Religion Books

Real life wisdom for living life in balance and with heart.
Rachel tells her stories openly, with compassion and great warmth.
I have given this book to friends and family and carry its lessons in my own life. A lovely read, not at all preachy. Each chapter is worth savoring.

The author shares some inspirational stories of the lessons her grandfather, a Rabbi taught her as a child that served as building blocks for the rest of her life, as a Dr. and then a counselor. Whether you read this from cover to cover, because it is delightful and insightful, or take it story at a time over a period of time, it is a wonderful book. There are important life lessons for us all. Some will make you laugh, others cry, and others to say, "Oh wow!"

This is one of the best inspirational books I've read in a long time. I love it so much I'm buying it for friends! It is so full of wisdom...rich, rich, rich.

I happened upon this book by chance, and it is quite possibly the best book I've ever read. If you are looking for a book to inspire you and give you a positive outlook on life, this is it. It is incredibly refreshing and easy to read. Rather than one long story, it is a bunch of short stories, which makes it great for reading a little bit at a time. It has really helped me remember what is important in life. After reading this book, I can't wait to read other books by this author.

What a wonderful thing it would be if we all had a grandfather like Rachel Naomi Remen had. Since we don't, the next best thing might be to learn the lessons and experience the blessings by having her share her stories about him with us. She does so in a beautiful, almost under stated way that is never intrusive and leaves us with a feeling of deep appreciation. These are very human and moving parable like stories that enrich our connection to each other in almost imperceptible ways. Although this is definitely not a how to book, the stories may effect how we live our lives. Thank you to Dr. Remen.

I'm just about done reading this book and have enjoyed it very much. The author doesn't go on any tangents, go off the subject or include any difficult theories to weed through. The author does mentioned several scientific experiments but they are necessary to back up his findings. He doesn't bash people who believe in spiritual things but he doesn't sway that way himself he just looks at what he discovered with a scientific eye. I prefer books that don't bash other people with an opposing view but prefer someone who is looking for the reason of things with an open mind. I still would recommend that if you are a Christian you will need an open mind to enjoy this book.

The author, Mr. Newberg, seems to jump back and forth at times, as if unclear what the final point is he is hoping to make. His book seems at times a new age spiritual reflection yet ends up a soft science. This disappointing read is a re-hash of other prominent and earlier books in the field. The author seems to have jumped on the band wagon of "cognition," yet adds nothing new to the study. The style of writing is chopping, and unfortunately, makes for a disappointing read.

Was struggling with faith. This book helped me sort things out. Very, very helpful.

Andrew Newberg, professor of Radiology and Psychiatry, has written (along with Mark Robert Waldman) a sequel to his book, Why God Won't Go Away. The new book has strengths and weaknesses, but, should be of some interest to those who have an interest in spiritual matters and human behavior. The book is primarily written to address the question of how the brain works so that we arrive at what we believe to be true. The authors write from a spiritual perspective, but take numerous jabs at Christians and Christianity throughout the book. In contrast, New Age and Far Eastern religions seem to receive little or no criticism (co-author, Mr. Waldman seems to be into New Age type spirituality), and are actually endorsed. Likewise, atheists may not be entirely comfortable with the content, since it clearly challenges their cherished belief that that have no beliefs.

Even with this viewpoint bias, the first two parts of the book ("How the brain makes our reality" and "Childhood development and morality") are nothing less than fascinating. The topics are broad, so a lot of details are not included (especially supporting studies), although doing so would have increased the length considerably. Even so, I would have preferred more details and citations and a little of the controversy, which must be present in such a complex field. One gets the distinct impression that the results are not quite as neat and tidy as presented, and one wonders if studies that do not support the authors' premises are omitted as a form of viewpoint bias or just to save space.

A particularly interesting chapter entitle, "Ordinary Criminals Like You and Me," presents numerous experiments (many of which would be considered unethical today) that demonstrate that the vast majority of individuals will do extremely immoral acts, given the right conditions. For example, if enough people (planted experimental confederates) go along with a lie, test subjects will do likewise. In another study, participants "electrocuted" a "student" who was a "poor learner." Studies simulating prison conditions showed that the "officers" (experimental subjects) routinely mistreated the "prisoners" (also experimental subjects). In other experiments, subjects would usually act in selfish ways, rather than take the moral high ground. Newberg suggests that barring interception by our frontal lobes of our brain, all our actions would be immoral and selfish.

The book's third section, spiritual beliefs and the brain, presents Newberg's latest (and earlier) functional brain scan results on religious people. Previously, Newberg had studied the brain activity of Buddhists practicing meditation and Franciscan nuns practicing "centering prayer," a Roman Catholic method of meditating deeply on a specific biblical passage or concept. These results had shown similar patterns of brain activity for those meditating on "becoming one with the universe" or "inner peace" (Buddhists) and those meditating on God or the Bible. Both groups showed increased activity in the frontal lobes (primarily the prefrontal cortex), which represents the "attention area" and decreased activity in the parietal lobes (the "orientation area"). Each group interpreted their experience on the basis of their beliefs (e.g., inner peace for the Buddhists or God's presence for the nuns). In this book, Newberg added a third group - Pentecostal Christians who "speak in tongues." When analyzed, the brain scans showed increased activity in the thalamus (as in Buddhists and nuns). Speaking in tongues also resulted in high activity in the temporal lobes (involved in making emotions) and in the midbrain (probably resulting from the activities of speech and dance). Like Buddhists and nuns, Pentecostals represent a small percentage of the American population (probably only about 1% of Americans claim to speak in tongues). Newberg presented one case (not exactly a scientific sampling) of a spiritual atheist. Like the Buddhists, he practiced meditation, and presented with a brain scan similar to the Buddhists and nuns (though the actual scans were not shown in the book).

Also noteworthy was the finding of asymmetric thalamic activity in the Buddhists, nuns, Pentecostals, and even the one "spiritual" atheist, which is not found in the vast majority of people. The question arises whether these people are born with this asymmetry, resulting in the ability to play these mind games or whether the continual practice of the games themselves lead to the asymmetry. None of Newberg's studies were able to address these questions. An even more fundamental question concerns the rest of us, who lack the asymmetry, but still have religious beliefs. Maybe none of these studies really tell us anything about the kind of religious belief that most of us exhibit, since all the groups chosen for study represent extremely small minorities.

In conclusion, the book is well-written and compelling, although the obvious biases of the writers will probably annoy most Christian readers. The topic is complex and experimental design is difficult at best. Future studies will likely shed more light on this subject.

In his latest book, author Andrew Newberg, MD (Why God Won't Go Away) explores the biological basis for belief and the nature of reality and truth. The book explores the powers of placebo, false memories, immorality in "moral" people, group think, speaking in tongues and 27 forms of biases.

This is a great study that we are doing with a group of college girls. The topics apply to all women- young or old, married or single. This study offers an opportunity to really evaluate where you are in your walk with Christ.

We are currently doing Seeking Him in 2 small groups at our church. The second session we had a hard time getting the session started due to everyone wanting to share how they were impacted by the Holy Spirit this week through this study. Bible Study can't get any better than that! My prayer is that God speaks mightily to you through this study and that are able to put these truths into action through the power of Jesus Christ.

If you are ready and willing to examine yourself and let God do the work in you that needs to be done, then this study is the study for you. You must be willing to be honest with yourself. God already knows, but you have to find it out and then be willing to change. After doing this study God began a work in me and brought me to such a higher place in Him. I did this study about 2 years ago and am still reaping the fruit of it. I praise Him for this book and highly recommend it.

This was is great shape! I just thought I was ordering a book...not a workbook. My mistake.

This is the most amazing study and will get you closer to God. We have been all sharing and getting closer together also. It is great for personal revival. I have had experience with Life Action Ministries in a real life revival and it changed my life. Do it! God Bless.

Everyone has been wronged and done done wrong to others. Appoligising is not being weak. It is admitting that we are human and make mistakes. This book helped me to show that I am truely sorry for what I have done. It showed me how to let the other person know that I am sincere. It also helped to truely forgive.

This book did not live up to my expectations after reading "The Five Love Languages". I would rate it a 6 on a scale of 10 positive. It used far too many illustrations to make the point and made reading it more a labor than a joy. It could have been published in fewer pages and carried greater impact because the points are valid.

We are teaching this book in our Young Married class and I think it is a wonderful book. Many in the class have said the knowledge in the book is invaluable. I can't recommend this book enough. All couples should read this book...

This book was revolutionary to me. If you are considering purchasing it, do so and read it! What a concept, that we need to apologize in a language that the person receiving the apology can hear it and accept it.

I've been waiting for(needing)this book for years and years. Being involved in relationships where apologies were rare, and from parents who never did, this book will change the way I approach my future relationships. This, paired with the Five Love Languages, is a must read. Too bad they don't teach this kind of stuff in High School. This pair of books would be a perfect graduation or wedding gift. Jim from Florida.

The book arrived in great time and is another classic of this famous and amazing author. It is all that was expected and I highly recommend it to anyone who is now, a C. S. Lewis fan or will be upon reading any of his works. Thanks gain to Amazon for another honest and quick transaction. Gary Krei

The Essay "The Inner Ring" moved my youngest daughter from the margins of middle school to its social center. Six years ago when she was in the sixth grade, we talked several times about a group of three girls that were the most popular in her school. Because she was so curious about the subject, I read her "The Inner Ring." She loved it. She asked many good questions, related the essay to her situation, and to her friends. By the middle of her seventh grade year, the group had expanded to six and because four of the six members of the group had siblings in the high school, the "six pack" was the subject of high school gossip in addition to being the coolest clique in the middle school. My wife believes that in reading "The Inner Ring" to mathematically minded Lisa, I gave her the rules she needed to become a permanent member of a group who all were starters on at least one sports team and continued to be close friends in high school.

I agree that this collection is often overlooked when considering the best works of CS Lewis. Among the essays, my personal favorites are Weight of Glory and Transposition. I highly recommend this book.

This book is actually a collection of essays. Lewis addresses various things such as, the glory of man as being a reflection of the glory of God, why he is not a pacifist (where he gives some pretty strong moral, biblical, and sensible arguments), speaking in tongues and various spiritual gifts (moreso on their implication, not on the technicality of each or what exactly each gift is), what he calls "is theology poetry" (or in other words, do we believe in theology just because the idea of a cosmic drama appeals to us), the affects of peer pressure and the gradual degradation of one's inner principles and also its positive affects when one surrounds him/herself with Christians, and forgiveness.

Overall a very enlightening read, in which many issues that are not commonly talked about are given attention. Not very long either, but packed full of insight.

There is a jacket blurb on The Weight of Glory from John Updike, who comments on both the comfort and pleasure afforded by Lewis. Neither should be underestimated. This is great devotional writing but it is also great writing, writing that is typified by Lewis' ability to deal with the weightiest of matters with a light touch.

It is a truism that our faith is reinforced whenever we see it embraced by great minds. Samuel Johnson believed that and it is interesting that Lewis often turns to Johnson for such reinforcement, as we turn to Lewis--one of the indisputably great intellectuals of the twentieth century. Part of that greatness comes from the stark clarity with which Lewis sees important matters. That makes his work accessible; it does not make it simplistic.

All of the lay sermons in this volume are trenchant, though 'The Weight of Glory' and 'Learning in War-Time' are exceptional. I especially like 'Is Theology Poetry?' and 'Membership' and find 'Why I Am Not a Pacifist' of particular interest and importance these days.

This is a book to be read, embraced, and shared.

This guide provides nothing more than the history instead of a guide on Karma Sutra. Wish I could sue the author for such lies!

Nothing can't really beat the Kama Sutra for information about sex and relationships. The ancient text is suprisingly informative and helpful, even in our modern age. A lovely book with nice illustrations that everyone should have in their library. That is the "something old." If you are looking for "something new" to add to your library along with the Kama Sutra, try The Sensuous Couple's (Flip Over) Guide to Seismic Oral Sex. This text is a flip over book that gives you everything you need to know about cunnilingus on one side, then flip it over you can learn everything you need to know about fellatio. If you want to make your library totally complete, add Five Minutes to Orgasm Every Time You Make Love: Female Orgasm Made Simple to the mix. You won't ever have to buy any more books. Your library is complete.

Historically very interesting and informative.
Drawings are quaint.It does give a better insight into the subject of human sexuality.

This book gives you not only the original text of the 14th century Kama Sutra, like some other books also do, but it also gives you beautifully photos from very old and newer drawings, medals, pottery and many other art forms. The photos relate to the topic dealt with at that partical episode.
A book you should place for ever in your library, not only the hardcore sex-fanatic, but also every person interested in literature and in the origin of our Western culture.

This is the exact form of the Kama Sutra that I have been looking for. It is illustrated with original Indian artwork. It is an abridged version of the Kama Sutra text but it has the sections that most individuals are most often interested in, the ones on sex. It is not a book that is all about sex but has a large part about relationships and gives some good insight into the Indian culture.

Beth Moore is so very insightful with her Biblical studies. She takes you to heights of understanding that she has obviously gleaned from hours and hours of study! You can't go wrong with Beth. I purchased this book as a study-guide to her DVD.
God blessed you Beth!

Thank you for a quick & smooth transaction. Nice to do business with. I recommend this seller. I am enjoying this book very much.

This book goes with a DVD set - but it has been updated significantly. It is very disappointing that Amazon are still selling the old version of the book

Beth Moore's updated Bible study, "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place," is a mixture of the material she published 10 years ago and the lessons she's learned since. The exercises are slightly changed - not all for the better. Typos and poor editing make me long for the first member book.

However, as a complete package, the updated video teaching is typical Beth - energetic, thought-provoking, and full of wisdom and humor. You absolutely cannot complete this study and NOT be changed!

I've done half a dozen of Moore's studies and I find them excellent -- except this one. I was really disappointed. Maybe she hadn't refined her style this early in her career, I don't know. One thing that bothered me was the amount of Scripture we needed to look up. It began to feel like school; it got really tedious. It got to the point where it felt condescending to do all the matching and T/F. I think she could have put some of the verses in the margins and had us follow along with the main chunk of Scripture in our Bibles. The second thing was that I didn't really feel any cohesion. She goes through the making of the tabernacle and draws illustrations to our lives, but, in doing so, she seemed to be all over the place. With her other studies, she would go through the Scripture in an orderly manner (occasionally including references to other verses) and draw out meaning directly from what we were studying. Not so with this study. She goes through the building of the tabernacle and draws meaning from other places, and sometimes it's a stretch.

I will continue to do Moore's studies because I believe she is a gifted teacher and discipler. This is just one study out of many that I had a hard time getting through.

Totally hysterical. I love it.
I'd marry Lewis Black if I could meet him.
I'd live an extra 20 years just from the benefits of his humor.

Lewis Black has a self described "potty mouth" and he uses it in this audio book. I'm not offended by the religious humor - that is what I expected but I think I would have enjoyed the reading more if someone else had performed it or if he had skipped the worst of the profanity. I've not heard anything by him before so I didn't know what to expect except when I'd seen on Larry King. I must say that I laughed a lot at his description of many TV Evangelists! And he did have one religion he liked - you have to listen to find out which one.

Me of Little Faith
I was disapointed. Louis Black is alot more funny in person than in writing. He should stick to what he knows best
pete jeffer

This just wasn't a very good book. I hope that whoever ghost wrote it didn't get paid very much. Mr. Black can be a stunningly funny comic and the material was just begging to be nailed but this attempt was sadly off. It was neither irreverent enough to be funny nor well thought out enough to be interesting. It really felt like a series of twenty second bits that he tried out in the shower over successive days and found to be too lame for his show. There were a few guffaws but for the most part i had to fight my way through the drivel to gratefully reach the end and realize that i had just invested 90 minutes of my life in what Mr. Black would call a pile of f*%&*in crap...on plain dry toast.

Lewis Black ,his intelligence and humor make a serious subject laughable. If you've seen him on TV or in concert, you can see him speaking his "wisdom" and making his frustrating faces. A winner!!