agnostic although many of different persuasions, including some Christians, share my general values.  My values of peace, justice, fair opportunity, environmental protection, keeping govt out of our social lives, leaving the world a better place for the next generation, etc... are certainly worth living for and exist independent of any god.  But to Warren, all the things that make my life truly purposeful, and I'll surmise most other people's lives as well, mean nothing because

"Bringing enjoyment to god, living for his pleasure, is the first purpose of your life.  When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant.  It proves your worth."

 To me this is emotional slavery, denial of spiritual development, and relegating oneself to the lowest levels of humanistic growth.

Warren claims on page 64 that

"we often forget that god has emotions, too.  He feels things very deeply.  The Bible tells us that God grieves, gets jealous and angry ...."

How Warren knows this is beyond logical comprehension.

Warren had this to say on page 65,

"God loves all kinds of music because he invented it all -- fast and slow, loud and soft, old and new.  You probably don't like it all, but God does."

Damn, I guess all those people who criticized the Dixie Chicks are going to fry in hell because God loves their music.  Rumor has it that when I was singing in the shower, God told me to shut the hell up because I was hurting his ears.  But I guess Warren thinks god loves the Beatles, the blues, and DFQ's off tune ramblings.  Who knew?

On page 66, Warren says about worship that

"When we worship, our goal is to bring pleasure to god, not ourselves."

 On page 67, Warren claims that the secret to a lifestyle of workship is

"doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus."

To me these are the rantings of a pompous idiot.  As I stated in my Tuesday diary, and because I have more morality and spirituality in my pinky than Rick Warren has in his entire being, there are many ways to climb a mountain.  The wise person recognizes that people can reach that proverbial mountain through different paths and yes multitudes of different theological outlooks.  The person who claims that you only get to heaven through Jesus, Allah, the Torah, Hinduism, or atheism is a nutcase.

Warren begins Chapter 9 on page 69 by writing,

"The smile of god is the goal of your life.  Since pleasing god is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that."

Well, what makes God smile?  Warren of course will claim to have this answer but seriously, what makes God smile if there is a god of course?  The primary difference between me and the religious fundie is that I see life as a journey and Warren sees it as a destination.  (heaven)  The journey based life appreciates what happens along the way and is in touch with the moment.  The destination based life sees a forest but never appreciates the trees along the way.  That's a moral and spiritual debate Rick Warren would lose to me every single time.

The next 5 pages of Warren's book is boring fluff in which Warren says that God smiles when we 1) trust him completely, 2) obey him wholeheartedly, 3) praise and thank him continually, and 4) use our abilities.  Warren again portrays God as Big Brother and says on page 74 that

"God enjoys watching every detail of your life, whether you are working, playing, resting or eating.  He doesn't miss a single move you make."

Can we say overbearing control freak?  That's the kind of world Warren wants and he simply uses the name of God to promote it.

Chapter 10 on page 77 begins, "The heart of worship is surrender."  Warren advocates that you just give yourself up entirely to an entity that may or may not exist.  Of course, in Warren's world, you can't give yourself up to god unless it's his god which he claims is Jesus.  Warren also says on page 78 that

"God wants your life -- all of it.  Ninety five percent is not enough."

Warren then talks about limitations and surrender and just keeps repeating the same point with different wording.  On page 82 he cites an author and claims,

"If you don't surrender to Christ, you surrunder to chaos."

 So in Warren's world, you have two choices, Christ or chaos.  Imagine if I wrote, "If you don't succumb to DFQism, you succumb to chaos?"  You would think I was certifiably insane and you'd be right.  Again, people can find joy and happiness without Christianity and billions of people throughout history have and billions of people in the future will continue to do so.

On page 83, we start seeing the mental unhealthiness and psychological sickness of born again evangelical conservatism.  Warren writes,

"So give it all to God:  your past regrets, your present problems, your future ambitions, your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts and hang-ups.  Put Jesus Christ in the driver's seat of your life and take your hands off the steering wheel."

 Several problems here.  First, spiritual growth requires us to be on the hands of the steering wheel.  Whether you believe in god or not, you can believe that we are often the makers of our own destiny.  Second, religious fundamentalism is all about a person saying to himself, "I give up, I hate life.  I don't want to live anymore. Give me an excuse not to feel, not to think, and not to be responsible for who I am anymore.  Earth is too painful.  Numb me."

Chapter 11 of Warren's book claims that

"God wants to be your best friend."

 Apparently Warren and God are Instant Messaging each other.  This chapter was a boring chapter.  On page 86, Warren claims that

"God deeply desires that we know him intimately.  In face, he planned the universe and orchestrated history, including thee details of our lives, so that we could become our friends."

 And of course Warren's god never heard of mind your own business.  

"He wants to be included in every activity, every conversation, every problem, and even every thought."

I didn't know God was typing my diary Rick nor did I know that God would be this overbearing.  Pastor Rick, auditioning his flock for mental institutions, claims "You can carry on a continuous, open-ended conversation with him throughout your day, talking with him about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment."  Cuckoo.  Cuckoo.  The rest of Chapter 11 is simply fluff.

Chapter 12 claims that people must work at developing their friendship with God.  After several additional pages of fluff, Warren's nuttiness shines through on page 98.  Warren claims that

"Pain is the fuel of passion -- it energizes us with an intensity to change that we don't normally possess. C.S. Lewis said, 'pain is God's megaphone.'  It is God's way of arousing us from spiritual lethargy.  Your problems are not punishment; they are wake up calls from a loving god."

 Well if this is Warren's version of God, I want no part of it.  The whole notion that horrible experiences come from a loving god is something I want no part of it.  The whole notion that we deserve certain punishments is a notion I want no part of.  The real deal here is that religious fundamentalism seeks out people who are in the most pain because that is when they are the most vulnerable.  Pain is something they want.  I want a happy life, one with as much joy as possible for me and those around me.  Big difference.  Dare I say my way is far more godly and spiritual?

In Chapter 13, Warren claims that he knows what kinds of worship pleases god.  He reminds his readers that God is a possessive and jealous God who wants 100% of you.  Warren writes on page 100,

"God doesn't want a part of your life.  He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  God is not interested in halfhearte commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money.  He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life."

Warren has a unique definition of worship.  He defines it on page 101 as

"Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God....  To worship in truth means to worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible."

 Of course if you believe in any other book, you can't worship.  And you cant worship unless it's based on truth of Scripture, which of course is simply Warren's opinion about God.

Warren then claims that God is pleased when worship is authentic, thoughtful, and practical.  Of course Warren knows what pleases god and what doesn't please god.

PART III

In Section III of Warren's book, Warren talks about the purported second purpose everyone is on earth for, that purpose being, "You Were Formed For God's Family."  This was an interesting section to read as Warren often alternates one chapter heavy with bigotry and narrowmindedness with another chapter where Warren preaches the pop psychology he readily decries all while masquerading it under the rubric of the bible.

Chapter 15, on page 117 starts off scarily enough where Warren claims,

"You were formed for God's family.  God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it.  This is God's second purpose for your life, which he planned before you were born.  The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever."

Somewhere in the bible it makes reference to false idolatry and this may qualify.  I do not believe in a God where I go through life as a little child always needing a daddy nor do I think God thinks that people on earth are supposed to be treated like 3 year olds who need constant supervision.  

On page 118 Warren writes,

"Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child of God."

 That's a reckless and dangerous remark to say the least.  If there is a God, then I believe we are all God's children regardless of our theological preference.  Pinky meets Rick Warren and once again Pinky prevails.  Warren continues,

"The only way to get into God's family is by being born again into it."

Or as Pastor Rick is saying, "Welcome to God's family, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Hindus, agnostics, secular humanists, Unitarians, Shinto, nativists, etc... need not apply."  Warren's statement here is an indication of how shallow and spiritually void he is, not how spiritually advanced or insufficient the rest of us are.

Warren goes on, "You became part of the human family by your first birth, but you become a member of God's family by your second birth."  DFQ the philosopher believes that we are all born once and that if there is a god, evey child is part of that family from birth.  But Warren's world is not as inclusive.  He claims,

"The invitation to be part of God's family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus."

In other words, if you have a different religious opinion than him, you can go Cheney yourself.

On page 119, Warren talks about "eternal inheritance" and that this inheritance includes 5 things:  1) To be with god forever, 2) to be completely changed to be like Christ, 3) to be free from all pain, death and suffering, 4) to be rewarded and reassigned positions of service, and 5) to share in Christ's glory. In reality, this is all fear mongering.  Do as Warren tells you to do or spend eternity in Hell is what he's really saying.  Warren claims that this

"eternal inheritance is what you should be looking foward to and working for."

 Some of us might prefer living a life and being good human beings instead.  If we are constantly in fear of damnation, we are never living to begin with.

On page 120, Warren claims that baptism is so important.  He calls it "pregnant with meaning" which "declares your faith."  I'll leave it at that. Warren concludes this chapter on page 121 by claiming that "Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive."  Again, he's trying to give a big middle finger to well over 90% of the people in this world.

Chapter 16 of Warren's book is titled, "What Matters Most."  It may be his best chapter in the book. It starts off eerily on page 123 when Warren foolishly claims that

"God wants us to love everyone, but he is particularly concerned that we learn to love others in his family."

 The first part of the sentence is fine but the latter part is troublingly exclusive.  Instead of love thy neighbor, Warren is saying love thy neighbor (with the same intensity) but only if he or she shares your religious label.  For centuries, most of society have called people who thought like this as bigots and Rick Warren is clearly a bigot.

The rest of Chapter 16 in Warren's book talks about love, relationships, social skills, the use of time, and other topics.  Much of what Warren says in this chapter I am in agreement with except with the parts that tie these traits or skills as predicated in Warren's version of Jesus. In reality, any constructive advice that Warren has to offer in this chapter applies to any person regardless of religion. Much of what he says could have been taken from modern pop psychology books.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Chapter 17 on page 130 is titled, "A Place To Belong."  He arrogantly claims,

"While your relationship with Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private."

 From my experience in life, the people who are the most spiritually advanced and who were religious tended to be the people who didn't go around trying to flaunt their religiosity down the throats of others.

Warren emphasizes that church is a must.  He rudely states on page 132,

"The person who says 'I don't need a church' is either arrogant or ignorant."

 Well I would say that the person who says a person 100% needs a church is arrogant and ignorant.  People worship and grow spiritually sometimes with others but sometimes solitarily.  Each person's individual needs differ.  Some people need a church, others do not.  One size does not fit all.  What works for me doesn't work for everyone else.  I'm morally and spiritually mature enough to realize that as are most people.

Warren has a "beaut" on page 133.  He claims,

"Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiitual orphans -- 'bunny believers' who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment."

 A more enlightened person than Warren recognizes that it is healthy in spiritual development to learn from as many sources as possible and that sometimes you have to sample many items on the buffet before deciding what you are going to put on your plate the next time.  

Warren states next,

"Many believe one can be a good Christian without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree."

 Being a good person or a good Christian for that matter is not predicated on going to a church nor is it predicated on not going to church.  (My pinky has more spirituality than Warren will ever have.)  Next, who is Warren to say that God would disagree?  Maybe God disagrees with Warren's entire book?  Maybe god thinks that you can be a good Christian and not go to church.  The point is Warren is trying to speak for God and he does this throughout his entire book.  In short, he's delusional, arrogant, smug, and pious.

At the bottom of page 133, Warren cites a biblical passage of John 3:16 which says,

"Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

 This kind of passage, if interpreted literally, often leads to violence.  Many a war has been inspired by this interpretation of John 3:16.

Warren next talks about the church family and claims on page 135 that

"A church family will help keep you from backsliding.  None of us are immune to temptation."

 I guess this helps justify the sheep.  Instead of taking responsibility, just blame it on temptation.  Plus, this is another get out of life free card to be abused at any time.

Chapter 18 of Warren's book is titled, "Experiencing Life Together."  There's not much here as it talks about fellowship.  I found ironic that Warren said this about some churches at the bottom of page 139,

"Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, and superficial politeness but shallow conversation."

 Once again, pot meets kettle.

Chapter 19 is titled, "Cultivating Community."  Warren claims on page 145,

"Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between believers, but he cultivatives it with the choices and commitments we make."

 I'll leave it to all to interpret but why does real fellowship have to depend on a ghost?  Warren talks about what it takes to cultivate community.  He claims it takes honesty, humility, courtesy, confidentiality, and frequency and actually gives some constructive talk about these topics.  That's nice but Warren certainly doesn't practice any of it.

There were some disturbing passages on page 150.  Warren says,

"God hates gossip, especially when it is thinly disguised as prayer request for someone else."

 I never knew God hated gossip, I must not have gotten that memo.

Warren then goes nuts.  He says,

"God is very clear that we are to confront those who cause division among Christians."

So don't try to separate church and state or teach something other than Christianity in life because you may get confronted with a cross burning outside your home.

Chapter 20 of Warren's book is titled, "Restoring Broken Fellowship."  This chapter serves no relevant purpose to my critique/analysis so I'lll move on to Chapter 21 which is titled, "Protecting Your Church."

Warren claims on page 161 that

"If you are a part of God's family, it is your responsibility to protect the unity, where you fellowship.  You are commissioned by Jesus Christ to do everything possible to preserve the unity, protect the fellowship, and promote harmony in your church family and among all believers."

 Now what if someone believes that unity can only be protected by burning those believed to be witches at the stake?  Just asking.

At the bottom of page 161 Warren says this,

"It was God who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races and preferencees,"  

Let's assume this to be true.  If true, then god chooses people to be atheists and any other religion other than Warren's.

On page 163, Warren approvingly cites the troubling words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said,

"He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter."

 Words like "we the people of the United States" would be considered destroying commmunity.  Attempts to have a society where all people have the same freedoms undermines Warren's community.  Warren's goal is to make America a Christian nation in his image.  My goal is to make America a more perfect union where all people, including Christians, have the same rights and liberties.

To stir up anger, Warren often tries to categorize the critics as agents of the Devil.  Warren writes on page 164,

"It's the Devil's job to blame, complain, and criticize members of God's family."

Now if Warren believes himself to be a member of God's family, then my critique is now categorized as the work of the Devil.  And since the Devil supposedly is trying to stop members of God's family from getting to heaven, the all in ultimate goal of these members, then we are nearing the point where these members feel it necessary to eliminate those who are doing the work of the Devil.  Warren also says,

"Remember, other Christians, no matter how much you disagree with them, are not the real enemy."

 So when they abuse kids or bomb cities, don't disagree.

If you think my last statement is hyperbole, consider what Warren says on page 165.  He claims that you should

"Support your pastor and leaders.  There are no perfect leaders, but God gives leaders the responsibility and the authority to maintain the unity of the church."

 So if unity means covering up for the three priests who have abused 50 children, you can't question the leaders or hold them accountable because god gave them this authority as leaders.  

Again if you think this is hyperbole, Warren says,

"The bible is clear about how we are to relate to those who serve us"

He then cites a bible passage saying people should not make life harder for them.  

Warren's advocation of the theory of Christian leaders/pastors can do whatever the f*** they want continues on page 166 where he says that the leaders should

"rebuke those who are disrespectful of leadership, and remove divisive people from the church if they ignore two warnings.  We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading."

 Once again, this is carte blanche for so called pastors to do whatever the f*** they want.

PART IV/PURPOSE III - YOU WERE CREATED TO BECOME LIKE
CHIRST

Chapter 22 on page 171 professes that

"You were created to become like christ.  From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. This is your destiny and the third purpose of your life."

 Here I disagree.  I see us as being the best we are and although we can try to take the positive traits of others and learn from them, the least spiritually advanced thing you can do in life is to try to be someone else you are not.

On page 172, Warren claims

"The Bible says that all people, not just believers, possess part of the image of God; that is why murder and abortion are wrong."

 Here is a prime example of why Warren is a liar.

Keep in mind that he says the Bible says this.  In fact he puts the endnote 2 after this comment as I've posted it. (The endnote appears after the word wrong not God.)  Endnote 2 lists Genesis 6:9, Psalm 139:13-16  James 3.9 of the NCV.  NCV stands for New Century Vision  Dallas:  Word Bibles (1991), one of the 15 translations Warren alternatively cites.
Where does the word abortion appear in the bible?  It does NOT.  This is Warren claiming God is against abortion when Scripture (should you believe this to be the word of God) never talks about abortion.

Warren tries distinguishing between god and godly.  This is a fair distinction but with a major problem.  Warren writes,

"God doesn't want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly -- taking on his values, attitudes, and character."

 First, how does Warren know this?  Second, what are those values, attitudes, and character?  Third, who defines what behavior meets those values, attitudes, and character?

On page 173, Warren tries to get more specific by claiming,

"God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul's great chapter on love, and Peter's list of the characteristcs of an effective and productive life."

Of course Warrens wants the sheep to never forget that "You exist for God's purposes, not vice versa."  Sorry but I don't believe in a god where humans are slaves even if the slave owners will claim they are not advocating such.

People in this world who believe in spirits, ghosts, voodoo, witchcraft, etc... are often mocked by conservatives as wackos and nutcases.  But if this is the case, are they any different than people like Rick Warren?  Warren writes on page 174,

"It is the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christlike character in you."

 Now spirits have jobs?
But you can't change yourself according to Warren,

"only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives."

Warren further claims he knows how God and this Holy Spirit interact.  On page 175 he writes,

"God waits for you to act first.  Don't wait to feel powerful or confident.  Move ahead in your weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings.  This is how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and it is how your character develops."

Warren sees fit to mock other religions on page 176 when he writes,

"In many religions, the people considered to be the most spiritually mature and holy are those who isolate themselves from others in mountaintop moasteries, uninfected by contact with other people.  But this is a gross misunderstanding.  Spiritual maturity is not a solitary, individual pursuit!  You cannot crow to Christlikeness in isolation."

 Once again Warren demonstrates his lack of spiritual knowledge.  For many people, time alone and isolation helps us spiritually grow. (And at times it doesn't.)  The point is that the gross misunderstanding is with Rick Warren, who doesn't understand humans nor the concept that one size does not fit all.

On page 177, Warren had this "gem."  He writes,

"You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Jesus.  Otherwise, other forces like peers, parents, coworkers, and culture will try to mold you into their image."

 Reread that one again because it is revealing.  Forget your friends, coworkers and even your parents and listen to Rick Warren.  People like Warren can only thrive in a world where ONLY his view is exposed to people.  I want a world where as many views as possible are out there to permit people to make their own choices.  Warren does not.

Chapter 27 is titled, "How We Grow."  Warren claims on page 179 that

"Your heavenly Father's goal is for you to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ."

 Apparently Warren received a phone call from this heavenly father that no one else received.

An interesting nugget is on page 181 where Warren says,

"God has given you a new life; now you are responsbile to develop it with fear and trembling."

 One of the big problems I have with the notion of born again is that it is a get out of jail free card to commit as many wrongs as one wants before deciding to use this card for self serving purposes.  It's an excuse to avoid responsibility, it's an excuse to be moral, it's an excuse to be a rotten human being.

Chapter 24 is titled, "Transofrmed by Truth."  Warren claims that

"Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth."

 Now that sounds good but how does he define lies and truth?  Warren claims,

"The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the son of God.  To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with his Words."

 So go replace that Carbon-14 scientific evidence with Creationism.  Perhaps Warren is replacing truths with lies and calling it just the opposite.

On page 186 Warren proclaims,

"Without God's Word you would not even be alive."

 Hmmm.  I think billions of people of different religions wouldd disagree.  Warren claims he knows all the things that his bible does.  

"The Bible is far more than a doctrinal guidebook.  God's Word generates ife, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts, builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being, and guarantees our future forever."

 And for an extra $3.99 it wins football games too.  I'm almost tempted to ridicule each of these claims one by one but it's so absurd.  

To live in God's so called worl, Warren claims you must do 3 things.  First he says,

"I must accept its authority.   The Bible must become the authoritative standard for my life: the compass I rely on for direction, the counsel I listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark I use for evaluating everything.  The Bible must always have the first and last word in my life."

 So if you look at a person in lust, instead of relying on your common sense, go gauge your eye out because the Bible says so.  Instead of wearing your shirts made of cotton and rayon, throw them all out for they are clothes woven of two kinds of material.  And, go make yourself out to be Jack the Ripper and kill everyone you deem to be a prostitute because the bible says so.  Of course this is silly but since people actually take the Bible literally, it's also scary as well.

Warren claims on page 187 that

"many of our troubles occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities:  culture, tradition, reason, or emotion."

Thereafter he claims,

"What we need is a perfect standard that will never lead us in the wrong direction.  Only God's Word meets that need."

 Now part of what makes life great is our abiity to feel (emotion), our brains which help us think (reason), and the cultures and traditions we observe around us.  These things are all part of life and you better believe they influence me.  Reason and emotion are traits that help us grow spiritually.  But instead, Warren wants you to

"Decide that regardless of culture, tradition, reason, or emotion, you choose the Bible as your final authority."

Warren then claims that you have to assimilate these so called truths in your mind so that the ghost he calls the Holy Spirit can magically insert truth cells inside of you so you can

"receive it, read it, research it, remember it, and reflect on it."

Right wing religious fundamentalism thrives on misery.  One of its most unhealthy and spiritually regressive traits is the idea that every bad thing that happens to you was meant to happen and that somehow god wanted it to happen.  So if God paralyzes you, Warren thinks God did this on purpose. (and on and on and on.)  Warren claims on page 194, in Chapter 25 titled "Transformed by Trouble" that

"God uses problems to draw you closer to himselrf.  Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days --- when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you're out of options, when the pain is great-- and you turn to God alone."

 And this is why religious fundamentalists love misery.  One of the main reasons why more industrialized and culturally advanced countries are also the least religous is because people there tend to be happiest.  In countries like Sweden where people live longer, religion is blase.  Religious fundamentalism strikes when people are most vulnerable.  You might follow the crook who promises to make you a million dollars when your home is about to be foreclosed but would you follow that person if you are halfway through the mortgage and on pace to pay the whole thing off?  Of course not.

Warren says,

"Regardless of the cause, none of your problems could happen without God's permission.  Everything that happens to a child of God is Father-filtered and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad."

 So if you lose your home, God approved.  

I strongly disagree with those who think God is a ringleader and people are his puppets.  But Warren disagrees.  He writes on page 195,

"There's a gRand Designer behind everything.  Your life is not a result of random chance, fate or luck.  There is a master plan.  History is His story.  God is pulling the strings."

 Those are his words unedited.

Warren then claims, "We make mistakes, but God never does.  God cannot make a mistake--because he is God."  So following this logic, the Holocaust was not a mistake because God planned it.  Following this logic, Hitler was heaven sent.  Now you think I'm exaggerating?  Oh wait, Warren's ideological buddy and fellow McCain supporter John Hagee said exactly that.

Now if I accused evangelicals like Warren of actually believing that God causes hurricanes, I'd be accused of smearing Warren.  However, Warren says on pages 195-196,

"God's plan for your life involves all that happens to you--including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts.  It includes  illness, debt, disasters, divorce, and death of loved ones."

 Yep, god's to blame for all of this.

Now I believe that people should marry each other and that one's religion should not be a factor.  For example, there is nothing wrong with a Jewish person marrying a Christian person. However, Warren says on page 196,

"Ruth was not even Jewish and broke the law by marrying a Jewish man."

 And Warren can take his anti-Semitic garbage and shove it you know where.

Chapter 26 of Warren's narrow minded tome is titled, "Growing Through Temptation."  The "great" thing about being a right wing evangelical is that you get an unlimited supply of temptations which you can claim whenever you succumb to "sin."  The rest of us would be called hypocrites for not practicing what we preach but if you follow Warren, they are just an unlimited supply of temptations.

And who is to blame when you succumb?  Yes that guy Satan.  Warren writes on page 201,

"While temptation is Satan's primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use it to develoop you."

 On page 203, Warren claims to be an expert on Satan. (If Satan exists, he just might be)  He writes,

"It helps to know that Satan is entirely predictable.  He has used the same strategy and old tricks since Creation.  All temptations follow the same pattern....  From the Bible we learn that temptation follows a four-step process, which Satan used both on Adam and Eve and on Jesus."

 Now perhaps Satan called an audible and decided to send an agent to head the Satanback/Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California?  Warren claims these four steps are

1. Satan identifies a desire inside of you. 2) doubt  3) deception, and 4) disobedience.

 Hmmm, maybe Satan sent Warren because Warren is great at deception?  Of course I have to laugh at this attempt to claim that there is God AND Satan in people's life because if God is superior and Satan exists, then God controls Satan.  But of course all of this is an attempt to oversimplify life into two broad categories of good and evil.  Warren writes on page 205 that "Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness.  It is also a normal part of being human and living in a fallen world."  Yep, blame it all on this Satan guy.  Warren writes,

"Actually, the closer you grow to God, the more Satan will try to tempt you.  The moment you became God's child, Satan, like a mobster hit man, put out a contract on you."

 Don't know whether or not to laugh but two points.  If I am someone who doesn't believe in born again theology, then Satan has no influence on critics like me.  Next, what are the terms of the contract?  Is there a bag man?

Warren continues to be preposterous on page 207.  He claims, in psychic network hotline fashion that

"Heaven has a twenty-four hour emergency hot line.  God wants you to ask him for assistance in overcoming temptation."

 Wonder if I have to pay $3.99 a minute to activate this hotline or if they have Chinese food for takeout?

Chapter 27 is titled, "Defeating Temptation."  Blame it all on Satan.  Warren writes on page 209,

"You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that's a lie from Satan."

 Now Warren has some constructive advice about avoiding temptation but of course he undermines his own arguments by linking it to "The Devil."

The last chapter of Section 4 in Warren's book is titled "It Takes Time."  In it Warren offers opinions which are almost verbatim to what trained psychiatriasts or psychologists may advice a patient in therapy or what practitioners of Eastern religions might practice.  Warren claims that Spiritual growth takes time, that we are slow learners, that we have a lot to unlearn, that we are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves, that growth is often painful and scary, and that habits take time to develop.  Each of these comments and some of the insights that go with them have merit.  Again the objection is that Warren couches all of these things under the Jesus rubric instead of recognizing that all of these life skills (pop psychology?) can be attained outside of religion