The Buddha of Christendom

Sir Robert Anderson pits the Bible against organized Christianity (most specifically, the Roman Catholic Church) in The Buddha of Christendom, and takes the side of Scripture. He argues that the Church considers its reading of the Bible to be the one true reading and dissuades its followers from their own interpretations. But the result, he claims, is an obstacle, not a facilitator, between the lay Christian and his Bible. As he asks in the beginning of the book, "is.the supreme authority.the Bible or the Church"? Also containing arguments against atheism and evolution, The Buddha of Christendom is as topical today as it was when first published in 1899. While at Scotland Yard, Irish police official and religious scholar SIR ROBERT ANDERSON (1841-1918) helped investigate the Jack the Ripper murders, but he is best remembered for his works of Bible study, including The Coming Prince, Daniel in the Critics' Den, and The Silence of God.