Book Description
Inspire animated discussions of questions that concern kids - and all of us - with this innovative, interactive book. Open your students' minds to the wonders of philosophy. Allow them to grapple with the questions philosophers have discussed since the ancient Greeks. Questions include: "Who are your friends?" "Can computers think?" "Can something logical not make sense?" "Can you think about nothing?" Young minds will find the range of 40 questions to be both entertaining and informative. If you have ever wondered about questions like these, you are well on the way to becoming a philosopher!
Philosophy for Kids offers young people (ages 10 and up) the opportunity to become acquainted with the wonders of philosophy. Packed with exciting activities arranged around the topics of Values, Knowledge, Reality, and Critical Thinking, this book can be used individually or by the whole class. Each activity allows kids to increase their understanding of philosophical concepts and issues and enjoy themselves at the same time.
In addition to learning about a challenging subject, students philosophizing in a classroom setting as well as the casual reader of Philosophy for Kids will sharpen the ability to think critically about these and similar questions. Experiencing the enjoyment of philosophical thought enhances a young person's appreciation for the importance of reasoning throughout the traditional curriculum of subjects.
The book includes activities, teaching tips, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading.
Grades 4-12
Customer Reviews:
Too open ended for kids.......2007-08-26
I bought this book to read with my nine-year old daughter. Lots of great questions posed, but we found they weren't explored deeply enough for our satisfaction. One could argue that this is precisely the purpose of the book, ie to encourage further discussion, but we're both quite new to the field of philosophy and lack the training and tools for a deep evaluation of the issues. Another book, Philosophy Rocks (Law), offers far deeper analyses (of admittedly fewer questions), but left us far more satisfied and inspired.
It really is fun!.......2007-07-25
While I have always been moderately entertained by the metaphysical, it has never been something I would quite describe as 'fun'. Until now that is! The chapter on existentialism tickled me rotten and the 'Wittgenstein game' caused uproar at my son's birthday party! If you want to keep the kids entertained for the day (and simultaneously teach them concepts of modal realism) look no further...
A+ for David White's "Philosophy for Kids".......2006-06-11
I'm not a teacher, but I am a student of philosophy who knows a great book when she reads one, and Professor White's "Philosophy for Kids" fits the bill. I appreciate this book not only because I think it's effective in getting youth to think about significant scholarly issues (this, I admit, it probably accomplishes quite well). Rather, I give PFK an A+ for its amazing ability to introduce *any* curious person to some of mankind's most timeless and pressing questions--and some of his most insightful thinkers--regardless of the age or academic background of the reader.
Organized into sections according to four major branches of philosophy--ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and logic--the book eases you into an exciting exploration of a myriad of connected but diverse philosophical questions. White's "leads" at the beginnings of the chapters, or "Questions," are always attention-grabbers, and I find the question-and-answer format helpful for framing the philosophical issue in a practical, concrete way before diving into a more rigorous investigation of the many facets of the Question and how they relate to one or more major philosophers. Far from being heavy-handed or tyrannical, these opening "situations" are thought-provoking engagements for the student. What a refreshing change from dry, overly cerebral, merely explanatory summaries of what a particular philosopher wrote about x, y, and z! The reader gets a stunningly broad introduction to major philosophical thinkers, their questions, and their answers without even realizing it. When a textbook is so inviting that it whets your appetite to read the more difficult, original works of both ancient and modern philosophers, you know you have something special.
The practical questions and answers are often amusing, but never trite. Many gently encourage self-reflection and make dense philosophical ideas actually personal and relatable, and in my opinion, philosophy and self-reflection are always a winning combination.
From an educational view, I think that Part IV on logic, or critical thinking, is alone worth the price of the book. This section helps students start to analyze the very foundations of what it means for a statement to be true, for a thing to be defined, for a thing to be caused. These kinds of cognitive skills are absolutely elemental--and essential--to further study in philosophy (as well as all sorts of endeavors), and so this section of the textbook is pure windfall for both student and teacher.
All of the "little things" also make this book stand out from the rest and show great craftsmanship in layout and details: many of the quotes located at the end of the Questions are exceptionally eloquent (all are relevant food for thought), the black-and-white illustrations of the philosophers are delightful, and even the cover and font are just downright attractive (and especially striking given the work's real potential as a formal textbook). Although I don't have much formal teaching experience, my impression is that the "Teaching Tips" at the end of the book could serve as a real catalyst for refining one's skills at facilitating and fielding classroom discussion. I especially liked the additional exercises and challenges White suggests in "Further Thoughts" and "Teaching Tips"; they constitute a wonderful continuation of the practical "question and answer" protocol highlighted throughout the book.
In summary, the excellence of this lovely textbook certainly speaks to the high caliber of an experienced teacher who knows much about philosophy (and life) and cares deeply about both. One can only desperately and impatiently hope for more luminous correspondence with a mind and heart like his, whether in the form of another book ... or through a different venue.
The Author is Great.......2005-11-21
I'm 14 and took a philosophy class for gifted students with the author teaching. He's a certifiable nutcase. He's also amazingly funny and intelligent. Buy this book or discriminate against insane geniuses everywhere.
Wonder-ful Resource.......2004-07-28
I used this book to help me frame out the philosophy segment of my middle school gifted and talented class. The book is organized in terms of branches of philosophy: values, knowledge, metaphysics and critical thinking. Under each heading are thought-provoking questions that draw the reader in. Each of these is followed by a brief activity that links the question to kids' lives. After they are hooked in, the author explains the idea being discussed, and introduces the philosopher responsible for the idea. This structure of focusing first on the practical implications and then working backwards to the idea worked very well to catch and hold students' interest. The way the book is organized also makes it more flexible. Each question provides an independent lesson. You can skip around, and answer as many as you like. The length of each lesson also supports the ease of use, although with many you may want to extent it with the For Further Thought section.
If you want to try something fresh with your students, but philosophy intimidates you, don't worry. There is even a section in the back called How to Philosophize if you are not a Philosopher, which is loaded with practical advice, suggestions for classroom procedures, and specific teaching tips for each of the questions discussed. It even includes typical student reactions.
Overall, the students enjoyed the activities and questions in this book. It was not always easy for them to accept that there are no easy answers, but they were definitely engaged and challenged by the material. I found it to be a wonderful, helpful, handy, practical resource for introducing young people to philosophy.
Book Description
We’ve all done dumb stuff in our lives. We all have regrets. Yet none of us plans to mess up our lives. Why, then, does it keep happening?
Life doesn’t have to be that way. You can fool-proof your lifeâ¦as this book shows. God’s promise and pattern is for something better.
In The Best Question Ever, Andy Stanley effectively teaches the practical and lasting value of simply asking this question about our actions in all of life’s arenas:
What is the wise thing for me to do, in light of my past experience, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams?
This book probes for honesty âit pushes us to open our eyes to reality and helps us expose the little (and big) self-deceptions we have.
Prepare yourself.
You are about to be introduced to a single question that will revolutionize the way you make decisions.
Over the past twenty years, speaker and author Andy Stanley has shared the power of this question with thousands of students and adults all over the country. In this ground-breaking new book, Andy provides you with a filter through which to evaluate every decision in every arena of your life. As you are about to discover, the Best Question Ever will bring clarity to decisions involving your finances, your love life, your schedule, even your career.
People everywhere agree that their greatest regret could have been avoided had they asked the Best Question Ever and then acted on their conclusions. A time-tested truth that has immediate application, the Best Question Ever has the power to change the trajectory of your entire life.
Story Behind the Book
After continually making decisions that were short-sighted and hasty, Andy Stanley sought counsel. In Ephesians 5:15 he read, âBe very careful, then, how you liveânot as unwise but as wise.â It was there that Andy discovered what he considers to be The Best Question Ever.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Question.......2007-09-19
This little book from pastor Andy Stanley is packed full of wisdom. It suggests that much grief and regret could be avoided if people would only learn to ask the Best Question Ever before they act. Stanley says that we often get into situations before we think about the implications of our actions or our decisions, and that asking the Best Question will make us consider what really is the wise thing for us individually. The book is written from a Christian perspective, but its principles are applicaple for everyone.
Amazing.......2007-09-12
Yes, you are right guys, the book is such an easy read that I will be shocked if anyone has a problem with it. The question while simple is so profound, because it is common sense (THAT WE DONT USE EVERYDAY BUT SHOULD). It is like the story of Naman, when he was told to bathe in the water 7 times and he will be healed of Leprosy, he thought it was to easy and almost did not go through with it. Now the question while easy can change all and every bad decision we shall ever make. Keep that in mind while reading. I have already began the change to a newer, better me :)
Don't waste your money.......2007-08-09
I imagined a book thicker than 1/4" and something with substance. If you're over 25......forget about it.
Nothing more than common sense .......2007-07-21
This book is a waste of time and money. The question to ask yourself is 'is this the wise thing to do?' That's it. How ridiculous. Save your money. This book is so redundant, it could've been 3 pages for all it said.
Good, but stops short........2007-06-07
I've read the book and recently led a small group through the DVD and study guide. Overall, it was good. I am a fan of Stanley and will continue to check out his resources. However this one fell short for me and for our group somewhat. The Best Question Ever is a great question, but to whom is the question asked? I think it's a question we need to bring before the Lord, seeking His answer. He lands on this point somewhat by the end, but it just doesn't come across strong enough for me. Also, He's very good at identifying an issue that surfaces when it comes to this question, "What is the wise thing for me to do?" Often, the problem is not that we don't know what the wise thing is. It's that our desires don't line up with what's wise. He's good at identifying it, but not as helpful in addressing it as I'd hoped. Still worth checking out.
Average customer rating:
- Fine book that stands against inanity
- The Three Questions
- The Three Wishes By: Jonh J. Muth
- Good for all ages
- Great gift book
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The Three Questions
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
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ASIN: 0439199964 |
Amazon.com
Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.
Award-winning illustrator Jon J Muth's lovely watercolors are the most appealing aspect of this book about compassion and living in the moment. The simple Zen-based profundity of the boy's philosophical exploration may escape young readers, but they will enjoy the tale of a child who, in doing good deeds (for a panda and her baby, no less!), finds inner peace. Muth based his story on a short story of the same title by Leo Tolstoy. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo's cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.
Customer Reviews:
Fine book that stands against inanity.......2007-09-18
This is a fine book to spark the thinking process we sometimes doubt our kids have. They have it! They just need decent brain fodder, so to speak. The book has beauty in the words and in the illustrations. It ends on a very strong sentence. Not overstimulating, not vapid. My ten yr old enjoys it greatly, so the reading recommendations might be low.
Muth does a great job of making Tolstoy accessible to the young. His is one name I look for when shopping for books.
The Three Questions.......2007-05-24
Three of the most important questions are mentioned and answered in this story: "When is the best time to do things?", "Who's the most important one?", and "What is the right thing to do?".
These questions are carried around by a boy named Nikolai who is really interesting in knowing the solution to his thoughts. He is a smart boy with three good friend who try helping him but can't. He is also a good helper and that leads the way to figuring out his ?s.
The book takes place in the countryside near the forested mountains and in the mountains. The story sets a stage that young readers enjoy.
Not everyone would understand this book. The little kids would just like to hear about the adventure but older children could get the true meaning from it. It is mainly for kids ages 6-9 and if you just want to entertain a toddler, ages 3-5.
It's a great book that anyone can enjoy.
The Three Wishes By: Jonh J. Muth.......2007-05-23
The three questions What is the right thing to do? Who is the most important one? And when is the best time to do things? are very tricky questions to answer. These three little questions have a different anwser every time. A young boy tries to find the answers with the help of an old turlte and his animal friends the heron, the monkey, and the dog. The young boy finds the anwsers by helping a mother panda bear and her cub. Now i wont tell you what the answers are, so you will have to read it on your own.
The young boy in this story is very intelligent and very helpful. The author John J. Muth uses excellent words that actully make you think on what is happening. He doent go out and say what the problem is. He also expresses a really good lesson on life. I think that this is a great book for the ages 6-12. Me, being 13, dont read many short stories anymore. But i loved this book. I believe that you will love it too if you get it now!
Good for all ages.......2007-05-15
This book is amazing. Just like Zen Shorts, it teaches children the fundamental principles of a happy life through zen. My seven year old daughter has taken both books to heart, and asks me to buy them to give to others for birthday presents. I have also given both books to adult friends and family (particularly Zen Shorts) because the lessons learned benefit all ages. I wish Jon Muth had one hundred books like this. I would buy every one of them. (And the illustrations are beautiful too.)
Great gift book.......2007-04-26
Was given to my 2yr old; what a great thinking book. Just adding my two cents to everyone below. You can't go wrong with this book; ages 2 to whatever. Highly recommened for a girl or boy. :)
Book Description
Rick Warren takes you to the Bible for answers to twelve of life’s toughest questions. Drawing from the examples of different biblical characters who faced the same issues, Warren offers concise, practical insights you can understand and apply in order to move past hardships and experience a life of purpose and significance.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-09-29
If you are struggling with stress, failure, depression, an overwhelming crisis, this is a great book. The great thing about this book is that it gives real steps that you can do right now to help your situation and the way you think. It is written from a Christian perspective and offers Bible references and stories that offer hope and strength in difficult times. I loved the story of Elijah. I had read I Kings 19 before, but never thought about it the way he explains. It is short and to the point, not a lot of fluff, just sincere help when you need it most.
Outstanding Book.......2007-09-09
Many of the chapters have titles that don't fit to ever person. But in this book, I found that even though they may not fit to my life it always provided me with just what I needed to hear. I highly recommend this book by Rick Warren
A Great Resource.......2007-05-28
This little book is one I'll read again and again. I keep thinking of people I want to have it, so I'll probably buy some as gifts.
The Answers.......2007-04-10
Rick Warren writes in a straight-forward manner, referring to scripture that applies to common problems many of us face in life. He uses everyday language to explain what the Bible says. He gives an uplifting approach to defeating depression, stress, discouragement, loneliness, and other types of life crises.
Good disucssion on the questions everybody ask.......2007-01-23
This book discusses each question with a story from Bible. The length and explanation of each chapter is simple and good enough for most readers. The most important is that the author can help you find the answer from Bible or the reason God allows those questions happen. Like "The Purpose Driven Life", he uses the same way to help reader to understand God's purpose. However, someone may find the discussion on each question not details enough. The author may write another edition with deeper discussion and his own experience on those questions.
Average customer rating:
- Not Appropriate
- classroom ice breaker
- Great conversation kick-starters!
- perspectives through kids answers
- Much more appropriate for class than its predecessor
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The Kids' Book of Questions: Revised for the New Century
Gregory Stock
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ASIN: 0761135952 |
Book Description
Now more than ever, parents are told how important it is to talk meaningfully to their kids. This is the book that makes it happen. A revised and expanded second edition, The Kids' Book of Questions, with 634,000 copies in print, makes it easy to ask hard questions and fun to answer them. Questions to challenge, questions to provoke. Questions to entertain and expand young minds. Questions about right or wrong, about fears and hopes, ethics, religious beliefs, about why parents act the way they do--even about ruling the world.
Updated to include questions on subjects that have arisen since the book's original publication in 1988--from the internet to issues like school violence and terrorism--the book is a sure way to prod young people into discovering who they really are and what they really believe. There are inquiries into values: "If you knew you wouldn't get caught, would you cheat on a test by copying someone else's answers?" Intriguing fantasies: "If you could email any famous person and know they'd read and answer your note, who would you write to and what would you say?" Philosophical queries: "Have you had any personal experiences that lead you to believe in God?" Provocative scenarios: "After being given a truth pill, what would you say if you were asked to describe your family?"
Kids, and parents, will be amazed to find how far one little question will lead.
Customer Reviews:
Not Appropriate .......2007-05-16
Although intriguing, many of the questions in the book are not appropriate for classroom use.
classroom ice breaker.......2007-02-19
I use this book in my classroom with juniors and seniors each semester. I teach a career awareness class and we discuss various topics focused around life in general. My students go around the room and choose a number, I then read that question....some are not appropriate, I have put an "X" over that question and have written another in its place. It was only a few and made for a great ice breaker to get students talking about priorities.
Great conversation kick-starters!.......2005-08-18
My kids and I spend Sunday mornings taking hikes and having long discussions about life, religion, school, etc. We take this book along on our hikes as our springboard for discussion. I read the questions out loud and let the kids answer them, and sometimes add on my own opinions when they're done. It gives me a chance to chime in about what I think is important and it keeps us talking. I think these conversations also help build empathy, understanding, and listening skills, as well as helping us to all remember to think before we speak. Some of the questions are lighthearted and some are more serious, and none so far have proven to be offensive to my family's ethics. My kids enjoy the questions, especially my nine-year-old son, and look forward to our hikes & talks all week long. I'm thrilled to get glimpses into my kids' heads on topics that are well worth discussing but might not otherwise come up in conversation.
perspectives through kids answers.......2003-08-24
I've used this book with my own kids, and I've used it in my classroom. It was enjoyed by so many students that I hate to say it, but one student walked off with it at the end of the year. I work in a school where a lot of the kids are at risk, and this book was wonderful as a tool to help them examin their attitudes, their fears, and their feelings about things. It takes a little time to look through and evaluate what would be good for your classroom. That's a subjective thing anyway, and you have to know your students, but over all, I find this book to be worthwhile and fun at the same time.
Much more appropriate for class than its predecessor.......2002-05-22
I use this in my public speaking class to start discussion groups.
It's pretty good, and far more appropriate for my students than "The Book of Questions." Some questions are ba bit elementary for my high schoolers, but that's okay.
Book Description
The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22
After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.
I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."
The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.
"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.
As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."
I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.
This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.
True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09
Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.
All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.
And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15
This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.
Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10
This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.
While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.
If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13
I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.
I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:
From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"
Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.
If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."
And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.
One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.
Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.
From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."
And later in the same chapter:
"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."
For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."
Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.
The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.
Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.
This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:
· World oil supplies are running out.
· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.
· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.
· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.
· Time is running out..."
Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.
Now that's a meme worth feeding.
Book Description
Value priced!
How should a parent respond to such issues as premarital sex and AIDS? America's foremost family counselor does not shy away from the tough issues parents face. In this authoritative release, Dr. James Dobson compiles today's most demanding questions into a beneficial reference guide for families. Solid Answers looks at child training, discipline, sex education, and much more. A topical index draws the reader to dependable and biblically sound answers. Based on his best-selling Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions, this up-to-date book offers guidance through our turbulent times to guide families safely in our new century.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful resource for all kinds of relationships.......1999-08-25
The strength of this book is its clear, concise treatment of all aspects of family relationships. It is inspirational at the same time it impresses that everyone has responsibilities and commitments. It helps men and women understand one another better, and how to relate with and raise their children. Even very tough problems are dealt with honestly and openly - and in a way that helps the reader solve them.
straight forward help that parents can find easily.......1999-06-27
Dr. Dobson always tells it to you straight. He doesn't pull any punches. The book is organized in such a way that you can look at the chapter headings and read only the area for which you have a concern or question. The answers are direct and clear. Too many parenting books are all about mind games and way too complicated. Dr. Dobson knows who his "boss" is and is trying to put those Biblical principles into a format to help parents. Best parenting resource I have - apart from the Bible itself.
Book Description
This illuminating examination of the Gospels reveals how the questions Jesus asks of his followers lead the way to a deeper understanding of the meaning of life and the mystery of God.
The Gospels are filled with stories, parables, miracles, commandments, and dramatic incidents that trace Jesus’ life and recount his teachings. A close reading of the Gospels reveals, however, that they are also filled with questions. As John Dear points out in this remarkable book, Jesus, like any great teacher and rabbi, “has a question for everyone he meets, for every occasion, for every experience, for every potential disciple.” Dear uses these questions as a starting point, an invitation to readers to discover the lessons they contain by searching their own hearts and minds for answers.
Throughout The Questions of Jesus, Dear interweaves insights from ethical and religious teachers ranging from Buddha to Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr. Using recent events as powerful and poignant examples, he shows why a renewed commitment to Jesus’ message of nonviolence, compassion, justice, and peace is essential to healing a world torn by violence and war.
Customer Reviews:
Challenging Christology.......2006-11-12
Readers should be aware that the Christology espoused by John Dear is profoundly out of synch with orthodox Catholic teaching. His depiction of Christ is essentially that of a secular messiah who, like Dear, urges followers to "disturb the peace with trouble-making nonviolence."
Politics are never far behind Dear's "questions of Jesus." Here is how he celebrated Christmas 2006 in the pages of the National Catholic Reporter:
"This week, tens of millions of Christians across the country will celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Right along with them, Bush and Cheney, and their legions of hawks and warriors, will attend church and make merry around the table. But the very next day they'll resume Herod's imperial project -- the ongoing massacre of the innocents. The U.S. wages war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia and elsewhere. It crushes the hungry and homeless, the imprisoned and the refugee, and maintains upon their feeble backs the world's ultimate terrorist threat -- a huge nuclear arsenal."
If challenging oneself with the spiritual message of Christ is the goal, I suggest readers start with the Vintage Spiritual Classics series, especially their version of St. Francis DeSales's "Introduction to the Devout Life," or even a simple life of Christ by either Frank Sheed or Fulton Sheen. All are available via Amazon.
PLEASE SEE THE EXTENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN AMAZON'S SEARCH INSIDE.......2006-10-17
and you will find every question Jesus asked, and some He even answered.
For like ourselves in every way, Our Lord Jesus Christ did all He could to avoid ansering any questions, including those designed to trip him up at his trial.
Let us ask Jesus with the rich young man: Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life? Let us ask in this time of unjust war: Who is my neighbor? And let us answer the questions Jesus asks of us: Who do you say that I am? (asked of Peter) Why do you look for me? (asked of Mary and Joseph in Jerusalem) and the similar Why have you come? (asked of Judas in the Garden, responded with a kiss)
The Reverend Father John Dear is a well-respected and authoritative member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) as well as past president of the Catholic Organization PAX CHRISTI as well as the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. He is a member of the great Jesuit community which includes the Reverend Father Daniel Berrigan, whose several commentaries on the Old Testament prophets make excellent fuel for contemplation of Catholic theology, especially his thick book on Job, and on Ezekial and especially the ever-necessary Jeremiah. In brief, the Father John Dear is a very orthodox and respected and admired Catholic writer on matters theological in the most important and relevant vein. Even under Ratzinger his views and writings have never been called on any carpet.
Father Dear was breakfasting with his parents the morning of 9/11/01. Upon the news of that morning his parents left town as he ran to the Red Cross to volunteer bravely, putting his beliefs and words and Faith into action, consoling the sick and afflicted selflessly and bravely. Father Dear at personal risk was placed in charge of 500 chaplains, and he personally comforted and prayed with and ministered to thousands of victims, their families and support emergency workers, firemen, etc. I sincerely believe the Reverend Father John Dear deserves our full respect as a man, and as a very Catholic theologian whom our Church cherishes and whom God loves. This being said let us return to our text at hand:
Early in the text, as you can see through amazon's generous Search Inside service, Father Dear declares his belief in the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This belief has always been a cornerstone of Catholicism. This belief denies the opposing idea that Jesus was a mere "secular Messiah" or political figureheadsuch as Judas sought, which Father Dear's strongly expressed and truly felt Catholic Faith denies on each page, as Dear declares his belief in the eternal and Divine Love and Peace, and resurrection, of Our Lord.
This present large volume comprehensively opens for us today the fullness of Jesus Christ's Gospel message of peace, compassion, self-sacrifice and resurrection. We find fully explored each question from His earliest ministry ("Who are my mother and brothers . . .?") to Calvary and beyond, and how we must now receive and answer in our own hearts these same questions in order to follow Jesus the Lord upon the path to peace and compassion in service to God and one another, especially the poor, the afflicted, the oppressed and those unarmed who suffer the present scourge of imperial war.
Hear these questions. Contemplate deeply these questions. Reflect with John Dear these same questions which were put to our Lord.
Once again as for a half century past at least we must thank God for speaking to us through the good work of Image Books, which always with intelligence and grace offers us so profound nourishment for prayer, spiritual growth, and service.
Please notice especially that great Catholic Martin Sheen's endorsement of this prayer book.
There is much to learn here. There is rich soil to grow with here.
You will love the Rev. Father Dear's clear and concise and courageous writing style and content. I strongly recommend you study further his several volumes, in particular his Jesus the Rebel, especially around the twentieth page, which has much to say regarding our complex Church today, some six years after he so propheticallly wrote it. See also in this Advent time his commentary on Mary, Prophet of Peace, etc.
Book Description
In Joy in Divine Wisdom Marva J. Dawn introduces readers to different and intriguing ways of discerning reality and making choices. She asks us to look outside ourselves, our own cultures, and our own brands of Christianity to new ways of listening for the voice of God in our lives. As an international speaker and teacher, she has encountered much wisdom both in Christian tradition and in the many places and people she has visited around the world. In showing us these refreshing new insights about discernment, she also gives us a deeper understanding of grace, community, honesty, humility, wholeness, forgiveness, trust, suffering, and faith.
Customer Reviews:
Joy in Divine Wisdom.......2007-06-23
JOY IN DIVINE WISDOM
Marva Dawn, Joy in Divine Wisdom: Practices of Discernment from Other Cultures and Christian Traditions (Wiley, 2006).
How is one supposed to make wise decisions in difficult situations? What is 'God's will' for my life?
Wise discernment is a very valuable tool for Christian living - or any kind of living for that matter. Problem is, in Western individualistic cultures we are often denied access to collective wisdom. This is the essence of Marva Dawn's most helpful book: she takes us to African, Asian, Latin American and some other 'traditional' cultures, suggesting that they have much to teach us in this important area.
Marva Dawn is an erudite person, familiar with grass-roots spiritualities and Christian mystics (but not, in this book, with Christian theologians - except for Bonhoeffer - which might be to her and our advantage on this topic). And she's prolific, with about 20 books published in the same number of years (one co-authored with Eugene Peterson). She tells many stories - some of the most moving about her own struggle with cancer and kidney disease. She's also traveled widely, thus testing her theories/ theologies in many settings.
She starts with grace: 'In humility our good choices are made possible by our gracious gift-giving God.' And two universal practices: listening to our dreams and 'waiting in silence'. Then she suggests we take words seriously: 'As Abraham Heschel notes, in our time words no longer commit their speakers to live them'. God's Word in Scripture is of paramount importance: with the Celts Marva Dawn urges us to place Scripture above reason and tradition, learn large parts of it by heart, and live according to its guidance.
She moves then to a core area of her thesis: if we are to live wisely we must 'rectify names', that is, 'call a spade a spade' in the context of a community's gathered wisdom - essential for discerning 'real realities'. Further, we must have a passion to 'live with purity of heart in accordance with our focal concerns'.
Next, let us prioritize virtues and morals such as sabbath- keeping, eschewing societal 'control' in terms of consumerism, living quietly to rest our 'chattering mind', the prayer of 'listening' - all classical 'spiritual disciplines'.
Her chapter on communal discernment is brilliant, especially her description of Mennonite practices. They have traditions of silent waiting, listening, writing down Spirit-guided thoughts, and sharing these with others - practices which are antithetical to the 'business meeting' methodologies of Western corporations and churches. Consensus is a preferred outcome to a 'majority vote' in this process.
In two chapters - on hospitality/welcoming and reconciliation - she underscores the kind of character out of which we make our best decisions. Then she faces the reality that we make our choices against the backdrop of a broken, sinful world: 'good and godly decisions are not easy; our very discernment processes might sometimes cause us suffering, even as they force us to ask whether we are willing to undergo more struggles because of the choices we might make.' So we need to belong to a community that is willing to enter into our suffering and to enfold us in its celebrations. Rainer Maria Rilke said it well:
O tell me, poet, what do you do? - I praise
But how can you endure to meet the gaze
Of deathly and of monstrous things? - I praise.
Because of our human limitations and ignorance, there are no 'surefire methods' but if we employ all these approaches/disciplines together we will be more likely to discern choices from God's perspective.
Rowland Croucher
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- NO MORE REASON TO WALK IN BLINDNESS !!!
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Man's Question, Gods Answer
Lu Ann Bransby
Manufacturer: Whitaker House
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 088368666X |
Book Description
Filled with discussions on more than 200 topics and issues that separate us from the perfect will of God, Man's Question, God's Answer is not just a book for counsellors. It is also a vital and powerful tool for personal evangelism. LuAnn Bransby has designed this book to reveal the consequences of sin as well as the blessings of God to those who overcome. Its easy-to-use format will help you take control over your life and circumstances, and help others who face similar problems and issues. If you are searching for the right answer to a difficult situation or sinful behavior, this is the book to read!
Customer Reviews:
NO MORE REASON TO WALK IN BLINDNESS !!!.......2002-10-04
I'M AN ADVENT READER AND LOVE KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING THE TRUTH THROUGH GOD'S WORD. THIS IS TRULY ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS AND I FEEL IT IS EDUCATIONAL, ENLIGHTNING AND AN EXCELLENT REFERENCE BOOK FOR ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS PEOPLE OFTEN WANT TO KNOW. ANYONE WHO SPOKE NEGATIVE OF THIS BOOK IS EITHER DEMON-POSSESSED, SPIRITUALLY FOOLISH, AND/OR TRULY WALKING IN DARKNESS AND REFUSE TO SEE HOW THE BIBLICAL SCRIPTURES AND CLARIFICATIONS CONCERNING EACH SUBJECT ARE MAKING A SPIRITUAL IMPACT. WHETHER YOU ARE A BIBLE SCHOLAR, A NEWLY SAVED CHRISTIAN, ARE UNSAVED, THIS BOOK CAN ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, AND WISDOM THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.
Godly Answers from a Godly Woman.......2002-07-23
If there was any doubt about Ms. Bransby's concern for discipling souls for Christ, this book truly dispels those doubts. The Lord is glorified & this book is truly helpful to those who really want to grow in Christ & overcome any "hangups or misconceptions". Jesus wants us to live holy as He lived holy. This book is a great help in explaining that.
This Book is Not God's Answer.......2002-07-20
I work for a Christian bookstore, and so I see the best and the worst literature that our faith has to offer. This book, to me, represents the worst.
It attempts to examine a wide range of topics from a biblical perspective. Issues as diverse as "Boredom" and "Bestiality" are covered. And passages from the Bible are offered in relation to these topics, but the connection between the two is tennuous at best. For example, in the sections on "Employers and Employees" the passages cited deal with the issue of Master and Slave relations. While there is some similarity (depending on whom one works for), one can't really view the two in the same light.
Many of the topics are also far too sensationalistic. Good Lord! Bestiality? How many average Christians even think about this issue? And if bestiality is something you're dealing with and you feel you need help, then NO book is going to do the trick. This is where an actual counselor is called for.
This book made me laugh, and it made me cringe. I laughed because it was so badly written, and very poorly laid out. The illustrations must have been taken from the worst clip-art book published in 1981. And I cringe because some may see this drivel as representative of what Jesus taught. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is one of the reasons that the store I work for will not stock this item.
Keep searching if you're serious.......2002-07-18
Although I agreed with a few things Lu Ann Bransby had to say in this topical counseling book, I found it rather hard to take much of it seriously. Many of the pictures that accompany the various topics are quite comical, and I don't think that is the intention of this book. Many of her statements in this book do not have a biblical basis, they are merely her own speculations. There were also a few topics (such as BOREDOM, for example) that she made out to be "sins" in some way or another. I found the book to be QUITE conservative and, as I mentioned, many of her speculations do not have biblical support. I would not recommend this to any serious counselor's out there looking for a good book to look to for references on certain subjects. The last thing you want to do to someone who is seeking God is to flood them with guilt, and that is the impression that I got from this book.
LIFE CHANGING.......2000-10-26
I would recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with sin in their lives; sometimes this struggling comes from lack of knowledge; not knowing what really is and is not (anything that we do that Christ would not do is Sin) a sin; And then as we sometimes have questions as to why are certain thing that we do from day to day are considered a sin. With this helpful one on one counseling material right in the privacy of your own home; you have the opportunity of studying and learning (What the Word of God says) about right and wrong living and then you to can be saved, delivered and set free from the bondages and enslavment to sin that comes from the devil himself. If anyone is interested at all about free from sin and wants to know what it takes to be free and enter into the Kingdom of God. Again, I highly recommend this book.It is backed up with scriptures from the Bible (I would recomment the King James Version) and even offers a Pray for repentance and Help.
Books:
- Rivers for Life: Managing Water For People And Nature
- Road Ecology: Science And Solutions
- Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
- Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
- Soil and Aquifer Pollution: Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids - Contamination and Reclamation
- Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition
- Texas Quails: Ecology and Management (Perspectives on South Texas, Sponsored by Texas A&m Universi)
- The Art of Landscape Detail: Fundamentals, Practices, and Case Studies
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X : As Told to Alex Haley
- The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth
Books Index
Books Home
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