Having already covered controversy in movies, it is time to move on to controversy in literature. I have intentionally left off books that have been dealt with in other lists. Links are included for the purchase of any of the books on this list courtesy of Amazon.com. This list also includes a competition. The details can be read at the bottom of the list.
“The Hoax of the 20th Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry” is considered to be the book that started the holocaust denial movement. It claims that the Germans did not try to exterminate the Jews during the Second World War. Many attempts have been made to have the book banned from libraries and other attempts have been made to make it illegal to import in to Canada. The book was first published in 1975 and it has enjoyed many re-publications since that date. Dr Butz is an associate professor of electrical engineering at Northwestern University and he recently caused controversy by publicly approving Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statements denying the holocaust.
This 1968 book predicted disaster for man due to population explosion. The book has been included as number 11 in Human Events most harmful books of the 19th and 20th century, as well as making the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s “50 Worst Books of the Twentieth Century”. The most shocking prediction made in the book was that the world would suffer the death of millions through starvation in the 1970s and 1980s. The author claimed that “radical action” was needed to prevent this from taking place. The radical action? Ehrlich recommended starving entire nations if they refused to implement policies to reduce or suspend population growth.
In The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the authors claim that Jesus had offspring with Mary Magdalene, and that a secret society (the Priory of Sion) was formed that ultimately created the Knights Templar and tried to protect the offspring of Jesus. They also included (as fact) sections of the Protocol of the Elders of Zion (an anti-semitic tract written in Russia). Unfortunately for them, it turned out that the entire book was based on a hoax by a Frenchman in 1961. This book was widely believed to be factual (by the authors and readers) until the hoax was uncovered. Dan Brown copied the basic ideas from this book for his “The Da Vinci Code” which he still claims to be based on fact. Historians and professionals in the field consider The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail to be an example of “counterknowledge” (misinformation packaged to look like fact).
This book is often cited by creationists as proof against evolution – and that was the intent of the author (a prominent promoter of intelligent design). Wells attempts to overthrow the idea of evolution by critiquing the manner in which it is taught. The author contends that the 10 case studies used to illustrate and teach evolution are flawed. The science behind this topic is very fascinating and it is worth reading the Wikipedia article on the arguments presented for and against. You can read the article here.
Lomborg, in this highly controversial book, states that various environmental issues (such as global warming, overpopulation, species loss, and water shortages) are not supported by analysis of the appropriate data. Lomborg claims that the excess attention being given to this “insignificant” events is used politically to distract people from real and more important issues facing the world today. When word got out that this book was to be published by Cambridge University Press, efforts were launched by supporters of the theories he disputes to prevent it from being published – or subsequently banned if it was.
This book posits that ordinary Germans knew about, and supported, Hitler’s plans for genocide. One critic says of the book: “[It is] totally wrong about everything. Totally wrong. Exceptionally wrong.” Goldhagen claimed that a German “anti-semitism” had grown up over the centuries – starting from a religious basis and eventually becoming secularized – to a point that the Germans eventually became “eliminationist”.
This book is credited with helping launch the environmental movement. Unfortunately it is also credited with the widespread ban of DDT (which was commonly used as a defense against malaria carrying mosquitos) which some believe is the reason that malaria has become rampant – leading to the deaths of millions. One critic is quoted as saying: “If man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth.”
In this book, the authors contend that intelligence is a better predictor of crime, income, unwed pregnancy, and job performance than parent’s socio-economic background. It also made some claims regarding racial difference in intelligence. Consequently, critics said that the book promotes “scientific racism”. Many people rallied in support of the book, while many others rallied against it. The authors also recommended policy for the US government which completely ended all welfare assistance to poor unwed mothers as it “encourages” low IQ women rather than high IQ women to have children [more information].
Hitler’s Pope is a book written by John Cornwell (an English journalist and an ex-Catholic Seminarian) which claims that Pope Pius XII contributed to the demise of the Jews in the second world war by bowing down to Hitler. The book caused a huge controversy due to the fact that many Jews had spoken out in defense of Pius XII (during and after the war) and there was little evidence to corroborate the views in the book. Cornwell has since stated that he no longer believes the negative conclusions he came to in his book. Interestingly, Cornwell has also publicly criticized Richard Dawkins and his book The God Delusion, calling it “extremist and dogmatic”.
It would be wrong not to include the Holy Bible on this list. It is probably the most debated book in existence and has been for a very long time. From controversy over what books to include (and what books to remove in the case of Martin Luther in the 16th century), to controversy over what it actually means, the Bible has been a source of constant difficulty for many people. Despite this, it is still one of the most popular sources of moral direction in the world today and it can not be denied that this book gave more to the growth of the West than any other.
At 1pm GMT tomorrow, I will select one commenter from this list to win a prize of the great recently published book Top 10 For Men – a book of over 250 lists of interest to men (though women will no doubt love it also). Topics include What’s the most common murder weapon? What is the hottest variety of chilli? Who is the most searched for woman on the internet? To read an official excerpt of the book, go here.
The prize winner will be one randomly selected commenter – as usual you can enter more than one comment to improve your chances, but your comments must add value to this list – that means no comments designed just to have a better chance at winning. The winner must be a registered user of the List Universe. You can click here to register.
Finally, many thanks to Octopus Books for donating the prize for this competition.
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: The winner of the prize is Logar – for randomly selected comment number 353. Congratulations Logar!
Ringtail- sorry about your father. words don’t suffice
there is nothing mmm mmm good about bong water- gross! unless it is a Dirty Bong Water, which is a shooter
either one really
there is nothing mmm mmm good about bong water- gross!
isnt that nuclear war supposed to begin today?
but when you’re high as hell….
oh yeah, where’s that at?
i like to freeze it and have a bongcicle
Texas?
looks like we’ll have Friday the 13th tomorrow, afterall
yeah, oops- guess they forgot to tell whoever had the nukes to turn the key
looks like we’ll have Friday the 13th tomorrow, afterall
Cyn; I think that parts of the bible are non-fiction. There have been archaeological digs supporting some of the tales. In general, I consider it fiction or better still, a set of parables or fables or folk tales common to most of humanity.
Did you know the story of a baby born in a manger to save mankind has been around since the days of the mummies. Long before Christianity. He was called Horus, but the similarities are too many to be ignored. I found these little tid-bits nicely organized on some mysticism forum.
Jesus was the Light of the World. Horus was the Light of the World.
Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the life. Horus said he was the truth, the life.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the ‘house of bread’. Horus was born in Annu, the ‘place of bread’. And in a manger/stable.
Jesus was the Good Shepherd. Horus was the Good Shepherd.
Seven fishers board a boat with Jesus. Seven people board a boat with Horus.
Jesus was the lamb. Horus was the lamb.
Jesus is identified with a cross. Horus is identified with a cross.
Jesus was baptised at 30. Horus was baptised at 30.
Jesus was the child of a virgin, Mary. Horus was the child of a virgin, Isis.
The birth of Jesus was marked by a star. The birth of Horus was marked by a star.
Jesus was the child teacher in the temple. Horus was the child teacher in the temple.
Jesus had 12 disciples. Horus had 12 followers.
Jesus was the Morning Star. Horus was the Morning Star.
Jesus was the Christ. Horus was the Krst.
Jesus was tempted on a mountain by Satan. Horus was tempted on a mountain by Set.
I’ve never heard of Horus, sounds really interesting. Can you point the way to moer information?
whats going on my comment posted under rushfan’s name
holy *****!?
okay, since when as it ever let duplicate comments get posted- whats going on?????
its back to normal now.
I’ve never read any of these books. They don’t interest me.
Yes, what are the details behind Horus? Certainly interesting similarities — I agree with you that the stories of Jesus are like folk tales; it is difficult to consider them true non-fiction.
Tell Russia to turn the key on the nukes, that guy looks like an *****!
green: its not uncommon
mom-424- great quote from “Zeitgeist:the Movie” anyone interested can watch it and access all references at http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
(I do disagree with some of the reasoning in Zeitgeist concerning the origin of the term “Sunrise” and “Sunset”)
matter of fact, my boyfriend was slightly peeved at me for showing him the video AFTER he made major real estate purchases which resulted in his subsequent bankruptcy…
may as well check out “Loose Change” while you’re at it.
rtr
lets get high and nuke somebody
MPW: who first? I say China
Mom424, I also broke down and finally watched Zeitgeist. Proved my point that there’s nothing new under the sun/Son (haha, get it?). I admit I’m no Egyptologist, but I don’t remember all those things being attributed to Horus (and I always thought Ra was the sun god). I think I need to do some research; I just question the first third of the movie. Well, I question most of it, but that part the strongest.
Very nice list. I’m predicting some assanine comment by S_R on the Bible being on here. Fair warning.
China, Russia, Iran..in that order
the epic of gilgamesh predates noah’s flood, too
How about The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie? This caused quite an uproar in the Muslim community in the late 1980s even prompting Ayatollah Khomeini to call for a fatwa on the author and publisher. This fatwa is still in place today.
how can you forget north korea?
MPW: china, russia, iran, north korea, and then Australia, they are quiet, too quiet…..
and how about Canada, also known as “America’s hat?”
rushfan, i could never nuke a middle aged man child in an army man suit.
Csimmons, yes and then Canada.. America’s hat
i would say Mexico but they are already here:)
you read my mind rushy…
what a great list. really wanna read more than one of those, especially the ones about religious debates.
Have you seen TEAM AMERICA?? I’m so ronery. I’m so ronery.
When Kim Jong Ill sings? Hee-larious!
I now have nine more books on my list of “books to read.” Thanks!
one problem though where can we find these nukes you speak of??
I can’t believe I found a website where I can talk to other people who actaully like to read, can make badass weed jokes, and we can carry on an intelligent discussion about world events. I’m in heaven.
yes that movie was funny.
the ***** scene was HI larious
how did you find this site rushfan?
I kinda want to read “The Population Bomb” now to see how messed up it is. Fantastic list, anywho.
MPW: Ebay has the nukes! eBay has them!
I just stumbled upon it a few weeks ago websurfing here at work.
rushfan: yes, now just go on the forums
Sorry to burst your bubble, but those Horus/Jesus comparisons originate from one eccentric man named Gerald Massey who lived in the Victorian era. His views were based on wild speculation and misunderstanding of Egyptology, and were all proven to be incorrect. No scholar takes him seriously anymore. He’s nice to read, but he’s about as factual as von Daniken and Velikovsky.
Awesme list as usual! I’m curious about The Skeptical Environmentalist. Has anyone here read it?
I stumbled upon it through ebaums, and haven’t left, I have been here for months, and its my heroin!
i found it through a website called Daily HaHa
csimmons, I KEEP TRYING!! I can’t get in. I try to login and it says I can’t. I try to register and it doesn’t work either. I’ve emailed JFra, but I don’t know what’s happening.
I would really love to get into the forums.
I’m eating crow, here kiwi…I don’t like the taste, and don’t think you’ll see it happen often.
Randall – you already know my view on this one, but (as you yourself say) who is to say for certain that DDT wasn’t, in fact, a factor in your father’s unfortunate early demise. We all have our own predispositions to various chemicals or environmental factors.
And you’re not eating crow at all; you’re demonstrating open-mindedness and intellectual credibility, which is even more notable given your understandable emotional take on this issue. And which requires no small measure of moral fortitude.
(Thanks for posting the very interesting article, by the way.)
yes the forums are fun but i go by a different but similar username-MPWheeler
rushfan: try using firefox, unless you are already using that of course. or get a new pc!
…and before anybody asks…No, Randall and I will not be getting a room
Try opening a new mail like yahoo or hotmail or gmail. Then try registering in the forums again.
Mom424: Ever heard of Mithras? He and Jesus were pretty similar.
It starts at 3.20 pretty intresting.
kiwiboi: go, you know you wanna
Can you “officially” say all of these books are non-fiction?
what specific problem are you having?
is it possible to create a profile for someone on the forums