Religion is always a touchy subject, but fortunately for
fans of controversy, Disinformation isn't afraid to take it on. The New York-based
alternative news source, search engine for "hidden information" — which
Disinformation suggests "never seems to slip through the cracks of the
corporate owned media conglomerates" — and publisher became famous with editor
Russ Kick's "50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know." Since the bestseller's
release (and its similarly themed sequel), Disinformation and Kick have
released numerous anthologies, but "Everything You Know About God is Wrong: The
Disinformation Guide to Religion" seems to be the culmination of all their
button-pushing expertise.

Kick's foray into the realm of faith and spirituality is a
comprehensive encyclopedia of many bizarre, disturbing and often instigative facts
about many of the religions of the world. And when the title says everything,
Disinformation isn't kidding. Ranging in topics from the "Confessions of an
Atheist" to a graphically sexual comic adaptation of a brutal Bible story by
famed artist Neil Gaiman, to descriptions of some truly surprising religious
practices — "Everything" covers every topic no matter how likely, unlikely or
subversively in-between.

While "Everything" certainly appears to be credible and
features contributions by both scholars and journalists, the book is far from
objective. For that reason, any reader inclined to open its 387 (classily)
bound pages should be ready for his or her personal beliefs to be questioned,
and, in many cases, insulted. Kick's many cohorts have varying beliefs and
contribute essays on a majority of religious topics, but they all agree on one
thing — religious institutions are wrong in every respect. They all approach
religion and spirituality with skepticism and criticism. But what makes the
book great — or perhaps even readable for many — is that criticism does not
imply insult or sacrilege; in fact, the content of "Everything" is written from a scholarly, critical
and analytical perspective, explaining observations and dictating what the
author has learned from them.

This view obviously won't make Kick or the staff of
Disinformation too many friends, but the book's biased yet educated stance does
reveal tomes of interesting information. It's certainly entertaining to
discover that the Papal Altar in St. Peter's Basilica is engraved with (what
appears to be) depictions of female genitalia — giving birth in stages, no less.
Or more intriguing yet, that one faith burns "sacrificial BMWs" in order to
allow their deceased loved ones to cruise the afterlife in style.

Some of Kick's selections are not just shock stories,
however. In fact, much of the collection is pertinent due to its contemporary
relevance and cultural implications. Sam
Jordison’s "’Irish Gulags for Women’: The Catholic Church’s Magdalene Asylums"
is enthralling due to its harrowing descriptions of suffering youth and Christian
hypocrisy, but the scholarly depiction also nuances a recent film, produced by
a different institution known for its questionably accurate descriptions of
historical events. Jordison helps to explain the reality of Ireland's Magdalene
Asylums, comparing it to that of Scottish Screen's The Magdalene Sisters and features interviews from some of the
asylums' survivors. Substantial argumentative essays discuss convincingly why
"The U.S. is a Free Country, Not a
Christian Nation," and why the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments should not be
posted in courthouses.

Some essays are explicit and disturbing, especially the
"Philadelphia Grand Jury Report on Abusive Priests and the Cardinals Who
Enabled Them." The discussion of the Philadelphia scandal is especially
inflammatory as it is the official Grand Jury Report written by randomly
selected jurors who identified as Catholics themselves. Also, the report
discusses sexual deviancy in graphic detail, and it might be more than some
readers can stomach. Finally, the dangers of reading some religious texts as
literal are addressed. Sadly, these concepts are pertinent in our post-Sept. 11
world and can be applied to the terrorist action of some of today's extremist
religious groups.

Russ Kick's biting "Everything You Know About God is Wrong:
the Disinformation Guide to Religion" will be a riot for some but a difficult
read for others. Its implications and histories are often of a nature that will
bother devout followers of any of the number of religions addressed. The book
does not argue in favor of any one perspective and does not argue
overwhelmingly against the virtues of belief and morality, but it certainly
does its best to both justify atheism and condemn religion and spirituality as
institutions. But despite its negativity, "Everything" is an effective and
fact-based collection of writings, cited in a scholarly fashion from historical
studies, and often of firsthand accounts. For those who seek both sides of any
story, this is another intriguing Disinformation must-read full of humor and
witty social satire. Not to mention, it'll make one heck of a conversation
piece sitting on your coffee table.