Religion Books

These are very beautiful prayers, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I'm sorry that I was not able to access the Table of Contents or at least some pertinet information that would have told me about the contents.
Celine

This book is a gem for those who seek to develop their spirituality. Seven pauses during the day is not always possible, but, when the pause is taken and the prayers, etc. are used, it has a very beneficial effect. The poetry written by Macrina is breathtaking.

I have long been a fan of Macrina which is why I purchased this book. What I got was more than I could have imagined. Her book brings us back and shows us the wisdom , many of us have forgotten , of taking the time to stop. To take a few minutes seven times a day so that we can really live our lives to the fullest. In this crazy busy world what could be important than to get in tune with the natural pauses of day and clear our minds of the clutter that keeps us from realizing the life we were meant to live.

This is a gem of a prayer, and contmplative book. Like the monks' practice of the Daily, this gives all of us a guide and text to use in dividing and divining our day into 7 parts set aside to rememeber God and who and what we are -- or ought to be as Christians. If you ever envied the Moslems' daily call to prayer, here is your Chrisitan alternitive.

Seven Sacred Pauses is a wonderful spiritual tool to help us remember the sacredness in each hour of the day. Macrina Wiederkehr has lived the monastic rhythm of the days and is able to give lay people the opportunity to recognize and honor the Divine all around us. I really find her meditations very helpful and can easily adapt them to the seasons of my life. I have given it as gifts and use it various groups from my prayer shawl ministry to EFM class. Velma Frye's accompanying CD is a terrific addition and the songs/chants serve as a shorthand to remembering the meditations.

Beautifully written, great for Shabbat reading. I read a section of the book every Shabbat to remind myself just what it's about.

Heschel wrote this book for us all. His metaphorical descriptions of the Holy Day are vivid and tangible. This book is more entry level than others he has written. Though most of his philosophy is comprehensible, in this book he allowed his readers to relish the simple harmony of the weekly convocation. A wonderful read. I have given away several copies to friends.

Abraham Heschel is one of the most respected Jewish scholars of the 20th century and of an orthodox view friendly to Christian belief. He was an active participant in the Civil Rights movement and wrote a seminal study called The Prophets and a number of works of reflective and broad scholarship.

In this slender and reknowned volume, Heschel sets forth an explanation of the Sabbath tradition among the Jews. In my faulty way I would like to recall here to mind some of the things that I have learned, the questions that it raised and the contingent reflections I have had in relation to it.

One thing that stands out is the cogency of Heschel's explanation of the Sabbath as a spiritually fitting rhythm of life. He speaks of the rest, the menuha, of the Sabbath not in the negative sense of merely ceasing labor.

"Menuha which we usually render with `rest' means here much more than withdrawal from labor and exertion, more than freedom from toil and strain or activity of any kind. Menuha is not a negative concept but something real and intrinsically positive." p.. 22-23

Like Aristotle and other ancient Greeks' conception of leisure, the conception of the Sabbath rest is positive in nature, and is viewed as the purpose and culmination of labor. Work in the mundane realities is to culminate in rest and contemplation from which we may cease from the hustle and bustle and attend in quietness and rest to the Lord. As it is says in Isaiah, "In quietness and rest is your strength..."

It seems to me that perhaps a great enduring strength in the religious culture of the Jewish people lies centrally in the keeping of the Sabbath. In so doing, they fulfill that of which the verse I quoted above speaks. I counterpoise this in my mind with the ambition to control and conquer space in Descartes' schematic. This brings me to a major point of the book. Heschel finds a distinction between the Jewish religion and other religions in that in others' religions, grand temples and cathedrals are built as sacred space, but that in the Jewish religion a cathedral in time is built to God, the cathedral of the Sabbath. He notes the distinction between this and for instance Spinoza's propensity for supposing the geometrico sufficient for explanation of all, an extension of Descartes, and in some sense the paradigm of the modern, and especially of science.

"The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments", Heschel writes. This reminds me of the experiences related of Jacob in the Bible. There is one in particular, perhaps a more obscure one, but one which struck me by its nature as conveying indeed a real historical experience, a sacred moment, which moved Jacob to purify his household. Judaism, and Christianity after it, are distinct in being irreducibly historical in their accounts which are punctuated by pivotal sacred moments, and which also imply sacred moments in the life of every believer. If these sacred moments in the Bible are mythologized in their entirety, as for instance, it seems to me, the philosopher Eric Voegelin does, then they are completely devalued. They are no longer the Faith.

Part of the cogency of Sabbath-keeping seems to me to lie in the nature of the self and our relation to God. We live a fractured and distracted existence. The fractured paintings of Picasso for instance seem to capture some of the fractured-ness of self in the modern world. Resting and ceasing allows us to remember what it is all for, to renew our bearing and orientation to the ultimate and in so doing helps to fulfill the ultimate of our being or existence. The shalom, the peaceful fullness of living, is attained only in this beholding relationship. But it is not all about self and certainly not about "self-help". I think of the over-extendedness of Descartes who made the leap to supposing mathematics valid for all realms of human inquiry, and the motivated definition of the self that is inherited markedly from him which leaves no place of honor and recognition to the infinite and the to the I and Thou. Contrast this with the Sabbath which recognizes a limitedness to man, but not merely a limitedness but a purpose and a directedness of man's aspirations, which establishes an end to man's grasping control and allows for a beholding and a composition of the self to the whole.

This reminds me of Martin Buber in that the Sabbath is such that it is to help us to rise beyond the I-and-It to the wholeness of our being in the I and Thou. When this is learnt through living wisely, then even in the "chrysalis state of the It," the I and Thou is still intact. In the same way the Sabbath principle of orientating toward the eternity in our hearts, when kept wisely, becomes something that persists through the days of labor.

It seems to me too that the Sabbath is very much related to the Jewish tradition of universality in the doctrine of the Imago Dei which became in modern times the basis of human rights thought. The humaneness seems to me related to the anthropology/ view of the self and of relation to God and man manifested in the practice. Through the quietness and rest and contemplation, the human soul is equipped to help others, the helpless, the homeless, the outcast and the needy. There needs to be sought and grown a wholeness out of which kindness and ministry is deepened.

An image that I found particularly poignant was in a rabbinic tale that Heschel related and drew morales from. Honestly, the tale was largely outlandish and comic-bookish to my ears, but at the end there was the beautiful story of an old man who ran by holding bundles of myrtles to honor the Sabbath. Myrtles are fragrant flowers that are ubiquitous in the traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies. The old man running at twilight to welcome the Sabbath represented Israel. The Sabbath is seen as a bride based on the injunction in the Old Testament to keep the Sabbath, which uses a word which has the association of a wedding in it:

"When the people of Israel stood before the mountain of Sinai, the Lord said to them: `Remember that I said to the Sabbath: The Community of Israel is your mate.' Hence: "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it" (Exodus 20:8 ) The Hebrew word le-kadesh, to sanctify, means in the language of the Talmud, to consecrate a woman, to betroth. Thus the meaning of the word on Sinai was to impress upon Israel the fact that their destiny is to be the groom of the sacred day, the commandment to espouse the seventh day." Pp. 51-52.

The image strikes me as beautiful and conveys the positive nature of the Sabbath in the Jewish thought and imagination. Traditionally averse to personification, in this case they personify the Sabbath as a bride. Heschel elaborates on this wonderfully.

In closing, although I still have questions about the relation of Christianity to the Sabbath and the keeping of special days, I am convinced of the cogency of the principle (and of the value of exploring the relation further), so that it is incumbent upon me to give careful thought about how I might order my life in such a way that conforms to this knowledge wholly, and that I might encourage the community of Christ to do likewise, not legalistically but in order to live.

I have beleived in and practiced the seventh day of rest [Sabbath] for nearly 18 years. I have no choice but to agree with the thesis of this book and that is God has gifted us with the Seventh Day Sabbath (day of rest). Even though some sectors of the church have argued the Sabbath was moved to the first day there is no Biblical evidence to strongly support it [worship the first day is another thing--but rest is clearly the seventh day] in fact, the seventh day rides throughout the Scripture from Genesis on. We even see Isaiah 66 at the conclusion speak of the new heavens and earth observing Sabbath and that is yet future. What makes this book even better is the rich insight and poetical writing style describing the benefits of the Sabbath rest being observed [e.g. Sabbath is a sanctuary etc.]. Intelligent, thoughtful reading, it's rich contents will take time to digest and think through. I believe this is the lifetime work of the Jewish author. But at 100 pages it is one of a kind and in a class of it's own [if you want a longer treatment check out History Of The Sabbath And The First Day Of The Week Showing The Bible Record Of The Sabbath. If you only have one book on the Sabbath (other than your Bible) this will keep you informed and thinking.

This is a thoughtfully written reflection on the meaning of the Sabbath that is appropriate for both Christians and Jews. The book is wonderful for spiritual reading and reflection. It adds depth and meaning to our worship and praise of God. Written by a deeply spiritual man the Sabbath is a great resouce for anyone who wants to deepen and expand their relationship with God.

This is a great book and reference guide covering the basic teachings of the Christian faith. There are 34 chapters addressing just about all of the basic doctrines of Christianity.

This would be a great book for someone who has been a Christian for a short time to read. By reading a chapter a week, someone could get up to speed on the doctrines of Christianity within nine months. It is a great reference book, too--I read this book years ago but still dip into it from time to time when I want to research a specific topic.

Grudem is a great theologian. He has such an incisive mind--there are many places where he uses "this Scripture doesn't mean A, it doesn't mean B, therefore it must mean C" type reasoning. Everything is so logical and well-thought-out. This material is also very solid, doctrinally.

I especially enjoyed reading his refutation of evolution and his in-depth coverage of the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Our churches would be in much better shape if everyone in them read this volume.

This book is a concise handbook of theology, condensed from a larger volume, though still broad in scope at 528 pages. As the title suggests, it is about Biblical doctrines, which adhere to, and emerge from the Scriptures, rather than speculative doctrines derived more from man's philosophical suppositions. The author's view is Reformed Theology, upholding and explaining the doctrinal claims of Martin Luther, and John Calvin, etc.; such as TULIP, among others.

This orthodoxy of Biblical interpretation is so refreshing today in light of the rampant liberal doctrines so popularly preached in the modern church. You WON'T find the partial depravity of man, decisional salvation, cheap grace, easy believism, or ineffectual atonement in this text.

Instead, you'll find a concise Biblical exposition on the most important doctrines of Scripture. One of my favorite explanations in this book is the order of salvation: Election, Call, Regeneration, Conversion, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, Perseverence, Death, Glorification. How satisfying to understand the transformational experience of the new birth. When you understand such things you can become a much more effective witness and give a correct Biblical answer for why you believe what you believe.

This author rightly divides the word. He begins in the right place. The assumptions, or foundational view from which we begin interpretation determines to a large extent the conclusions we draw. So that's why it's so important to get it right, hopefully sooner rather than later. And that's why I recommend the book.

This is definitely not a quick read, but a very in depth study. Enjoyed author's commentary and insite.

Wayne Grudem does an excellent job categorizing and explaining biblical doctrine. This book is a great study tool for the seminary student, pastors and church leaders, and for the layperson. 'Bible Doctrine' is an excellent compliment to Dr. Grudem's 'Systematic Theology.' This book should be in every Christian's library.

This book is extremely well researched and written. If you want to know about the Christian faith, the hows, whys, etc. this is the book for you.

If you are a student of Eschatology, then this is one you'll want to have for your library. Bill has done an excellent job in explaining what he feels is the proper sequence of End Time events, which centers on a verse from Psalms which has gotten very little attention in the past. A verse when in full counsel seems to support and set the stage for the well-trodden Ezekiel 38-39 (Gog and Magog) war. Psalms 83 prophecies, truly seems to be unfolding before our very eyes in the evening news, and this books does a brilliant job of showing the correlation between this End Time prophecies and the current circumstances evolving in the Middle East today! If you are wanting to get into a study of Eschatology and how it corresponds to todays events, this is one you won't want to miss! Also, Bill is very open to entertaining and answering thoughtful questions via his website for the book: www.isralestine.net. Another excellent and complete study on Eschatology is by PhD. Aronld Fruchtenbaum which is titled, "Foot Steps of the Messiah", and the Study guide/workbook which is a must for any truly serious Eschatology student! Enjoy!

I found this edition to be very helpful to me as an introduction to The Bhagavad Gita. I had to learn about the Gita quickly in preparation for helping with the Gita-inspired CD "Ocean of Consciousness" by Jeffrey Fisher...it is a dynamic, new age/bluesy work illustrating the story in music! What a gift to be introduced to the Gita and Mr. Easwaran's writing through my work!!!

This was a pretty pleasant read. For people who are studying yoga, this version makes a lot of sense. I skipped over the philosophical interpretations first then went back and reread them. I kind of want a version with the poetry all together first then a more in-depth discussion afterwards.

A great book with a strong translation. At first, I did not appreciate the introductions offered, however after reading the B. Gita, I have come to appreciate the introductions. Sometimes I read them after the section, so as to not gain a bias. The book itself is a wonderful story with a great message that everyone can benefit from. I intend to look for more versions of the B. Gita to expand my collection. I think it is important to read this book from a few different translators. So while I am happy with my first purchase of the B. Gita, it will not be my last, so I can not say if this is the best version out there.

This is the second book in Easwaran's series, Classics of Indian Spirituality, that I have read. This work is one of the most important spiritual writings ever created. Easwaran's translation is easily readable, and his introduction to the Bhagavad Gita is priceless. Easwaran had such a pleasant, inviting, and passionate way of describing the mystical experience of Self-realiztion that one is overly eager to delve into the work he is introducing in just a few pages.

Each chapter includes an introduction that is helpful. Notes on key verses are contained in the back as well as an extremely useful glossary of important terms.

I cannot aptly describe the beauty that is contained in these scriptures, so I will just highly recommend you purchase this book and experience the Gita for yourself. After being impressed by Easwaran's translations of the Dhammapada and this work, I read his book Meditation, and I'm now reading his translation of the Upanishads. I have found that this man was a true teacher of the spiritual path to Self-realization/enlightenment/God-realization (call it what you will). I recommend his works and his Eight-Point Program (found in the book, Meditation) as a genuine way for regular people with regular lives (jobs, families, bills, etc.) who have no intention of selling all their possessions and moving to the Himalayas to truly live a practical, spiritual life.

[...]

Eknath Easwaran has not understood the Gita. In fact, it is pretty evident that he had no interest in the Gita. He just wanted the use the Gita to preach his own bogus message. His explanations are so far off from the verses, that you'd wonder whether he considered himself to be smarter than God. Why else should he discard the teachings of God and put his own?

If you use some of the ideas Gary Chapman shares in his "Love as a Way of Life", you will improve the quality of life for yourself and everyone around you. This is self-improvement with the focus on treating other people better, a refreshing switch from many self-help programs.
Mr. Chapman uses short insightful stories about people he has helped as a marriage and family life counselor, to suggest to readers how they can easily apply techniques to improve themselves, and affect family, friends and strangers in an upbeat way.
He discusses seven virtues: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty and I imagine all of us can improve in some of these areas.
He gives fun little questionaires including "How patient am I?".
I turned to the chapter "Making love a way of life in the workplace", since I spend so many hours at work Monday through Friday, and I aim to make those hours pleasant, and even joyful at times. He has a lot of focus on marriages and family and tells some sweet stories about long successful marriages, which are great inspirations.
In the chapter on courtesy he offers advice like "Make requests, not demands" and "Once a failure has been confessed and forgiven, never bring it up again." These are good suggestions to keep in mind and to follow.
Everyone I know admits that they are impatient, for example. Forgiveness is another area that many of us can use help in achieving. Every reader will find helpful tips here, for some aspects of their life that can use rejuvenation.
Terra Hangen, author of Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your HolidayA Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holidays

This book is from the guy who wrote the 5 languages of love thing. He talked about the 5 ways we want to be loved: acts of service, gifts, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch. In this book he is doing a sort of "prequel" to the 5 languages. He said that in counseling people he found that the 5 languages was a great revelation, but it did not push people to want to act. They were, in fact, sometimes put off by the fact that they discovered their husband/wife's love language was acts of service. They still weren't going to DO any of that stuff. This book discusses the 7 traits of a loving person, habits we need to cultivate in order to become loving people. Its not enough to KNOW what love language someone desires, we must BE a loving person in order to put that knowledge into action.

The first premise is a relief for me: love is an action, not a feeling. An action can be put into practice, or practiced. Feelings are fleeting and ever changing. I've always heard that love is a decision, you decide to love and this book explains that statement very well.

The seven secrets are: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity and honesty. Its easy to read that list and think, "well, yeah" but Chapman gives such practical advice mixed with illustrations that you find yourself learning without meaning to.

This is the book that will give you the proper motivation to love others (Christ) and the tools to pull it off better than you are currently. It will give you the tools to being a better parent, co-worker, spouse, friend. Most of all, its a simple reminder that your job here on earth is to love.

Love as a Way of Life by Gary Chapman is a book that could literally change the world. Chapman, who is most famous for his The Five Love Languages, has years of experience couselling couples and uses this knowledge to help us improve our own relationships. He breaks down love into several categories: forgiveness, honesty, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, and patience. He explains why each aspect of love is essential in showing true love in every part of our lives. Not just our marriage, but in parenting, at work, and even in the people we meet every day at the grocery store. I am truly humbled by how little love I show to other people in my life, and I'm working to make serious changes. If everyone read this book and incorporated the changes into their lives, it would change the world from home to city to country and beyond. I can't recommend this book enough.

Love as a Way of Life is another incredible book on love and relationships. It focuses on the true joy of loving others and giving without expecting to receive.
Chapman defines the seven characteristics of a loving person, touching on many aspects of each. He outlines how to become less involved with ourselves and shift our focus to reaching out to others in kindness. We learn patience in all areas of our lives. Chapman explains that justice and love must work together in forgiveness. The chapter on courtesy shows what it means to be `friendly-minded' and helps us recognize the struggles of others. He demonstrates true humility and sacrificing for others. Generosity is portrayed as the giving of oneself in all aspects of life. Finally, he discusses honesty and expressing it in a loving manner.
Chapman begins these seven chapters with a checklist and ends with ways to apply it to your own life. The final section of the book shows how to apply these characteristics to specific areas and relationships in our life, including marriage, children and work.

Love as a Way of Life is similar to The Five Love Languages in that it encourages us to seek ways to enrich the lives of others, but it goes much deeper. You cannot know the Love Language of every person you meet, but you can learn to treat them with love. Chapman breaks these principals down to everyday living, from complex family dynamics to situations such as driving or shopping. Love as a Way of Life is relatable to all ages and walks of life, as the principals are universal.

Chapman makes you think about doing the small things that really do matter. The checklists are thought provoking - when you find a characteristic that is one of your weak spots, it really makes you pause. The author offers practical solutions, as he understands that we all possess weaknesses and strengths, which elevates this beyond just another "you can do it" book.

The storytelling aspect keeps readers engaged. It demonstrates that we are not alone in our struggles and gives us a sense of community. Chapman outlines potential problems and people who have encountered these challenges, and his solutions give you actual things to try.

The Apostle Paul comes to mind as someone who truly adopted love as a way of life. While we may not be able to follow his incredible example of loving sacrifice, through Love as a Way of Life, we can all strive to do a little better!

I hadn't heard of the author before today, but this book drew my attention immediately.
This book isn't just a collection of platitudes, it is packed with 'how to' written from more of an ethical-moral standpoint than 'religious' POV, IMHO.
this book has the potential to upstage the Bible in a world that's nearing terminal burn-out over 'religion' (at least 'Western Civilization').

Unless you're hopelessly cold-hearted or overcome by cynicism, this book will brighten your ability / abilities to cope & be a positive influence.

When I first heard of this book, I thought, "What a weird title." Surely this book was just another of the Christian mystic genre that I had no interest in. But when I got into it, what I found was a gut-wrenching challenge to crucify my pride.

John Bevere's Bait of Satan challenges us to guard our hearts from holding on to grudges, emotional wounds, bitterness, and offenses. No easy task, this challenge strikes at the heart of our commitment to "forgive as we are forgiven".

This topic is largely neglected in Christian writings and preaching, so (in my humble opinion) Bevere's work has earned its place as necessary reading in basic Christian living. It is well written, easy to read, but difficult to digest. It deserves to be read once a year. This is how spiritually challenging it is. It is one of those books you have to pray through while reading it. And don't forget your highlighter!

I ususally yawn when I hear people say, "Next to the Bible, you need to read this book." Yet after reading it, that is exactly how I feel about BAIT OF SATAN. Next to the Bible, its the most challenging and spiritually practical book I've studied. You won't be disappointed.

The Holy Spirit will move through them who begin reading this book in their spirit (the one we walk to according to the Word of God) and bring all who were in relationships of offense with the reader to reconcilliation with Jesus Christ - and will do it BEFORE the author does so at the end of the book. This author in relationship to The Author and Finisher of our Faith saves life.

I have read this book numerous of times and have also given copies to others. This is a book you must keep in your personal library. I have acutally reordered this book again and again. Thank you Mr. Bevere for sharing your gift with the world.

The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense
This Book is founded on scripture and the life experiences of the Author John Bevere. . A must Read for all Christians. I gave the Book to my Pastor for his Birthday and Now he has the entire Church reading it and he is Teaching the principles to the Church so we can go to the next level Spiritually.

this is a great book to read. i'm close to the end but i have learned so much from this book in itself. i have given it to friends to read as well and each have gotten a release from reading it! it is a must read and is benifical for any christian that is trying to understand a relationship with God better and what can hinder it

Twenty-five years ago Dr. M. Scott Peck (author of "The Road Less Traveled" series of books) threw down the gauntlet, challenging the psychological and scientific communities to subject human evil to the same rigorous study as other human behaviors. Only within the last very few years has anyone had sufficient courage to take up that challenge.

Ever been relentlessly lied to - or about - by someone? Ever been stunned to realize that someone in your life somehow behaves as though he's the center of the universe and everything and everyone else is somehow LESS? Ever come face to face with virulent narcissism? This book will help you understand. But beware: such knowledge comes at a cost. Gone forever will be any vestage of naivete.

This book is a must read for anyone experiencing grief or unsettling issues from any relationship whether it be professional, familial or other.
I had a boss from my previous corporate job at OfficeMax. This guy was hired as a Sales Manager after I had served two years. This man turned out to be the epitome of evil as characterised and described in this book. The guy exhibited all the ghastly personality traits of the definitive evil person described in Peck's book.

To recount the true essence of the personality; the man was pushy, bellicose, abusive and often belittling in the presence of coworkers. Unfortunately he was somehow able to elude scrutiny or corrective action due to a incompetent Personnel system misguided by indifference and poor management.

The reason why we need to make parallels of the evildoings described in this book is to draw our own personal experiences in order to understand the essence and manifestation of evil in our everyday lives. Peck also discusses the banality of evil in which ordinary and seemingly good people passively ignore the evil in front of them. Ultimately the true travesty of evil is allowing it to persist. Read this book, it will help you cope when faced with the adversity of evil people.

Psychiatrist, Dr. Scott Peck, defines human evil. After working with thousands of patients, Dr. Peck finds that there is a common thread between many of them; a life of lies along with complete & total self-absorption. To realize that there are people among us that are truly evil is unsettling, to say the least. However, the ability to recognize evil people is critical and crucial to human self-preservation. The reader must be careful, however, not to "diagnose" all liars and narcissistic people as evil. This is an eye-opening book, but "sheltered" readers may have trouble believing that their fellow humans can be capable of the evil that Dr. Peck identifies with such detail.

M. Scott Peck is a psychiatrist who's definitely a renegade among his peers because of his thesis behind People of the Lie. Peck argues that Evil is not only palpable, but also even something that can be scientifically measured, analyzed and even classified as a bona fide, legitimate illness alongside cancer, TB, etc.. So certain is he of Evil being an indisputable reality and an actual term for actual illness in men--not merely a concept as the moral-relativist crowd professes--that I will in fact designate "Evil" as a proper noun for the length of my review.

Most of Peck's observations will resoundingly strike a chord with many a reader because of the easy understandability of his explanation of Evil as it manifests among everyday, seemingly average people including you and I. In People of the Lie, peck unmistakably identifies certain, idiosyncratic behavioral traits which define a person as Evil. His arguments for what defines a person as Evil are very persuasive since he lays them out in a severely meticulous and well-reasoned manner, which includes much logical foundation.

The focal point of Peck's thesis (Evil is a measurable quantity in people) is based on the fact that Evil people are people who never, ever, ever accept blame for their own misdoing and simultaneously reject personal responsibility, making them remorseless. Just by that definition alone, Peck clicks with so many readers because so many readers, in turn, do know all too many people who precisely fit this incriminating classification!!!! This only gets worse because, Peck reasons, Evil people don't just stop there; they also hurt others in a manner of lashing out instead of facing their own shortcomings. As the last, main piece of this trio, Evil people are also harshly narcissistic, for the purposes of Peck's definition, insisting that everyone else submits to their will and their will alone in an ideology of utter selfishness. Again, this behavioral trait is so very, very easy to identify in far too many people today that it's just a loathsome sign of how conscienceless society's become.

Peck then somehow hijacks his own line of thinking by making a sharp, left turn by insisting that the aforementioned, Evil people are just clinically sick and need professional help. While this book is praiseworthy due to its incorporation of morals to understand the "science" of Evil, if you will, this is one of Peck's many, unpalatable conclusions which actually take his well-founded thesis and misdirect from it. Peck gravely veers off into the proverbial deep end of making an impossibly difficult assertion when he actually writes--presumably with a straight face!--that the best way to fight Evil is by loving it!!!! WTF?!?! Yes, you read that right and in fact should proceed to pick your jaw up off the floor now. This argument is one of Peck's most seriously faulty ones because it guiltily reads exactly like an ultra-idealistic, emotional liberals' methods for tackling anything: just love it! Whether you're an Al-Q*eda terrorist, or merely a ped*phile who preys on kids, or how about just a regular, old serial killer who hunts for fun...Peck's radically liberal "solution" is to just "love" the Evil out of you, bad boy!!!!

Inarguably, Peck's credibility suffers irreparable harm with this totally imperfect assertion because in reality--something liberals have a terminal problem with--it's unworkable and impractical. No amount of idealistic "love" will cure the Islamofascist who's hellbent on killing infidels; the ped*phile who relishes in misusing kids for his own perversions; or the serial killer who has a predilection to kill. Owing to the fact that Peck himself knows how disgustingly idiotic his own conclusion is, he even admits that the only way to fight Evil is essentially by being just as, if not more so, evil as it. In other words, fighting fire with fire, which is 100% true! However, then, rottenly, Peck's liberal idealism seizes hold of his delusional mind again, and he argues that it's better not to take this "risk" as one supposedly becomes the Evil he's fighting if he adopts its tactics to fight it. Good God...here, Peck sounds just like every other Democrat out there who opposes America's right to self-defense through Bush's War on Terror. You know, the widely discredited argument that the US should just be "nice" and change its foreign policy and maybe, just M-A-Y-B-E, the misunderstood terrorists (I mean, "freedom fighters) will leave the US alone.

Peck's thesis also endures harm with the examples of patients of his through the years whom he's diagnosed as Evil. The examples are, quite frankly, asinine bordering on the ludicrous. Judge for yourself: in one case, a fifteen-year-old called "Bobby" had an older brother who committed suicide by shooting himself with his shotgun. His parents--apparently not in merely a sadistic and tasteless joke--then seriously went and saved the suicide weapon and "regifted" it to the younger, remaining son, "Bobby," as a Christmas present! While this can be more reasonably termed "unsympathetic" or "cruel," Peck crosses the line by branding the parents as "Evil." Now, the parents argued that "regifting" was merely practical, and in a sense it is!

Another case involves another teen boy, "Roger," and his parents. "Roger's" dilemma was that he was underperforming in school and getting into trouble. As Peck investigated, he suspected the parents were really the culprits behind the son's outbursts--as Peck apparently finds from time to time--and the "Evil" ones. Peck based this unwarrantable denunciation on the fact that the parents rejected his suggestion to encourage one of "Roger's" only interests--helping disabled or underprivileged kids, or something--because "Roger" hadn't cleaned his room properly. At most, this is an overreaction by the parents and quite vindictive and possibly selfish, too, but for Peck to brand the parents as "Evil" over this is stretching even asininity. If these are who qualify as "Evil" people for Peck's purposes, then what in the hell does he call Islamofascists, child rapists, murderers, etc.?

Another example involves a couple, "Hartley and Sarah." Their relationship to each other was so twisted that it--among all of Peck's' examples--was really the only one that plausibly could be termed a case of human Evil. Their relationship involved a corrosive co-dependence, a symbiotic relationship. The man, "Hartley," was basically such a whipped, liberal girlie-man that he was the submissive one in the relationship while "Sarah" was the overbearing boss. This involved "Sarah" berating "Hartley" constantly to the point where he basically needed to "grow a pair" in the worst way, and it manifested itself through repeated suicide attempts on "Hartley's" part. The absolutely sick part was that "Sarah" would continually get help for "Hartley" merely so she could continue her purpose in life: have him exist as her whipping boy!!!!

One of the final cases involves a completely out-of-control and promiscuous young woman, "Billie." This girl was such a case of damaged goods that her mother actually ENCOURAGED her to sleep around with older men!!!! Further, the mother completely deteriorated the girl's remaining morals by shamelessly discussing with her her own infidelity to her husband, "Billie's" dad!!!! "Billie" was in her early 20s and despite having her own apartment, had a hard time sleeping there for the night; in fact, she'd go back to her parents' home to sleep. In fact, every time the daughter would insist it was time for her to leave, the mother would make excuses to keep her daughter at her home longer. Through therapy, Peck concluded that the mother was "Evil" for this action and also for encouraging her daughter to have trysts, as the net effect of her promiscuity would be to feel cheated by men and come running home to her mother. Now, this is manipulation by the mother and selfishness, but, again...real Evil?

Peck's already badly injured believability takes a further downturn when he impudently strays into the territory of, I kid you not, exorcisms!!!! Reading People of the Lie, I perceptively suspected that Peck was the oxymoron called a liberal Christian, and this comical chapter on exorcism confirmed it!!!! I take as my all-purpose guide to exorcism Malachi Martin's seminal Hostage to the Devil; conversely, the kind of foul BS Peck writes regarding exorcism is so asinine that it's factually wrong. For instance, he claims to have encountered two patients of his whom he believed to be genuinely possessed, yet their behavior and the ritual of exorcism they underwent completely violate what Hostage to the Devil describes in bona fide possession cases. Moreover, what he asininely conjectures in a theological context about God and Satan is pure fantasy/wishful thinking. In example, Peck theorizes--in keeping with his overall liberal motif of loving the heck out of Evil to cure it/beat it--that one way Satan could be decisively beaten is by reaching out to it and trying to "love" it. Seriously. He goes on that Satan--being a creature of absolute impurity--would then reject the offer of love and simply retreat, or something completely ludicrous like that.

Despite the overwhelmingly many trends-of-thought that make Peck guilty of some serious misjudgments, his absolute, most unpardonable chapter is the second-last one entitled: Mylai: an Examination of Group Evil. Shrewd readers will perceive that Peck's plot here is to arrogantly condemn the entire US military in Vietnam of massive, institutionalized Evil. This chapter is beyond the pale, anti-American, vicious and should earn Peck a complete boycott just for the audacity alone of dragging the institution of the US military through the mud as he does! This chapter was so difficult to get through because it's about 40 pages of Peck lobbying bitter broadsides at the US military and soldiers! Here's his censurable "reasoning": what occurred with the Mylai massacre wasn't merely the isolated incident sane Americans all know it to be, but, rather, was only one of many, other, undocumented massacres in Vietnam. Peck further exposes how liberal and anti-American he is by misusing the same old liberal accusations against the military: he alleges that the way the military is established with its specialized training among different soldiers means it's predisposed to breeding a culture of Evil. Peck alleges that soldiers are dehumanized in war zones to the point where the vast majority of them forget their training and/or conscience and are more likely to commit atrocities. Peck alleges that the US involvement in Vietnam was one of the WHOLE COUNTRY being in bed with the concept of Evil, and accuses the US of being the aggressor there! Doesn't this sound familiar to Democrat/lib thinking in this post-911 world, where libs charge the US with being the killer, the aggressor and the instigator of violence against the Arabs?!?! Of course it does! Predictably like the good, little, typical lib Peck is, he then insanely and idiotically offers retarded, liberal "solutions" to the "problem" of Evil caused by having a national military. Are you ready for what the hell he proposes? He proposes disbanding the whole US military and creating something like a Peace Corps which wouldn't fight wars, but just help out in trouble spots around the world. MY F***ING GOODNESS! When I read this, I basically blacked out from the understandable outrage. Again, also note how scarily close Peck's vile thinking is back when this was published (early 80s) to the Democrats/libs of current times.

The conclusion is that People of the Lie starts out with a very interesting and demonstrably true thesis: that Evil is real and exists and manifest in people. However, as I've incontrovertibly outlined by the use of nothing but hard facts and airtight examples from this book, Peck irreconcilably destroys his credibility with asinine examples, totally false, theological conjectures, and the worst of all: absolutely liberal, elitist scorn and hatred of the US military as an institution which breeds the very epitome of Evil itself. For that chapter alone, his book deserves a widespread boycott and nothing but condemnation because he's ruined any and all semblance of respectability.

After reading, enjoying, and becoming inspired by The Road Less Travelled I had to take Dr. Peck's writing seriously. People of the Lie was a wrenching departure from his first book, a "nice book", as he says. Even tho I am no longer a Christian and in spite of the Christian overtones of POTL, I found it to be not just fascinating but helpful. It is a thought-provoking book, to say the least, and even "over the top" in parts. Still, to this day, perhaps 15 years after reading it, I think about evil in terms of Dr. Peck's principles. Whenever I encounter chronic confusion and pervasive lies I begin to think about the possibility of an evil personality. There are people I have known whose influences and actions struck me as evil, but their destructiveness was not evident at the time, when they seemed completely normal in every way. And that's one of his main points: we tend to think of evil as "back then and over there", not in the mother of three next door or the church deacon across the street, but that's exactly where it can be. And so often that destruction is visited upon children, so that the results are only apparent after years of awfulness, of crushed and crippled spirits, of destroyed souls. And he cautions us: it's all too easy to hate the evil person, but all of us are capable of evil. I believe he's right. This book is indeed an excellent beginning of a more scientific examination of the nature of evil.

Deepak does it again......this time with a lot of humor.
Life is supposed to be fun and easy.....we just forgot and made it complicated. Curl up with this book for a few good belly laughs and learn how to bring more joy and ease into your life. Enjoy!

What do you get when you put Deepak Chopra and Mike Meyers in the same room? A book full of laughs, gags, and punch lines that's punctuated with meaning and direction. While the character story for the first part of the book is interesting, it is Mr. Chopra's ability to show you the path of joy and optimism in clear understandable language that really shines. It's so enjoyable I re-read that section three times! In good times or bad this is worth the time and effort to read and enjoy!

I picked up this book with high hopes. I generally like Chopra's work, although I am not a hard-core fan, and I love to laugh. I also believe humour is a key companion to spiritual growth - when you can laugh at yourself, you probably have hit on some self-truth. And Mike Myer's Foreword seemed to be heading in the right direction, quoting Lenny Bruce's equation for comedy as "laughter = pain + time", and noting that Chopra would call the 'plus time' detachment. Enlightenment and comedy share that in common.

Unfortunately Why is God Laughing? doesn't quite follow-through on its promise, although it has some nice moments. The main problem for me is that the book seems more like an outline, and a derivative one at that. It doesn't evoke any powerful emotions, because we don't have enough time with the main character, Mickey, to feel invested in him. The entire book feels rushed, more like a premise for hitting certain spiritual points, chapter by chapter. These points, or lessons, drive the book's progression more than the character's inner growth. This is often a problem when non-fiction writers cross over to fiction, but I thought Chopra had solved it after his last fiction effort, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment (recently released in paperback, and which I highly recommend.)

Chopra's epilogue is interesting, as he lays out his own ideas on how to embrace joy and optimism while living in a scary, fear-based culture. If the story doesn't grab you, you can always jump straight to the epilogue for a good Chopra fix. The bottom line is, the themes of this book are true to his usual message, and clearly presented - it just doesn't work as a novel. So you probably won't be deeply disappointed, but you won't be deeply moved either. If you don't want to risk it, just buy Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment instead.

For my full review, go to [...]

Product was received in great condition. Book is a very insightful, quick read for Deepak Chopra.

I consider myself a pretty enlightened person. This book helped me remember some fondamental points of life. Even though it wasn't rolling on the floor funny I did get a couple of chuckles from it. Some people are disillusioned in thinking this is meant to be enlightened standup comedy. The fact that a comedian can read this book and want to give a foreword to encourage others to read it is inspiring in itself. The story line keeps you interested and makes you re-examine your life and your stand on what you thought your life should be versus what others have told you it should be. Are you living your life for the experience itself or to appease the people around?