This book is an original, non-denominational approach to the concept of divinity. The basic underlying philosophy is that, since the existence of God cannot be proven, one can only hypothesize about his/her/its existence. Mystics claim to know God through direct experience. Their views are amply represented. In conclusion, a hypothesis of divinity is formulated, inspired by the mystical view of the omnipresence of the Divine.
In Cultural and Theological Reflections on the Japanese Quest for Divinity, John J. Keane offers an explanation of Japanese divinity (kami 神) using sociology, anthropology, linguistics, literature and history. He presents an overview of how the Japanese have sought to love and serve their kami - a quest that rivals the interest that the West gives to God. The principles of interreligious dialogue are applied to the meaning of kami and a plea is made for a dialogue that respectfully accepts differences between the cultures and the theologies of Eastern and Western thought. Important cultural themes are discussed as a part of this quest, such as the emperors of Japan and the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The work also challenges the understanding of kami as highlighted by Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Endo Shusaku.
"Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy" was written to provide an awakening to the abundant Mercy of God. It offers daily reflections and prayers to help deepen the day-to-day faith life of every Catholic so that you can understand the abundance of Mercy poured forth from the Heart of our Savior as it is revealed in the writings of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. "Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska" is soon to become a classic spiritual book that everyone is encouraged to read in their lifetime. However, many find this invitation intimidating, not just because of the width of her book, but because of the depth of its message on The Divine Mercy in each of Saint Faustina’s notebook entries. This book, "Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy," was written with the hope of guiding you through Saint Faustina’s Diary and her six notebooks of reflections. It can be used on its own to help you pause and reflect on the beauty of Jesus’ messages to her, or as a companion book, as you simultaneously read Saint Faustina’s Diary. "Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy" offers 365 daily teachings, reflections and prayers based upon the pages of Saint Faustina’s Diary. The structured way to use this daily reflection book is to do just that…reflect upon one page each day. However, some may feel called to skip around a bit, read a few reflections at a time, or return to a particular reflection through which God spoke to you. Therefore, though this book was written with the intent of providing one reflection for each day of the year, the best way to use it is any way you feel called and the way that benefits your relationship with God the most. The first paragraph for each day offers this author’s insights to the words and teachings of Saint Faustina. The section of her Diary used for the day’s teaching is marked so that the reader can also read her Diary first hand so as to see the primary source that the author of this book took inspiration from for that day’s reflection. Though the primary text of the Diary is never quoted, nor are the reflections of this book exact representations of the Diary, they do provide the foundational basis for the spiritual message shared in each reflection. The second paragraph for each day offers a short reflection put more as a question to the reader. It offers the same insight in a different format so as to enter more deeply into the message of the day. Finally, each daily reflection ends with a prayer focused upon the message and reflection for that day. The reader is encouraged to pray this prayer several times. Ideally, it is prayed first thing in the morning, again during the day, and again at night as an examination on how well the daily message was received. As you seek to survive the world we live in, allow these pages to be a font of Mercy for you from God. Allow God’s Divine Mercy to penetrate your heart so that you will know the abundance of His love and be more prepared to share that love with others.
"The main thing is to have God; to live in God; to have God live in usƒ‚‚]ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚] that is the blessed life." So declared the founder of the Social Gospel, and so forms the hearts of this inspirational collection of Rauschenbusch's thoughts and prayers about the spiritual life. Comprised of a scriptural passage, excerpted reading, and actual prayer written by Rauschenbusch himself, this volume of 180 daily reflections will encourage and exhort readers in spiritual growth and social action. Organized into three sections of 60 reflections each, the book focuses first on the inward journey of solitude, then the outward journey of service, and the common journey of solidarity.
An internationally recognized scholar and theologian shares a Jewish mysticism for our times Judaism, one of the world’s great spiritual traditions, is not addressed to Jews alone. In this masterful book, Arthur Green calls out to seekers of all sorts, offering a universal response to the eternal human questions of who we are, why we exist, where we are going, and how to live. Drawing on over half a century as a Jewish seeker and teacher, he shows us a Judaism that cultivates the life of the spirit, that inspires an inward journey leading precisely toward self-transcendence, to an awareness of the universal Self in whose presence we exist. As a neo-hasidic seeker, he is both devotional and boldly questioning in his understanding of God and tradition. Engaging with the mystical sources, he translates the insights of the Hasidic masters into a new religious language accessible to all those eager to build an inner life and a human society that treasures the divine spark in each person and throughout Creation.
What is God? What does it mean to believe in God? What happens to God after the death of God? This book examines “the death of God” from a philosophical standpoint. It focuses on monotheism, polytheism, and nature, and it discusses the renewed importance of spirituality—and the “spiritual but not religious”—in response to the death of God. In recent years, religious belief has been in decline, but secularism cannot satisfy our spiritual needs. We are now living in a “post-secular” age in which the relationship between philosophy, spirituality, and religion must be re-examined. As an exploratory essay, this book engages the reader at a profound level, and considers a variety of modern thinkers, including Nietzsche, Hegel, Freud, Levinas, Assmann, and Buber. It offers a sustained meditation on the origin of God, the death of God, and the future of “God” as a guiding ideal.
