Author: Richard E. Wentz
Publisher: Mercer University Press
ISBN: 9780865542570
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Author: Antony Loewenstein
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Aus.
ISBN: 1743289138
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 359

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Four Australian thinkers come together to ask and answer the big questions, such as: What is the nature of the universe? Doesn't religion cause most of the conflict in the world? and Where do we find hope? We are introduced to the detail of different belief systems - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - and to the argument that atheism, like organised religion, has its own compelling logic. And we gain insight into the life events that led each author to their current position. Jane Caro flirted briefly with spiritual belief, inspired by 19th century literary heroines such as Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontë sisters. Antony Lowenstein is proudly culturally, yet unconventionally, Jewish. Simon Smart is firmly and resolutely a Christian, but one who has had some of his most profound spiritual moments while surfing. Rachel Woodlock grew up in the alternative embrace of Baha'i belief but became entranced by its older parent religion, Islam. Provocative, informative and passionately argued, For God's Sake encourages us to accept religious differences but to also challenge more vigorously the beliefs that create discord.

Author: Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 1551991764
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.

Author: Arthur Dobrin
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616142871
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
The key to the good life is compassion. Drawing on recent findings, Dobrin convincingly shows that compassion is built into human nature. When we act upon this inherent moral instinct, individuals find what they want most--to be happy.

Author: Harold S. Kushner
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
ISBN: 0805241930
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Offers an inspirational and compassionate approach to understanding the problems of life, and argues that we should continue to believe in God's fairness.

Author: Gary A. Stilwell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780595668786
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Proto-orthodox Christianity started with St. Paul, but the religion had its genesis with neither Paul nor Jesus. In Christianity, we investigate the 5000-year history and development of what became today's Faith. The first of three parts, considers the present situation where thousands of doctrinally divergent variants of the "Christian" faith exist. The second part explores late Judaism and the ancient Greek religions, and delves deeper into their predecessors to find the roots of the concepts that would enter into those Christianities found today. The third part examines the earliest centuries of the religion in the hope of resolving the question: Was there ever a single Christianity? We will traverse the remaining centuries looking at the middle Ages, the Age of Enlightenment and contemporary ecumenism. Packing 5000 years of history into a thin volume would be impossible except for the use of ample figures (each worth a thousand words) in the form of maps, tables, graphs, and timelines. Encapsulations and independent essays of topics are included that give concise summaries of key subject matter. Although it is wished that every word be thoroughly studied and digested, skimmers can get the gist of the book's contents from these encapsulations and figures alone.

Author: Cliffe Knechtle
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 9780877845690
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
Cliffe Knechtle offers clear, reasoned and compassionate responses to the tough questions skeptics ask.

Author: James Hollis
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440639434
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Working with the Shadow is not working with evil, per se. It is working toward the possibility of greater wholeness. We will never experience healing until we can come to love our unlovable places, for they, too, ask love of us. How is it that good people do bad things? Why is our personal story and our societal history so bloody, so repetitive, so injurious to self and others? How do we make sense of the discrepancies between who we think we are—or who we show to the outside world—versus our everyday behaviors? Why are otherwise ordinary people driven to addictions and compulsions, whether alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity, or the Internet? Why are interpersonal relationships so often filled with strife? Exploring Jung’s concept of the Shadow—the unconscious parts of our self that contradict the image of the self we hope to project--Why Good People Do Bad Things guides you through all the ways in which many of our seemingly unexplainable behaviors are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, Hollis looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culture—from organized religion to the suffering and injustice that abounds in our modern world. Accepting and examining the Shadow as part of one’s self, Hollis suggests, is the first step toward wholeness. Revealing a new way of understanding our darker selves, Hollis offers wisdom to help you to acquire a more conscious conduct of your life and bring a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices.

Author: Joel Hodge
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1501333844
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
One of the most pressing issues of our time is the outbreak of extremist violence and terrorism, done in the name of religion. This volume critically analyses the link made between religion and violence in contemporary theory and proposes that 'religion' does not have a special relation to violence in opposition to culture, ideology or nationalism. Rather, religion and violence must be understood with relation to fundamental anthropological and philosophical categories such as culture, desire, disaster and rivalry. Does Religion Cause Violence? explores contemporary instances of religious violence, such as Islamist terrorism and radicalization in its various political, economic, religious, military and technological dimensions, as well as the legitimacy and efficacy of modern cultural mechanisms to contain violence, such as nuclear deterrence. Including perspectives from experts in theology, philosophy, terrorism studies, and Islamic studies, this volume brings together the insights of René Girard, the premier theorist of violence in the 20th century, with the latest scholarship on religion and violence, particularly exploring the nature of extremist violence.

Author: Jacques Jomier
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780898709285
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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