Religious Books - Page 3

Fear and Trembling (Penguin Classics)

Soren Kierkegaard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Provocative but flawed 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Essential reading for anyone with the slightest interest in religion or philosophy. He makes an important point: faith cannot be collapsed into the ethical, taking the Old Testament story of Abraham's aborted sacrifice of Isaac as his proof text. If faith was simply a matter of acting ethically, then we wouldn't need religion, only ethics. That said, I don't like how he makes faith into something so superhuman and difficult that only a few spiritual athletes are capable of it. Which is wrong. Christian faith is available to anyone. Christ said, "come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." And I don't believe that faith contradicts ethics either, as Kierkegaard suggests. Kierkegaard's message was to a largely Christian society that took faith for granted. He wanted to bring out the radicality of faith, which is a valuable message. But today, when Christian Churches are losing members, we need the evangelical message, to bring people in. Faith is first of all an expression of love for God and our fellow humans, not a leap into the absurd. Kierkegaard used to appeal to me more when I was younger, and I liked the idea of viewing my faith as something radical and even scandalous. Now that I'm more mature, I realize that faith is really about loving and trusting God and loving my neighbor as myself. Yes, there's a sacrifice involved; Kierkegaard is right about that, but trusting God means trusting his goodness and love.

Editorial Review:

First published in 1843 under a pseudonym, "Frygt og Baeven" is written in a quasi-dialogue form in which different facets of Kierkegaard's thought are presented to the reader. Without disclosing his own beliefs Kierkegaard confronts the reader with various ethical and religious attitudes, but leaves the responsibility of choice open. This new edition provides a chronology of the author's life and detailed notes to complement Kierkegaard's analysis of religion.

How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture

Francis A. Schaeffer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Wow, what an amazingly bad book 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Schaeffer writes "I am convinced that when Nietzsche came to Switzerland and went insane, it was not because of venereal disease, though he did have this disease. Rather, it was because he understood that insanity was the only philosophic answer if the infinite-personal God does not exist."

If you can follow this poorly written book (very obtuse and difficult to read) and find yourself agreeing with Schaeffer then obviously you are used to reading poorly written obtuse books. I'll let you guess which book I'm referring to.

Schaeffer goes through history and finds a way to denigrate everything that he believes is 'from below' and exalts everything that is 'from above' by deciding if it agrees with his basic assumption "The only way to live is to follow the Bible and it's teachings." If he thinks that it agrees with that premise then it is rewarded and if it doesn't fit his model of behavior then it is labeled a failure of 'humanistic thought'.

This book is filled with silly and ludicrous comments like my first quote. Schaeffer decides that Leonardo Da Vinci was depressed in his old age because "As man thinketh so is he--and humanism had already begun to show that pessimism was its natural conclusion." In Schaeffer's heavily religious mind anyone who doesn't see the world the same way he does is insane, depressed, or suicidal.

If Schaeffer doesn't like a piece of art, it becomes a failure of the humanistic mindset. If Schaeffer does like a piece of art then it becomes an indication that only through a Christian world view can an artist really see the truth of the world.

If you are a heavily religious person yourself, this book will help you feel better about your beliefs, by reinforcing them using 'historical facts'.

If you are a reasonable and educated person with a curiosity about history and how it relates to religion, I'd recommend reading anything else. Anything.

I wish I could give this book zero stars, but Amazon doesn't allow that.

Editorial Review:

In How Should We Then Live? Francis Schaeffer analyzed the reasons for modern society's state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God's revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible's truth, morals, values and meaning. This edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of L'Abri Fellowship and includes a new foreword.

The TEACHINGS OF DON JUAN A YAQUI WAY OF KNOWLEDGE

Carlos Castaneda

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 99 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Reading Between The Lines 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don Juan possesses the wisdom of the ancients . Getting away from your babbling inanities and shutting down the internal dialog, you might just ask the question?" What is the Matrix"?

Enter the world of the sorcerer 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

An excellent book about the first steps of Carlos Castaneda to become a man of knowledge. A book that has it all. Funny, enlightening and mysteries.

Entertaining but false 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Having read several of Castanedas books and been strongly influenced by them as a youth, it was with great sadness that I subsequently found them to be almost completely imaginary. If you care to research Castaneda you will find that most of his experiences of flying through the air, encountering supernatural Mexican wisemen, receiving transcendental illumination etc etc happened while he was sitting in the library at UCLA. Many of the dates in the books are contradictory, much of the alleged herbal knowledge is potentially dangerous and essentially the bottom line is that you would be well advised to take all these books with a very large grain of salt. However that being said, they are fairly well written, quite entertaining and do contain some measure of truth after all. So go figure...

Editorial Review:

Castaneda's first book in the Don Juan series. He meets Don Juan and is introduced to his magical world and philosophy by means of hallucinogenic plants and special exercises. The author's other books include "The Fire Within" and "The Quest for Ixtlan".

The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog

James W. Sire

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When The Universe Next Door was first introduced nearly thirty years ago, it set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In concise, easily understood prose, James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism and the new consciousness. The second edition was updated and expanded to include sections on Marxism and secular humanism, as well as a completely reworked chapter on what is now widely known as New Age philosophy rather than new consciousness. And the third edition offered further updating and revisions, including a thoroughly revised chapter on New Age philosophy and, perhaps most importantly, a new chapter on postmodernism. Now the fourth edition refines the definition of worldview itself, incorporating Sire's thinking and teaching during the past decade. (His recent work is showcased in a new book, Naming the Elephant, also published by IVP.) The Universe Next Door has been translated into several languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. With the publication of the fourth edition, this book will continue to aid students, teachers and anyone who wants to understand the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of our minds and hearts.

The Perennial Philosophy (Perennial Classics)

Aldous Huxley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Universality of the mystical experience 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Culled from Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist sources, Huxley makes the case for the universality of certain religious doctrines grounded in a common mystical experience. This work by Huxley established him as one of the greatest lay theologians. It is a work of syncretism of the highest order. Huxley was raised as a Christian, yet was a mystical seeker across religious traditions. His quest included experiments with psychedelics, studying vedanta and other religious traditions.

This book is a must read for the mystical seeker, who wants confirmation that the mystical experience is real. This text was also highly influential within the academic study of religion. Huston Smith, who has written the most widely used textbook on the world's religions, has cited it numerous times in his writings as shaping his own views on the commonality of all religious traditions.

Editorial Review:

The Perennial Philosophy is defined by its author as "The metaphysic that recognizes a divine Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds." With great wit and stunning intellect, Aldous Huxley examines the spiritual beliefs of various religious traditions and explains them in terms that are personally meaningful.

Conversations With God : An Uncommon Dialogue, Book Three, Audio Volume I

Neale Donald Walsch

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Total reviews: 259 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My son and I had read books 1 and 2. He asked when I was going to get book 3. I ordered it to give to him at Christmas. The book was in excellent condition and arrived in a timely maner.
We have both read it and enjoyed it very much.

COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS THE BIBLE 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

There is alot of good stuff in these books for you to think about and learn from. BUT, IT SAYS INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE THINGS THAT ARE SUPPOSEDLY OK WITH GOD, SUCH AS CHILD MOLESTATION for example. I was very excited about this collection but half way through book 1, I threw them all in the recycle bin. The movie however was excellent and extremely uplifting.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU RENT THE MOVIE AND FORGET ABOUT THESE BOOKS. The movie does not delve into the things that GOD is supposedly telling him that he writes in his books. DON`T WASTE YOURE MONEY ON THESE BOOKS !

Alex

Editorial Review:

InspirationalLarge Print Edition* A New York Times BestsellerSuppose you could ask God the most puzzling questions about existence, and God would provide clear, understandable answers? It happened to Neale Donald Walsch. Conversations with God is Neale Donald Walschs account of his direct conversations with God, beginning in 1992 while Walsch was immersed in a period of deep depression. He composed a letter to God in which he vented his frustrations, and much to his surprise even shock God answered him.

The Kingdom of God is Within You

Leo Tolstoy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

If Only 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A very good book, if only to see how Tolstoy handles the subject.

His writing is as fine as ever, and in demolishing the edifice of church/state, he is in fine form.

However, when it comes time to build...to construct...to form his own, edifice, the train goes completly off the rails. It is a majestic horror. The blindness, is simply astounding. But well written.

Mr. Tolstoy makes the same pathetic appeal that every originator of a lame philosophy does..."if only people would do thus and such". But they don't, do they!!

To give him credit, he does raise the issue...but never answers it! Because no answer is possible.

This book is an informative glimpse into the window of the asylum door, whilst the madman scribbles on the wall. He writes a philosophy that must be lived up to, even to the death of yourself, your family, everyone you know. It is insane.

A great writer, yes. But for any philosophy to work, it must be based on the real world. It must come down to man, not beckon from the heights.

My conclusion upon reading this book, was only wishing Tolstoy was alive today, so he could correct all the many obvious errors, and make a stronger, more modern, argument for his cause. I doubt he would even try, however.

Editorial Review:

Tolstoy's 1893 book, subtitled "Christianity Not as a Mystical Teaching but as a New Concept of Life," introduced such vital concepts as non-violent resistance to 20th Century figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Although Tolstoy is best known as one of the great Russian novelists, his place as a social reformer and peace advocate cannot be underestimated.

I And Thou

Martin Buber

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Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

I AND THOU BY MARTIN BUBER TRANSLATORS INTRODUCTION HIS work in its original, German form has already, since its publication fourteen years ago, exercised on the Continent an influence, quite out of proportion to its slender size. In view of this influence alone it may be affirmed that I and Thou will rank as one of the epochmaking books of our generation. It has hitherto been comparatively unknown among Englishspeaking students of philosophy and theology. I and Thou is to be understood in the context of Bubers previous intensive study, chiefly of Jewish mystical writings. It is not an isolated phenomenon among his works, but represents the culmination of the intensely religious interest that characterises them all. It is, indeed, philosophical but it is not an academic work of discursive philosophy. It is mystical, but it belongs to what PringlePattison has termed the higher Mysticism of real communion with God, as distinguished from the debased1 mysticism that sub stitutes for the real present world a world of illusory delights, where absorption in the Diym is experi enced. The decrying of mysticism as a whole, fashion able today among Protestant writers, has a weighty retort in the present work. For an indubitably real mystical experience is here set forth, not with contempt for the means of human expression but with finished and delicate power. For this reason, though we might call and Thou a philosophicalreligious poem, it belongs essentially to no single specialised class of learned work. It has a direct appeal to all those who are interested in living religious experience rather than in theological debates and the rise and fall of philosophical schools. It has first and foremost to be judged on its intrinsic meritsby the impact, that is to say, which it makes on our actual, responsible life, as persons and as groups, in the modern world. This immediate value of Bubers work becomes clear if we consider its main thesis. There is, Buber shows, a radical difference between a mans attitude to other men and his attitude to things. The attitude to other men is a relation between persons, to things it is a connexion with objects. In the personal relation one subject I confronts another subjectThou, in the connexion with things the subject contemplates and experiences an object. These two attitudes represent the basic twofold situation of human life, the former constituting the. world of Thou , and the latter the world of It The content and relation of these two worlds is the theme of and Thou. The other person, the Thou, ,is shown to be a realitythat is, it is given to me, but it is not bounded by me: Thou has no bounds the 1 Though the second person singular pronoun has almost dis appeared from modern English usage, it remains in one important spherein prayer. By its retention in the English text, therefore, far from suggesting an obscure situation, it keeps the whole thought iii the personal and responsible sphere in which alone it is truly to be understood. TJiou cannot be appropriated, but I am brought up short against it.

The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth

Gerald L. Schroeder

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Still Hidden 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

In a folksy tone Israeli physicist Gerald Schroeder pulls together quantum mechanics, neuroscience, and Bible study to conclude that mind, as exhibited by the ability to make choices, is inherent in every atom of the Universe.

The book shows the place where physics and metaphysics meet and greet (if not merge). In Schroeder's thesis the basic stuff of the Universe is information: "But when we look below the surface, we discover a world made of a mix of identical particles that are actually waves and then realize that the waves are massless expressions of information. Physics has exposed the metaphysical basis of existence." (p. 173)

Schroeder stops short of saying that the Creator and the Created are one thing, but he does seem to support the basic underlying unity of everything in the Universe -- call it God or a force or what-have-you.

One thing that I didn't like was the author's tendency to gush over how wonderfully complex the human body and brain are. To me this is anthropocentric thinking -- he assumes that human beings are smart enough to assess the complexities of reality. I can't help wondering if the perceived complexity is just a reflection of the limitations of our little animal brains.

Editorial Review:

DO YOU BELIEVE?

Gerald Schroeder, an MIT-trained scientist who has worked in both physics and biology, has emerged in recent years as one of the most popular and accessible apostles for the melding of science and religion. He first reconciled science and faith as different perspectives on a single whole in The Science of God. Now, in The Hidden Face of God, Schroeder takes a bold step forward, to show that science, properly understood, provides positive reasons for faith.

From the wisdom encoded in DNA and analyzed by information science, to the wisdom unveiled in the fantastic complexity of cellular life, to the wisdom inherent in human consciousness, The Hidden Face of God offers a tour of the best of modern science. This fascinating volume will open a world of science to religious believers, and it will cause skeptics to rethink some of their deepest beliefs.

The Varieties of Religious Experience

William James

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Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Always providing further insight 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This 1902 publication still takes pride of place as a landmark study and remains one of the most influential books ever on psychology and spirituality. The style is accessible and engaging, consistently interesting with well-reasoned arguments. Religions are not compared; the study is restricted to the experiences of the individual.

James considers the feelings, actions and experiences of people insofar as they understand themselves to be in a relationship with whatever they consider the Divine. It has nothing to do with churches, doctrine or dogma, concerning itself only with the religious experiences of everyday life.

He emphasizes the passionate aspect of religion and its power of adding enchantment to life. Dealing objectively with a wide spectrum of observed and personally related religious experiences, James also quotes from the autobiographical writings of famous authors, theologians and mystics from many traditions including Whitman, Luther, Voltaire, Emerson, Tolstoy and many others.

The terrain of study is clearly identified and circumscribed. Chapter titles include Religion & Neurology, the Reality of the Unseen, the Religion of Healthy-Mindedness, the Sick Soul, the Divided Self & the Process of Unification, Conversion, Saintliness, Mysticism and Philosophy.

In his own words: "Both thought and feeling are determinants of conduct, and the same conduct may be determined either by feeling or thought. When we survey the whole field of religion, we find a great variety in the thoughts that have prevailed there; but the feelings on the one hand and the conduct on the other are almost always the same, for Stoic, Christian and Buddhist saints are practically indistinguishable in their lives. The theories which religion generates, being thus variable, are secondary. If you wish to grasp its essence, you must look to the feelings and the conduct as being the more constant elements."

This book offers a treasure trove of insights, revelation, wisdom and points to ponder that contributes substantially to the reader's understanding of consciousness, psychological processes, mystic states, thought & emotion, and the relationship to the Eternal Divine.

Although it is not a difficult text to grasp, patience is called for since every sentence is loaded with so many layers of meaning that one often has to reread a previous paragraph in order to fully comprehend and properly process the insights and information. A mindful, meditative study of the text will richly reward the reader.

Other works on religion and/or spirituality that I have found illuminating, inspiring or thought-provoking are Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning & The Creative Process in the Individual by Thomas Troward, Religion in the Making by Alfred North Whitehead, The Hidden Power of the Bible by Ernest Holmes, Alter Your Life by Emmet Fox, Cracking the Bible Code by Jeffrey Satinover, The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz and One Cosmos Under God by Robert Godwin.

Editorial Review:

Standing at the crossroads of psychology and religion, this catalyzing work applied the scientific method to a field abounding in abstract theory. William James believed that individual religious experiences, rather than the precepts of organized religions, were the backbone of the world's religious life. His discussions of conversion, repentance, mysticism and saintliness, and his observations on actual, personal religious experiences - all support this thesis. In his introduction, Martin E. Marty discusses how James' pluralistic view of religion led to his remarkable tolerance of extreme forms of religious behaviour, his challenging, highly original theories, and his welcome lack of pretension in all of his observations on the individual and the divine.