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Book Review: Honesty is the Best Policy

November 12th, 2005 at 04:30am Albert McIlhenny

The Babylon Connection? – Ralph Woodrow Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, Inc. (March 1997) Topics: Catholicism Summary: Refutation of Alexander Hislop’s Two Babylons Rating:

When Ralph Woodrow published Babylon Mystery Religion in 1966, it instantly became a mainstay within the fundamentalist subculture in America. Based upon the Alexander Hislop’s 19th century polemical treatise The Two Babylons, the book updated Hislop’s nonsensical thesis that the historic beliefs and practices of the Church were inherited from pagan Babylonian worship under Nimrod. Although both books had the Catholic Church as their primary target, many of their assertions applied to other churches as well. It seemed to matter little to either Webber or his audience that Hislop’s work had no basis in fact and was never taken seriously by any student of Church history.

As is commonly the case with fundamentalists, the truth did not get in the way of a good conspiracy theory. Weaving an absurd tale reminiscent of other types of conspiratorial drivel, Woodrow (like Hislop before him) combined incredibly bad scholarship, paranoid delusions, and pure bigotry in an unseemly concoction lacking even a rudimentary understanding of historical developments within the Church. This is where one would expect it to end – another entry in the “antichrist of the month” sweepstakes spoon fed to those who do have neither the knowledge nor the discernment to see past the smokescreen of their insulated belief system.

What few on either side of the debate counted on was the personal integrity of Ralph Woodrow. It turns out Woodrow simply trusted Hislop’s account without checking the sources himself. This is often a problem with crackpot ideas – while those who know better don’t waste their time answering such nonsense, others without the proper background to judge the claims are fooled and often write new books based on these erroneous secondary sources. Such was the case with Woodrow until, in a dialogue with a critic of his original book, he unexpectedly agreed to investigate the veracity of Hislop’s sources. When he did, he was shocked by what he found – Woodrow’s worldview evaporated before his eyes as he discovered Hislop had fabricated his evidence. Woodrow quickly withdrew his book from publication and subsequently released this book as a refutation of Hislop’s (and his own) work.

The Babylon Connection? is a devastating critique of Hislop and his many imitators. Almost from the first page, the shoddy scholarship, blatant dishonesty, and personal prejudices of Alexander Hislop become quite evident. By the end of the first chapter, none except those suffering from the “black helicopters over America” paranoia could possibly view Hislop as anything but a crackpot and a fraud. Woodrow presses on, however, and in painstaking detail demonstrates the complete lack of scholarly integrity exhibited by Hislop in his book. As one who was formerly believed Hislop to be a credible source, Woodrow understands the mindset of this subculture and he systematically destroys their delusions. When it is over, there is nothing of Hislop’s rhetorical edifice left standing.

There are a few weaknesses in the book. For one thing, while Woodrow refutes the thesis of pagan origins, he never bothers to uncover the connection of the early Church to the disputed beliefs and practices. He still operates in the Christianity of modern America and not the first century Middle East. The vista is still that of a narrow Evangelicalism – but without the bigotry and paranoia. While this is a considerable move forward, there are still obvious weaknesses in his view of Christian origins. The other issue is that he seemingly lets Hislop and others like him off the hook by still recognizing him as an otherwise orthodox Christian. Perhaps this is an appeal to unity, but there is little hope for any reconciliation with those who remain Hislop’s supporters. While the eternal destiny of Alexander Hislop (or anyone else) must be left to God, we must take pause at claiming as a brother someone who fruits included slandering the Church of history, holding the beliefs and practices of the early Church to be of Satan, engaging in religious bigotry and overt racism (documented by Woodrow himself), and bringing greater division within the body of Christ. There is also the fact that Hislop’s book has fostered in many Christians a delusional view of the world and an entry into sects that are damaging both spiritually and psychologically.

Despite these faults, Woodrow must be praised for his honesty in withdrawing a financially successful book from publication. Given the many “end times” writers who edit and reissue their works after failed predictions, such a display of personal integrity is indeed rare. Woodrow also has faced severe criticism from fundamentalists and many have claimed that Rome “got to him” (such utter paranoia is perfectly representative of their loose grip on reality). Woodrow has undoubtedly suffered by disavowing his previous work – but with The Babylon Connection? he can hold his head high as one who put God before mammon.

Entry Filed under: Catholicism, Highly Recommended Books, Woodrow, Ralph