Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: An evil perversion of God and the bible Review: "WARNING NOT FOR CHILDREN" The LEGO theme is a deceptive way to entice parents, grandparents, etc. into buying this horrible book for their little ones. This is a sick, perversion of God's Book and should only be sold with a WARNING LABEL. Maybe you should sell this book in stores that specialize in Satan worship, the occult, etc.it certainly portrays God and His way as evil. This would surely please those who are anti-God, anti-Christian, etc.The only reason there is 1 star to rate this book is because there is no way to insert a ZERO!
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: One of the most clever I've seen Review: (...) I ordered the book right away, thinking, "This will be great as a christmas gift to my young nieces and nephew!" (...) Oh, well, I thought, at least I'll have the book for myself, and I just won't order any more for the kids. Much to my suprise and relief, the book has removed those elements in favor of using the more (...)and without the graphic images on the website. This, I think, is a major point that I want to make about the book, that it is indeed appropriate for children, (...). With that I have to say that this is a perfect gift for any one of any age.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: ******ZZZZZZZZZZZZAP!******... Review: ...goes the lightening, as it just barely misses the Rev Brendan Powell Smith. I stumbled upon his website a couple of years back and have been a devoted follower ever since. His rendering of the bible into Lego format is a conversation piece, to be sure... upon showing the site to my co-workers (still wiping tears of laughter away) I got some serious looks from the devout Christians surrounding my little cubicle...and yet they couldn't find fault with any of it. It's all in your interpretation... to me, at least, I find it to be a bitingly bare-bones look at the stories in the bible, taking the veiled references and bringing them to light...complete with blood, guts and nudity. Support the cause! Buy the book today! It may not guarantee you a spot in Heaven, but I can guarantee it won't send you straight to Hell.
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Propaganda Review: Although it has many very witty moments, this book could very fairly be called propaganda, in that it purveys a superficial and distorted view of the Bible, taking plenty of liberty with interpretation, context, and even pure facts. The author's method of effortlessly glossing over the details of just about every issue results in a caricature which, though sometimes quite funny, is far divorced from any balanced view of the Bible, and gets boring very quickly. One gets the sense that this is not a book for those who are really interested in critiques of the Bible; rather it is more for those who are looking for ways to justify their preconceived anti-Christian/anti-Religious/Secularist stance. If the Bible is so extremely barbaric, it makes you wonder why so much of this book is made up. Just a basic explanation of one or two of specific Hebrew terms involved would be enough to refute half of the author's misconceptions (at least the ones which are partially based on fact). But who cares? Realistic portrayal is never what it's cracked up to be anyway. This book, in purporting to educate the reader on the horrible backwardness of the Bible, instead preys on the reader's lack of (highly specialized) knowledge of historical and linguistic issues. A lofty accomplishment.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Inspired! Review: And the lord spoke down to the hippy priest and said "Thou shalt build me the old testament in lego!", and he did! This is truly inspired stuff, and extremely funny with it! If you are devout christian, avoid it, but if you have a sense of humour and and open mind, this is a great book. I always knew lego would be good for something one day, and here it is. I guess it is sort of educational too - but dont let that put you off!!
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Viva the Plastic Bricks Review: Biblical scholars may debate who originally dotted the i's and crossed the t's, but it was Brenden Powell Smith who, at the command of God, illustrated and retold this collection of stories from the book of Genesis - using LEGOs. In his introduction to The Brick Testament, Smith recalls his conversation with God over a flaming burrito (that's right) and how, like many of the heroes of the Genesis stories, God used the most unlikely person to tell these stories. Combining a strong sense of visual story telling, elaborate LEGO constructions, and intentional photography, Smith has creatively "illustrated" favorites from the book of Genesis such as the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other lesser known stories. The "illustrations" are created entirely from LEGOs and presented in full-color photographs. The Garden of Eden scenes are complete with leafy trees, colorful flowers, red apples (that perfectly fit the LEGO human hands), Adam, Eve, and yes, God. Smith does take some artistic liberty and augments facial features for emotional effect. While the LEGO "illustrations" are unconventional for story telling, it is Smith's wickedly humorous objective perspective which gives these stories a fresh look. Highly Recommended.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Great fun, genuine Bible stories! Review: Brendan Powell Smith is a great storyteller and fantastic illustrator. He brings his talent to the retelling of the Bible, and the result is fantastically intelligent, witty, and all around impressive. Can't wait for the next book!
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Perfect. Absolutely Perfect. Review: Every so often, I make sure to buy a dozen or so of something in the 10-20 dollar price range that can serve as an all-purpose emergency gift -- for people whose birthdays I forgot, people I didn't expect to get an Xmas gift from, people whom I thought were dead but turned out to just be in cryogenic suspension, etc., etc. At 10 bucks a pop for a gorgeous, hilarious, brilliant hardcover book with catholic (note small 'c') appeal, this book is the single greatest emergency present I've ever seen. Stock up. Now. And make sure to check out Mr. Smith's website, as well...I can't wait for the 'Old Testament Laws' book.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: A powerful, epic masterpiece Review: Having followed the progression of The Brick Testament online for the last two years, I could hardly wait to buy the book. My expectations were exceeded, as it is a beautiful presentation that is sure to delight any reader. Filled with page after page of amazing "illustrations" this book practically commands its readers to go back and read it again and again just to take in all the small details. Don't be fooled by the subject matter or the supposed genre, as this book is sure to be appealing to those of any (or no) denomination. Like any good book, it leaves the reader begging for more. Here's hoping more of Brendan's work gets published!
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Author has questionable motives Review: I enjoyed the pictures in the Brick Testament, but was a little surprised to learn that the author claims to be an atheist. Atheists usually don't spend several years creating Bibles. So I decided to investigate the Brick Testament website a little. The author has illustrations in his "law" section on the website that present strongly anti-Christian images, such as Christians being murdered for sharing about Jesus (website at thebricktestament, "law" section, on "religious tolerance"), or a man murdering his family for sharing Jesus ("the law" section, on "when to stone your whole family"). (Sorry, in compliance with Amazon policy I can't give you the website address, but you can find it easily). I don't understand the author's form of humor (I presume as an atheist that he is not anti-Christian). I would encourage people to consider these images before deciding whether or not to buy the book. I have returned my copy after viewing these images, based on personal choice as a Christian.
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