5 comments about Buddha.

1. If a person wishes to understand a basic but thorough overview of Buddhism during it's development, this book is very good, in fact, excellent. With a 3 year background of studying Buddhist texts, I found this book to be a Go-To primer to recommend to folks who are interested in the Buddha and want to know more.
   HikerBOB



2. Karen Armstrong's BUDDHA is the first book I would give to someone who is "going forth" on a personal spiritual quest. My own Dear One gave me a copy of the book shortly after I'd begun my serious study of Tibetan Buddhism, and though I earnestly commenced reading, I found it tough going. Armstrong's historical perspective seemed vast, too much for me to absorb and make meaningful sense of.
   
   But a year later, something happened that proved to me all over again my belief that it's magic when a book finds you, when your spirit is aligned with the author's intent. I picked up the book one morning, beginning where I'd left off on page 14, and could not put it down. It was all so clear to me! Rather than putting me off, Armstrong's historical perspective seemed like a gourmet feast to a hungry traveler. I delighted in contemplating the rise of Buddhism on the tableau of history that included the founding and significant principles of all of the world's great religions.
   
   Armstrong succeeds in humanizing a figure who lived and died 2,500 years ago. In the process, she vividly evokes the political intrigue, social and popular culture that formed Guatama Buddha and struggled to comprehend and adjust to his marvelous message of freedom and living for the benefit of others.
   
   One of the most fascinating aspects of Armstrong's narrative involves the revelation that The Buddha's world before him was so ego-driven, and that in many ways his message actually begins where our understanding of modern psychology ends! Indeed, what is new is old, sometimes so old we have forgotten it!
   
   Read this book to discover many more examples, and read it and talk about it to continue your individual spiritual journey. As a history, as a spiritual and psychological text, Armstrongs BUDDHA is magnificent!
   
   --Robert McDowell, The Poetry Mentor (www.robertmcdowell.net), is the author of POETRY AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (July 15th, 2008) from Free Press.



3. It's difficult to fit this subject into the usual "Penguin Lives" format. As Armstrong acknowledges, we really know hardly anything about his dates of birth and death, many of the places mentioned in the early Pali texts (she uses this form of transliteration which differs from traditional Western spellings of even the name of the Buddha let alone terms for his concepts) no longer can be found, and the scriptures tend towards supernatural contests as often as they do pithy exchanges between mortals with names, if not developed characterizations. The absence of the texture of daily life that we gain from more familiar Jewish, Christian, or Muslim texts makes the study of the formative years of Siddhama Gotana challenging even in simplified form in a couple of hundred pages for the general reader.
   
   However, as I'm that reader, wanting a introduction to a topic I know next to nothing about, Armstrong's succinct summary met my needs. On the other hand, parts of even this short text dragged-- the fourth chapther on "Mission" with its accounts of internecine warfare between chieftains and strife within the burgeoning communities of adepts who followed the "dhamma" failed to rouse much of my attention. The most moving section can be found in her paraphrasing of the end of the Buddha's life. She tells the story well: "the Buddha experienced an extinction that was, paradoxically, the supreme state of being and the final goal of humanity" (187); she shows how he struggled to overcome "the distorting aura egotism that clouds the judgment of most human beings" (187).
   
   Especially strong are the background chapters that place the birth of Buddhism within the yogi practices and Hindu caste system, and that compare the rise of the new "dhamma" within the contexts of the Axial Age's shift from unchanging, unquestioned roles for gods vs. humans into a restless, almost existential, despair that Siddhama himself experienced. Armstrong shows how and why he left his sleeping wife and child, and why this separation would have been seen as necessary.
   
   Similarly, she explains the persistent structure of gender roles and how the women were placed in a subordinate position even as followers; likewise, the laity had to assume an auxiliary status and could not attain the full potential that only the monks could aspire towards. While Armstrong compliments Buddha's teaching as the first that broke out of a tribal or specialized group to offer enlightenment to all, it remains inevitably disappointing that the everyday pursuits of making a living, raising families, and tending to one's necessities turn into barriers to fulfillment, then as now, for most of the religious and spiritual paths that have been developed with roots in the Axial Age of 800-200 BCE. This isn't a fault of such systems as Buddhism, and Armstrong does her best to place this approach to holiness within the confines of its feudal times, but it does keep the full realization of what the Buddha offered to the rest of humanity at a bit of distance from the mundane preoccupations that consume much of our efforts.
   
   The liberation and the freedom from such worldly concerns turns interior for much of this narrative, and it's difficult material to make vivid on the static page. Armstrong relies on both the primary texts and interpretations to try to enliven this journey within to those of us who stand outside of the process towards "Nibbana" and away from "samsara." A list of further reading might have aided us after we close this study.
   
   Armstrong's a skilled interpreter for popular readerships of monotheistic faiths from the Middle East. The strengths lie in how she compares and contrasts the traditions more familiar to Westerners with the more esoteric nature of a less theistically based, more subtle and ethically centered tradition in Buddhism. However, I also wondered if Armstrong found herself a bit out of her familiar expertise with this daunting subject. She's a well-placed interpreter, but I did keep aware that she, not speaking from within the tradition, might not have been able to master the nuances and lived experiences that could have clarified and revivified what remain rather unfamiliar concepts for most of her English-speaking readers.



4. By staying objective, and only telling us what can be known without making any outside assumptions, Karen Armstrong truly delves further into the life of this amazing man than anyone could have otherwise. There is not a single book on the subject of Buddhism that I find myself mentally referring to more often, simply because of her objective nature on the subject. Extremely well written and worth the read for instruction, an introduction on the philosophy or simply a history lesson.



5. This book is below the expectancies the reader might have from other works by Karen Armstrong. The relationship between Siddhattha Gotama's life and his Teachings is essentially the intermediate path (the eightfold noble path). The tradition says the noble path balances the luxurious life of Gotama's first twenty nine years against the following painful six years of ascetic life. You do not need half of the book to explain this. There is no biography of the Buddha for the next forty years (no sequence of events, no chronology), neither in this book, nor in the Pali Canon. Only his last three months are described in detail in the discourse of the last days of the Buddha. Karen Armstrong packs Buddha's message in the middle chapters (Dhamma and Mission) with a final result which is neither a biography, nor an essay. There are no references of the author's own experience with the application of Buddhist messages in her own life. I did enjoy Ms. Armstrong's narrative, which is excellent as the good writer she is, particularly in the Introduction section.
   Gustavo Estrada Hacia el Buda desde el occidente: Sus Ensenanzas sin mitos ni misterios

3 comments about Love & Death: My Journey through the Valley of the Shadow.

1. I'm not interested in books about religion but this is a work of great philosophy, successfully tackling the age old questions of Why are we here? What do we do? And What happens when we die. A wise and witty must read for the curious life traveler.



2. If you are a person who reads the obituaries then this book is for you! And not because you have a morbid fascination with death, but most likely as a result of your interest in life. How long did they live? What did they accomplish? How did it end? Was it too soon?
   
   This book is about living, or as Rev. Church says, "To live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for."
   
   Having Church as a spiritual guide is not unlike going on field trip with Mark Twain, with observations such as "A proportional relationship exists between the fear of death and the fear of life" seamlessly sharing space with his great-grandfather's three major food groups (tobacco, baked beans and whiskey). When people tell him proudly that they don't believe in God, he likes to ask them to tell him a little about the God they don't believe in, for he probably doesn't believe in him either. Church has a deft touch whether he's talking about Princess Diana, civilization versus anarchy, sad movies, or Plato.
   
   Longtime leading light in the world of Unitarian Universalism, Rev. Church has picked up his pen to tackle many subjects including the Founding Fathers, the Jefferson Bible, freedom from fear, and liberalism versus fundamentalism, but this journey of the mind, body and soul proves his best and most provocative. Though Church of course says it better: "Life is filled with danger. That's just the way it is. Finally, the Titanic always hits the iceberg. Hence this simple, if imprudent, bit of advice: Before it does, pick up the phone. Pick up the gauntlet. Do whatever it takes. Take a few chances. Dare to live before you die."
   
   And I might add, Dare to read this book!



3. Forrest Church's poignant observations on Love and Death have long been important to my understanding of what life, love, and death are all about. This book provides very meaningful clarity on the subject of love and death possibly because he wrote it within weeks after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is a must read for people who are interested in living a life worth dying for as Forrest has long encouraged.
   Tom Reece

5 comments about Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows.

1. This is an autobiography that tells of cultural differences, religious differences and really reveals personal and intimate stories of a man who is in the spotlight across the world. If you like good endings, good story-telling, and seeing pieces of a puzzle come together, this book is for you. But more than that, Ravi's story is really amazing!! He was quoted as saying that writing this book brought back a lot of hurt, and one can see why when you read this book. Even historians, I think will be interested in this, as he refers to the war between India and Pakistan, and again, cultural differences from east to west. I cannot recommend a book more highly!



2. I read this and was well pleased with this book. i even lent it to someone to read it because i was so blessed by it :)



3. Ravi Zacharias is quite well known for his in-depth philosophical preaching. East to West takes a candid look at the heart that shaped the man: his Christian development, his heartaches, self esteem issues rooted in family issues, and his growing up in India. A fascinating look behind the curtain of his life. Genuine, real and quite insightful.



4. Last week I picked up Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows by Ravi Zacharias and finished it over the weekend. I don't remember the last time I read a book so moving.
   
   Walking from East to West is an autobiography of sorts; in the preface Ravi describes it as a book of memoirs. As the title implies, Ravi begins his life in the East and later moves to the West. But what does the one have to do with the other? One of the most wonderful qualities of this book is Ravi's constant emphasis of the sovereignty of God. Ordinarily, no-one would think that a person who is trained in one part of the world is being divinely-prepared for another. Yet countless times throughout the book Ravi lists God as the great weaver of his destiny, pulling everything together into a beautiful tapestry for his glory.
   
   Ravi's stories are sometimes painful and other times joyful. But even the painful moments have been transformed by Christ for Ravi's good. The most painful event of Ravi's life was his suicide attempt in his teenage years. He felt like his life had no meaning or hope. Yet looking back through the lens of providence, Ravi confesses that it was on the hospital bed after his failed suicide attempt that God reached him through Scripture and changed his life. This is the book's power: It's not just in the good events that the glory of God is most clearly seen, but in both the good and the bad. Ravi's point is that while he was messing up his life, even to the point where he nearly destroyed himself, God was using all of that to set him on a path of meaning and purpose for His glory.
   
   After Ravi's conversion his family moved to the West, to Canada, and he along with them. It was there that God prepared Ravi for a life of ministry. Ravi began to preach all over the world, which did much to confirm and seal God's call on his life, but academically he trained at a Bible College in Canada and then at a Seminary in the United States. Having been born and raised in the East, God now saw fit to use Ravi in the West.
   
   His stories from the ministry field are some of the most God-glorifying anecdotes I've ever read. I cried close to ten times while reading his stories. They are so powerful in their testimony of God's goodness and grace. Without giving anything away I'll simply note that it is impossible to read this book and walk away without acknowledging the reality of God and without appreciating the grace of God.
   
   Like every autobiography, Walking from East to West picks up momentum as it goes on. That may have something to do with the theme of the book: The tapestry that God is weaving together for his glory slowly unfolds with every event. We won't be able to gaze upon the finished work of art at the beginning of the process, but as time goes on we are shown glimpses of what God is doing, and eventually we will see it all. Only God can bring together things that seem to us disconnected, defragmented and ruined. Walking from East to West is, above all, a story of the triumph of God in the life of a man who was raised in the East to then live in the West to then be used in both, indeed, throughout the whole world.



5. My in-laws recently moved to Oxford, England so that my father-in-law can pursue his PhD at the University. Luckily for me, Ravi Zacharias recently visited Oxford, and my favorite mother-in-law was able to get me a signed copy of this book that tells Ravi's life story.
   
   Having listened to Ravi's radio shows, read his books, and pariticipated in one of his conferences, I have always been thoroughly impressed by his humble, yet insightful approach to apologetics. In this book, he let's the reader know more about his life, and how it has been shaped by God. It is a quick read that really shows how much God can change a life and use it for good. Ravi is a master storyteller, so it is a quick read that strings together the threads of his life in a meaningful, and powerful way.
   
   As expected, I learned a lot from the book and was really encouraged to know that Ravi has faced several trials during his life, just like the rest of us. If you enjoy Ravi's books, or have listened to him speak then you will enjoy this book. In Paul Harvey's words...it tells the rest of the story. Enjoy.

5 comments about John G. Lake Anthology: The Complete Collection Of His Life Teachings.

1. This is an amazing book with amazing sermons and testimonies.Oh, that the church could live like john lake did and walk in the annointing and power that he had.He was so consecrated and devoted to god.This book is an inspiration for all christians of what god can do in one yielded sold out life.John lake would pray for hours and days on end for the sick.He would not quit until the sick we're healed and delivered.Today, it's one quick prayer and ," oh well". Worth reading I cannot find such faith on the earth as i have reading this book.Today's preachers are mostly well to do with fancy cars and houses. John lake had much wealth for his day and was a successful business man and entrepreneur and yet gave it up to follow christ and be his disciple.Try that



2. This book is amazing. The teachings still carry such an anointing. The passion this man felt for the Lord is obvious through his writings and sermons. Reading this book challenges my faith and makes me want to serve the Lord with such devotion.



3. Read about a man that did the work Jesus intended the Church to do. In the "Healing Rooms" in Spokane, Washington they averaged 200 healings per day.



4. I have always had great faith. It is now greater! I have read this and given it as gifts....it shows exactly what can happen when we act like we should and believe as the Bible directs us to.



5. This collection is such a beautiful departure from the often watered-down, sanitized, and uninspired offerings available in today's world of Christian writing. You will be captivated by what God did in the life of one who was totally surrendered to the working of Jesus Christ in his life. When you finish this one, get the Smith Wigglesworth collection by the same author. Fantastic.

5 comments about The Quest for Shakespeare.

1. Joseph Pearce shows us convincingly the overwhelming evidence that Shakespeare was Catholic in a very objective manner, distinguishing always between facts that have proof to back them up and speculations that have only circumstantial evidence. This book is easy to read and imperative to understand Shakespeare and the times he lived in. Unfortunately, Pearce spends only one chapter (really an appendix) demonstrating how the knowledge of Shakespeare's Catholicity should affect our reading of his works, and the work he chooses is King Lear, not exactly one of the most famous of Shakespeare's plays. I wish he had chosen Hamlet or Macbeth. I hope that in the future, Pearce will do an in-depth study of more of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.



2. Joseph Pearce is a prominent biographer cum Catholic apologist, and of course he presents the case for Shakespeare as a Catholic. Is Pearce's presentation of this a "slam dunk", as another reviewer puts it? By no means. There has been a great deal of recent scholarship, some judicious and reliable and some wildly speculative, without admitting such.
   
   Now, I am sympathetic to the Catholic case. But as a matter truth, we must admit that the case is one of plausibility and probability, with an enormous number of unanswered -- and probably unanswerable -- questions. Even admitting that Shakespeare was raised a Catholic (almost certain) and was persistently interested in traditional religious images and theological questions, we have no way of knowing what he personally believed -- the plays do not contain an explicit statement of faith. For judicious and critical but sympathetic reviews of the issues, I recommend two reviews from the journal, First Things:
   
   http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=5374
   http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6202
   
   If you want a biography that will inspire your Catholic faith and sensibilities, by all means read Pearce. And feel free to substitute five stars for my two. (Even at that I would allow only four stars because I find Pearce a rather superficial and tedious writer.)
   
   If you want a fairer reading of the evidence, sympathetic without overstatement to the the Catholic case, start with the two articles mentioned or reading Michael Woods' outstanding book, "Shakespeare" (the DVD of the PBS series called "In Search of Shakespeare" is fabulous). Michael Woods' book has the further advantage of have a really good annotated bibliography--he even sites the opposition literature.



3. Pearce gives a fine introduction to a growing field of study regarding the Catholic faith and the Bard.



4. I saw the author speak about this book at a recent conference: he is a true scholar, passionate, excited, honest and thorough. Blew me away. The book convinced me beyond doubt. Skeptics will always be around... but the case is very, very tight. Outstanding! Can't wait for his next volume on the plays themselves.



5. Joseph Pearce has written the most delightful book on Shakespeare I've ever come across. First, because the man is truly a gifted writer and has a sense of humor. Second, because he quickly demolishes the many silly myths and weird theories around Shakespeare's life. He pokes gentle fun at the folks who think Elizabeth I wrote the plays, or Daniel Dafoe, or the Earl of Oxford. Next he puts those who want to use Shakespeare to make their own point about sex and religion in their ignoble places. Then he swiftly goes on to the gist of the book. Did Shakespeare in some form or fashion hang on to his Catholic faith in spite of the terrible persecution of the times?
   
   By looking at the evidence Pearce says yes, probably. His father was a discrete but resolute Catholic, his daughter Susanna was also a recussant. He was married by an ordained priest and lived in a town that was known for being a center of hard headed Catholicism. Like William Byrd he was probably excruciatingly careful--- he'd seen relatives and friends jailed and or killed for being Catholic afterall.
   
   Quest for Shakespeare is quick, clever and charming. I'm so glad I bought it.

5 comments about Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith.

1. I honestly have nothing to say about whatever supposed "anti-Mormon" slant the book has. I knew all the back-story stuff about Mormonism when I started reading the book; that wasn't what interested me. I had no idea who Martha Beck's father was or that he was some bigshot in the Mormon church - that didn't interest me either.
   
   What did interest me was Martha's heartfelt and candid exploration of going through remembrance of her childhood sexual abuse, through anger and bewilderment to forgiveness. Regardless of what anyone else (and it's usually someone with an ulterior motive) has to say about the veracity of "recovered memories," they do happen. I was molested as a young child, by a male babysitter, and did not fully remember the details of the incident until I was much older. I did not have my revelation as a result of therapy; it happened one night as I was alone in my room reading. I did end up in therapy as a result but my therapist did not focus on "recovering" any more details of the incident; she only wanted to discuss what I was able to remember unassisted, and help me to move past it. Reading Martha's recollections brought back terrible and wonderful memories for me, of my own journey through anger into forgiveness. Perhaps people who have not had the experience cannot understand, but really there is no reason for someone to make up or embellish memories of sexual abuse, and it shouldn't be difficult to understand why people would repress memories of it. It's not exactly the kind of thing you want to remember.
   
   This is a wonderful book, full of humor and love and Beck's amazement at her own awakening. Beck speaks with a voice that is so honest, so raw, so open that it was impossible for me to doubt one word of what she said. The fact that her siblings, ex-husband etc. tried to cast aspersions on what she said (one of her siblings attempted to do this by saying that Beck had been 'melodramatic as a child' - gee, I wonder why?) says, to me, that there is truth in her story; otherwise why would people be so eager to discredit it? If it was made up out of whole cloth everyone would have laughed off the allegations and that would have been it. The fact that so many people put forth such concerted effort to slander Ms. Beck and her account lead me to believe that she is telling the truth, not that she is a histrionic attention-seeker. My mother had a similar reaction to Beck's mother when I told her about my remembrance - saying at first that she "had always known" something had gone on, but then telling me that abuse is "not that big of a deal" and that I should just try not to think about it ever again. My therapist helped me to understand that many mothers react this way to abuse revelations because it's easier for them to disbelieve and/or discount than to face the idea that they failed to protect their child from something horrific - especially if they themselves suffered abuse as children.
   
   The main reason why I would recommend this book to any other survivor of childhood sexual abuse is because of its focus on freedom, and letting go. As long as you hold hate and anger in your heart about your abuse, or toward your abuser, you cannot be free. If you live your life from a place of anger, eventually that anger - and therefore the abuse - will begin to define you as a person. And who wants to be defined by abuse, or by their abuser? Abusers take much from their child victims, but they do not take away their ability to get clear of the abuse and define themselves. Abuse victims do not have to forgive - just accept, and move forward. By the same token, if you do not face your memories and come to terms with what happened, you cannot be free either. I wholeheartedly believe that Martha's intent in this book was not to slander anyone or ruin anyone's life; she is doing what she felt she needed to do to get free of what happened to her. I could actually care less about the Mormonism stuff in the book, although people who are anti-Mormon will find plenty of fuel for their fire in here - I highly recommend this book to people who are struggling to come to terms with the fallout of their own abuse memories. Beck's story is one that is easy to relate to, and her attitude about moving on is ultimately incredibly healthy and positive. Kudos to her for having the courage to tell her story.



2. I found Martha Beck's book very healing. Having grown up near Provo Utah, I could really understand and identify with the situations and challenges she talked about. Seeing Mormonism from a more objective viewpoint I could let go of some of the guilt I have felt and understand why some of the beliefs just didn't feel good.
   Thank you Martha, I can't believe you really said that.



3. I'm always intimidated to write a review for a really good book because I'm afraid I won't do it justice. This woman is one hell of a writer. If her father had one half of her talent for language I can understand how, through the "apologies" he wrote, he would be able to keep people faithful to a religion that is KOOKY at best. I'm sure this story of Martha's successful journey through her dark night of the soul into true spiritual peace and understanding will be a beacon for others who have experienced any kind of personal tragedy or challenge. The insider's view of the history and workings of the Mormon Church is enough of a reason to read it.



4. Anyone who knows both Hugh Nibley and Martha Beck knows who is telling the truth--it isn't Mrs. Beck.



5. I am an active member of the Mormon Church, come from good old pioneer stock, was married in the temple and my Father is a former Bishop and Stake President.
   I absolutely LOVED this book. I grew up in Provo and Martha Beck has older siblings who were my age. How she described living in Utah, getting married in the temple and other aspects of being a Mormon couldn't be more accurate.
   I have also read much about SRA (satanic ritual abuse) and what Beck described in her book is identical to many other victim's memories who grew up in the Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions.
   I have read John Beck's review and find it to be extremely bitter, distasteful and misleading. Martha is very kind, gracious, and complimentary to him and his parents in the book. Someone in the church (along with someone in the Nibley family) must have gotten to him. His review must have hurt Martha a great deal which I'm sure was John's intent.

5 comments about The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice.

1. During her lifetime, Mother Teresa was as close to canonization as it was possible to get without actually being dead. The front cover of Time magazine called her a "Living Saint". A cult of holiness surrounded her and in the eyes of the media and many politicians she could do no wrong. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded numerous honors in the countries she visited.
   
   The facts however didn't match the illusion and public perception and Christopher Hitchens had the courage to say so. He exposes her revolting attitude towards the dying, namely that they were there to die and to suffer; in that way they became closer to Christ. Care, compassion and alievement of pain were practically non-existent in her `clinics'. Standard clinical procedures and medical diagnosis was also spurned because they were materialistic. Provenance was to be preferred at all times. Hitchens also shows deceit was practiced as a matter of course towards those of other religions who were secretly baptized without their knowledge by sisters who were supposed to be caring for them.
   
   Then there is her fawning over politicians, including some of the worst despots of the latter twentieth century. The Duvalier's of Haiti and Hoxha of her native Albania were amongst the most notoriously repressive regimes, yet as Hitchens documents, this living saint was there giving them her blessing. If she could preach her message against abortion and her present advocacy of unlimited population growth at the same time, so much the better. Not so much reducing the suffering in the world as adding to it would appear to be Mother Teresa's legacy.
   
   There is also the little matter of money and as Hitchens points out, there is rather a lot of it, that was handed over in the name of charity or humanitarian support. Very little of this ever went to benefit the poor for whom it was intended. Rather it disappeared into unaudited bank accounts. One account in the Bronx had over $50 million dollars, yet Mother Teresa was on record as saying she wouldn't accept altruism. She was quite happy to accept money from fraudsters such as Charles Keating, but ignored a letter from the man investigating Keating's massive thefts requesting its return. It might also be asked where the money came from which allowed Teresa to fly around the world often at short notice. As far as I know, the world's commercial airlines have never operated a policy of free seats to the religious.
   
   Hitchens' book does not set out to be a hatchet job but he has not surprisingly received a fair amount of criticism for writing it. However there has never been any convincing explanations put forward by Teresa's apologists to any of Hitchen's criticisms, yet there has been much silence since he former living saint was hoisted to a higher plane following beatification in 2003. For those who are determined to see Mother Teresa as the embodiment of religious holiness nothing will convince them of anything untoward. However, if you do have doubts about the abuse of religious power and the ways in which all manner of lies are justified on the back of adherence to religious dogma, this book will provide a most illuminating window into a highly corrupt world.



2. I have been reading Hitchens' books quite avidly in the last half of the year, and this book landed in my hands after finishing the superb God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.
   
   I should confess I felt a little dirty as the pages started to turn. Despite my enjoyment of Hitchen's prose, this book left a bit of an aftertaste in my mouth, a disappointment similar to finding out that Santa does not exist.
   
   But as terse and poignant it may read this book is not a bitter ad hominem attack on the person of Mother Theresa. It is rather a criticism on the ways that she, other people and even institutions have benefited from the artificial creation of her over-inflated saintly myth and the political/monetary advantages it procured.
   
   The book sometimes reads a bit dry, but the information, quotations, official letters included made it worth my while. And at 98 pages, it is not too long a while.



3. When I met Christopher Hitchens at a conference in '99 I had just read this book. He said that he was surprised that no one had written it before because the hypocrisy and sanctimonious false modesty of Mother Teresa was so obvious to demonstrate. She was so sanctimonious she didn't try very hard to cover her disingenuousness, but like anyone doing bad or hypocritical things in the name of the catholic church, the church's followers were glad to ignore the inconsistencies with ethical behavior she displayed, and the church itself loved the mountains of cash she brought in, often donated by the world's worst tyrants. I told Hitch he was the only one with the huevos to write the book, and he thanked me. What's too bad is that there isn't anyone else who wanted to write this book, Mother Teresa continues to get a pass even after she is long dead, despite the obvious evidence that she prayed out of both sides of her mouth. Sainthood of course means nothing to me, but for those to whom it is important, if you'll grant it to this gal, you might as well grant it to the grilled cheese sandwich that looks like jesus. It has the same meaning.



4. I was a little skeptical coming into this one because, like most other readers - well, maybe all - I came in with this naive notion of who Mother Teresa was simply because of the media surrounding her. Did it surprise me to find out that Mother Teresa's image is propaganda, and that a lot of what she does or has done is for her own and her church's benefit? Nope not a one bit. We've seen this time and again, where someone's image is their own image they are pushing. Howard Stern is a good example, who began proclaiming himself the King of All Media, and saying it enough, over and over again eventually made it so that the media actually started calling him that and people started believing it. Did this proclamation come from someone qualified to state this? Nope, from the horse's mouth itself. The same is with Mother Teresa as she pushed her own image of what she wanted the world to see her to be.
   
   Hitchens did wonderfully in deconstructing that image and showing her and her "charitable" organization for what they were and are. Millions upon millions of money coming in and yet what is there to show for? Her organizations are bare bones minimum, not even giving a hint that there are millions of dollars of charity money stored away somewhere.
   
   The poor would benefit, you would think, since this was her life's message, that the poor should suffer happily in the squalor of the slums, only to have the pious and righteous believers take care of them so that they can show the world that they themselves are god's worshipers. Hypocritical. Anyway, Mother Teresa didn't believe in spending any money on the poor, such as antibiotics or other basic necessities, because, according to her, spend on one and you must spend on all. Doctor's would visit and examine patients who are dying and have weeks to live, only to find that one cycle of antibiotics could cure them and they could live on and healthy! Unbelievable because their response was the one above, give to one then give to all, and they couldn't possibly do that. So the poor sap dies when a $100 cycle of antibiotics was too expensive to the multi million dollar charitable organization, whose sole purpose was to use the money for their benefit. Same thing with other patients who are really dying and are clearly in pain. Except they aren't given the pain medication that the poor would need to assist them in their transition to the "afterlife".
   
   What makes this such an eye opener is how supported everything Hitchens wrote about was. If you don't agree with Hitchens' views and opinions, that is one thing, but to read her own words, to see the proof with your very own eyes and to see the dots connected, is something completely different. This well documented and supported short book about Mother Teresa is amazing, and my view of her is completely different. Her church and the public view of a pious woman supporting the poor in order to show her faith is all that mattered to her. The poor themselves? Nope, but for her to serve them and for other believers to do the same, in order to further the piety needed to keep her "church" and "organization" alive. A definite recommend.
   
   5 stars.



5. I learned some things when reading this book and there are some interesting and shocking stories about "Mother Teresa", but the book is really just OK. None of the author's points are really driven home as well as they could be. It is worth a read because it is really short, but it is not an outstanding work.
   
   P.S. I have no religious affiliation. I did not base my review on what a religion has told me.

5 comments about The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

1. Bought it as a gift, wife said she found it interesting. Of course it had more meaning because we had been in Saltzburg.



2. Maria comes alive as a very sincere godly woman. Devoted to her Lord, Family, Friends, and Country. To read this book was to understand a deep trust in your God, a faith beyond imagination. If you enjoyed the movie for the family values and inspiration you may have received, you will enjoy the book that inspired the movie. I will recommend this book to all of my Christian Mommy friends.



3. Excellent writing--My mother has enjoying reading the book. I have enjoying reading it also.



4. You will enjoy this true story of the "Sound of Music" family. It is both historical and charming. The family's adventures and trials will keep you turning the pages.



5. I smile whenever I see this book on my shelf...
   
   Picture a large, creative, talented family seated around a fireplace in the evenings--playing with dolls or whittling--while the mother reads aloud. Later, they sing together...imagine that...a family singing together for fun!
   
   German occupied Austria in 1938...I can only envision what it would have been like. Its intriguing to see it through Maria's eyes. One of my favorite quotes in this book is: "you can't say no three times to Hitler." My second favorite quote is: "The Americans never seemed to ask, "Who are you?" but "How good are you? Let's see."
   
   I've read this book several times, and I always enjoy it!

5 comments about Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir.

1. In this her most recent book, Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun and author of twenty-five books, continues to think out loud about just what it means to know, love, and follow Jesus in our crazy, contemporary world. This is the third book by her that I have read, and I have come to appreciate her spirit and gift to do what good writers do, which is to connect with the every day experiences and aspirations of her readers. Using her own spiritual journal entries from across a four year period, she pushes, pokes and prods at the various dimensions of Christian living. In particular, I appreciated three themes from this book that also recur in her other works.
   
   Chittister writes from very much "inside the box," the box that is the Roman Catholic Church. But no one likes to be boxed in, much less a feminist like her, and so one theme from this book is what I would call institutional frustration with the church. Our Christian institutions and churches often purvey a sort of "god of the system" that asks us at some level to sublimate our deeply personal identities to the group identity. But then we risk forfeiting conscience and becoming what she describes as "institutional robots." So, we try, often with very limited success, to change the institution for the better. Others just want to leave the church out of frustration. In the end, Chittister pictures herself as a "loyal member of a dysfunctional family" (p. 135).
   
   A keen scholar like Chittister is also full of provocative questions about important issues like women's ordination, the place of gays in the church, global justice, and, as a member of a Benedictine community, obedience to the institutional church. But critical questions are just what the church often suppresses, obscures, or responds to with superficial and ideological answers. We can acquiesce to this, too, out of fear of being wrong or even punished. But Chittister does not want to live the Christian life asking other people's questions or accepting their answers, so she keeps asking, seeking, and knocking: how does the Christian relate questions of personal conscience and intellectual integrity to churchly fidelity?
   
   Personal failure and struggle are also prominent themes for Chittister. The problem, it would seem, is to foolishly accept perfection as our standard or goal. But that goal is an oppressive one, and a set up for failure, for no Christian this side of heaven will ever reach it: "The problem, of course, is that we fail. We know ourselves to be weak. We stumble along, being less than we can be, never living up to our own standards, let alone anyone else's. We eat too much between meals, we work too little to get ahead, we drink more than we should at the office party. We're all addicted to something. Those addictions not only cripple us, they convince us that we are worthless and incapable of being worthwhile. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy of the worst order because it traps us inside our own sense of inadequacy, of futility, of failure" (p. 195). Instead, we ought to view failure as "among the best friends of the soul" (p. 91). Rather than subscribe to the unattainable, we should come to appropriate the "sanctifying nature of mistakes and calculations" (p. ix).
   
   Chittister begins her book with a well known story of the seeker who asked the monk just what they did in the monastery: "Oh, we fall and we get up, and we fall and we get up, and we fall and we get up again." Beyond the institutional frustrations, the stymied but important questions, and the realization of but limited progress, she encourages us to hear God's voice to keep going, to "find the me in me" (p. 111), and to cultivate a sense of being at home with yourself because of the extravagant love and grace of God.



2. This book by Sr Joan Chittister is inspirational and confirming.
   All believers who wonder, once in a while, if it is all true - no matter what comprises the "all", will find solace and consolation in this book. Sr Chittister answers your doubts and fears by putting hers on the line. Written beautifully, as are all her books, this one has you saying 'Yes, that's me!' over and over. I would recommend it to all who are interested in their own personal spiritual growth.
   
   Jeanne MacCoy, San Leandro, California
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



3. Joan Chittister always has the best sense of melding together the human with the divine, the natural with the supernatural, reality with theology. She's done it again.



4. I only wish I had the option of a "0" star rating. This book disrespects and disregards the teachings of the Church. This was particularly frustrating to me since I converted to Catholicism only a year ago. I have dedicated myself to Christ and His Church and try my best to align myself with it completely. The Church and all of its teachings (particularly regarding faith and morals) are true - as Catholics we agreed to submit to those teachings when we made our Profession of Faith at Confirmation. The stand the Church takes on the issues discussed in this book and the stand the author takes are polar opposites. I have never been so saddened by a book - and sad for the author who seems to have fallen away from the Catholic Church. What she says is completely heretical - a term that I don't use lightly. Complete lack of regard to the teachings of the Church is denying the truth of the Church. She should not be writing as a Catholic unless she actually is Catholic. As far as I am concerned, she has already left the Catholic Church. This is evident in her answer to the question: "Why do you stay in the Church?" Her answer: "Why do I continue to align myself with an institution so closed, so heretical, so sinful? Because Jesus stayed in the synagogue until they threw him out. That's why." She is in no way aligned with the Church. This book (if it is not already) should be banned by the Church. I pray for Joan, that she may convert back to Catholicism.



5. Five stars for heresy!!!!! Well Sr. Joan, if you think its important for women to be priests, you better find another Church. It ain't never going to happen in this Church. The book is a brilliant treatise on what is wrong with most nuns who do not wear habits. If you want to know how feminist nuns convince themselves they are still Christian READ THIS BOOK!

5 comments about Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot (Lives of Faith).

1. Jim Elliot is in many ways the very model of the modern major missionary, especially since he died so young and in the course of complete and utter commitment to his faith. "Shadow..." is a well-written and passionate account of a fanatic Protestant martyr.
   
   I read this book long ago when I was on staff with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship after hearing his widow (and the book's author) speak at the triennial missionary convention held at the University of Illinois at Urbana. Even though Elliot's entire family were considered evangelical royalty (not my description of the Howard clan), reading this book in the context of the fervor of a missionary convention that had more than 10,000 college students in attendance was, in retrospect, a major turning point on my journey out of evangelical Christianity.
   
   Elliot was crazy -- crazy for the Lord! Yee Hah! -- and his craziness was held up as a positive model of the "100% committed Christian," dedicated to the salvation of native peoples through intrusive proselytizing. His wife was even crazier than him since she went in after him and successfully "converted" the tribe that had killed him.
   
   What a waste of a brilliant young man, and what an arrogant obliteration of native culture in the name of Christ. It occurred to me that Elliot and his ilk are perfect illustrations of the impact of Eric Hoffer's "true believers." Far from being heroes to be emulated, men and women like Jim and Elizabeth Elliot are examples to be avoided at all costs if we are to survive as a species. The absolutism and consequent monopolism of such faith -- which comes into inevitable and deadly conflict with ANY sort of fundamentalistic religious, political, or cultural philosophy -- in the end destroys rather than builds.
   
   Please, PLEASE, read this book as a cautionary rather than a laudatory tale and I hope it helps scare you away from evangelicalism as it helped scare me.



2. I highly recommend reading this book. The passion for being a missionary starts here in Jim Elliot's life. Don't miss this wonderful story and testimony of Jim's passion for witnessing about Christ.



3. The insight, sensitivity, and nobleness of character found in these pages would be notable if they were found in the words of a novel. The fact that they also serve as a historical record and the loving tribute of a devoted widow make them profound. The challenge offered to the reader by the example and set by Jim Elliot further enhances this book to palce it among the very finest I have ever encountered.



4. Shadow of the Almighty is by far the best biography I have ever read!!! It has been said that "You will be the same today, except for the people you meet and the books you read", I have found this to be very true in my life.
   
   I feel you can glean so many spiritual nuggets from this book. From raising kids, praying for them, allowing God to use them, the importance of eating healthy and exercising, the value of education and when education is taking the place of God and true knowledge of Him....
   
   Reading this book, almost makes the movie End of the Spear seem shallow. Unless you know the history of these men's lives before they went into missions it is easy to be disillusioned and think that a group of over zealous guys decided to go and reach the savage Auca Indianans, which is not the case. It was an absolute calling of God on each of their lives that God had been preparing them for most of their lives (at least this is the case with Jim Elliot). Even Elizabeth Elliot, Jim's wife, had the calling on her life. They were spiritually, intellectually, and physically prepared. Yes, they were a group of young, good looking, and fun guys, but they also were spiritually mature beyond their years and they knew their calling.
   
   Elizabeth Elliot began compiling journal entries and letters of Jim's immediately after his death to begin the writing of Shadow of the Almighty, while the hurt and sting of her lose was still fresh! You will not find regret, resentment, bitterness or anger in her writing; only a life devoted to God even unto death. So while the book focuses on the life of Jim, remember it was his newly young widowed wife who wrote the very words contained within its pages.
   
   I guess what so impresses me about this book, is that it is more than the retelling of Jim's life. Throughout the book are original writings of Jim's, you see what makes his heart beat, his passion, his frustrations, his surrendered obedience, his incredible faith. You will see God's sovereignty, His hand, leading and weaving Jim's life and death.
   
   The story begins with his childhood, and continues on up to his death. Really his story still carries on today. How many people has Jim's life impacted even now 50 years later? While in college ,Jim at one point lets His grades suffer a bit so that he can focus on earning the Degree of A.U.G. (Approved Under God). I am so impressed with chapter 3, here you will find a handsome, athletic, intelligent young man keep his focus on the Lord in an atmosphere that pulls most people away. At this point he doesn't even take his parents advice, if it is not what he is hearing from the Spirit. His obedience to Christ makes him a true leader among his classmates.
   Following is a journal entry of Jim's, it show the wisdom and insight he had as a young man. "No one warns young people to follow Adam's example. He waited until God saw his need. Then God made Adam sleep, prepared for his mate, and brought her to him. We need more of this 'being asleep' in the will of God. Then we can receive what He brings us in His own time, if at all. Instead we are bloodhounds after a partner, considering everyone we see until our minds are so concerned with the sex problem that we can talk of nothing else when bull-session time comes around. It is true that a fellow cannot ignore women-but he can think of them as he ought-as sisters, not as sparring partners!"



5. This is my absolute favorite book of all time. In an age when I struggle to find like-minded people around me, Jim Elliot encourages and inspires my heart. In an introduction recently added to the book, Elisabeth Elliot says it all. She describes how HUNDREDS of young men over the years have come up to her at conferences or book signings and told her "that book changed my life." God answered Jim Elliot's prayer that he would be "A testament to the value of knowing God." It's so amazing to me to think how God could use this one man to reach so many people. Great book. If you are a young guy like me and wanting to live earnestly for Christ, you've got to read this book.