Customer Reviews (1)

The CSPAN approach to Unitarian History
This is my favorite book for Unitarian history (before 1975). Instead of relying on some "expert" to interpret what Unitarian of years past meant - Parke provides you with the source texts themselves thatbrought about the developement of our religious movement.My onlyreservations about this book is that I don't feel it covers the last halfof our century very well. However that could be because Unitarianism wasbecoming Unitarian-Universalism during that time... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Review of encyclopedia
This encylopedia features John Weldon's research into pagan and other non-Christian religious groups. As always, John Weldon brings the 'welder's torch' to the ideas and nature of various non-Christian groups.The text is carefully thought through and reflects the thoroughness of John Weldon's research.A very useful book for any believing Christian's bookshelf.

A caricature of cults
You won't find much provocative information, here.By the author's own admission, whole chapters are practically copied and pasted from other books (page 277), and those books are clearly hostile.

Some good intellectual pornography, though.If you are a critical thinker, and do your homework, you will find that fully half of the facts in this encyclopedia are wrong or ripped from their context.

It was very much like reading the saturday morning cartoons.

Fabulous!
This is an excellent book for anyone who wishes to know the truth about cults and false religion.Well-researched and well-written, the authors let the founders of the various cults speak for themselves, carefully documenting each quote in copious end notes. Each group's view of the basic doctrines of Christianity are outlined, showing their astonishing similarity in rejecting the deity of Christ and pushing salvation by works. Best of all, the Doctrinal Appendix gives the biblical references for each Christian doctrine. Especially helpful is the table of proofs that Jesus is God with dozens of Old and New Testament references.Other reviews of this book should be read with care. When the light of Truth shines forth, darkness is made uncomfortable.

Yeah right
Out of ALL the religions, Unitarian Universalist,is the only religion/sect/denomination of reason and reality,while feeding your inner spirit-which is why anyone of any belief (or non-belief) can go to the church.They don't even tell you what/how to believe (unlike most religions/denominations).I can see why a fundamentalist wouldn't want anyone to be one though...visit famousuus.com to see all the intelligent people who were/are unitarians,including Paul Newman,Ray Bradbury,Sir Isaac Newton,Emily Dickinson,Susan B. Anthony,Charles Dickens,Ralph Waldo Emerson,etc..

Inaccurate, biased
I learn from another website, that there's a Libel Litigation on this book. I wonder if they're responsible for what they wrote. http://www.contendingforthefaith.org/index.html ... Read more

Product Description
If ever there were anywhere that someone who was suffering from a mental illness or behavioral disability should expect to be welcomed, it would be at our religious institutions. Sadly, however, that is often not the case. In The Inherent Worth and Dignity of ALL Individuals: Encouraging Full Participation in Our Unitarian Universalist Congregations, Bobby Newman attempts to create a framework for helping religious institutions to consider the needs of people with mental illness and behavioral disabilities, along with the needs of the rest of the congregation. A framework is described for helping to strike a balance that will protect the rights of all concerned, and help religious institutions come closer to living up to their stated principles. A KINDLE version is now available. Proceeds benefit the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation (SNUUC) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Walking the talk tutorial
Faith communities looking to live their stated values should be aware of, and plan for, "conflicting rights" that may occur in the process of welcoming and including people who have mental health challenges and/or physical disabilities. Which "rights" that people claim are appropriate? Whose "rights" prevail? Do we ever exclude someone? If so, when? How is it possible to make everyone welcome and happily participate together? This book provides discussions about these and other important questions and (thankfully!) offers concrete suggestions, compassionate real-life experiences, and scientifically based information. All of this is accomplished within 75 pages in an easy-to-read style and with a sense of humor. I strongly recommend this book when setting out on the path of "walking the talk".

(Behavioral) Oneness with the Universe
As Robert Browning lamented, "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"

Whether one's theology includes a personal hereafter or not, the poet's words capture the ache of the unrealized goal.As fallible human beings, for many of us our everyday experience is that some, most, or all of our goals go unrealized.

This is especially true in our congregational lives.Part of the problem arises because the overarching goals of faith-centered communities are both very specific and also tremendously broad. When goals are hard to define, they're hard to meet; when goals are unrealistic; they're impossible to meet.The more important part of the problem is that individuals (all individuals, regardless of disability status) vary in their ability to engage in religious or spiritual activities, and, in turn, to benefit from them.

Bobby Newman's book poses several challenges to individuals of the liberal faiths. One question not stated explicitly, but implied through the very presence of the book, is: Can you live in behavioral oneness with the universe, with your own congregation behaving exactly as it is toward its own membership?Upon even minimal reflection, most congregations will find that there are members who have needs that are presently unmet by the status quo.The challenge, when this is the case, is to take one's principles to heart and translate them into action.

While no "cookie cutter" solutions are offered, the following steps are offered as a basis for getting started:
1. Determine the needs
2. Offer respect and involve persons more
3. Get expert advice
4. Form support groups/task forces
5. Take advantage of technology
6. Consider differences in abilities and learning styles: translate into action

It's a great book for those so moved to do something about the needs of the people right there with them, without "complain[ing] about the present and blam[ing] it on the past."

The bottom line?Full inclusion.A challenge? Yup.But maybe, we can, in loving service, "get over it?"The book is a good read but more important is its role as a conversation-igniter and an action-starter.Best of luck for those working through this type of change.

Original, Essential
To readers familiar with Bobby Newman's previous work, this book might seem at first blush to be coming out of left field. However, if you are familiar with Bobby the person, it makes perfect sense. It reflects and combines seamlessly the science of behaviorism with the importance of spiritual community and every individual's right to access to it. Those of us who live with or who treat individuals with developmental disabilities know that for many families, of the countless losses they experience, the inability to share religious experience, tradition, and community is among the most sharply felt. "The Inherent Worth and Dignity of ALL Individuals" is wonderful. Recommended reading for teachers, families, clergy, and anyone who cares.

Good for All Faith groups
I just finished reading The Inherent Worth and Dignity of all Individuals.As someone who has worked with people with autism for her entire professional life I was struck by the value this book has for members of any faith group.Although Dr. Newman aims his book at Unitarian Universalist Congregations, the values are meaningful to people from a broad range of faiths. In the best of worlds these values would extend to the community beyond our places of worship, but surely that is a good place to start being inclusive and respectful, but not condescending, in our welcome of people who are different from our selves. We can all work toward adapting our expectations and behavior to meet the needs of others and develop new skills in that process. The creative use of the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis that Dr. Newman describes is a fine model of how such inclusion might be accomplished.

The book is also a wonderfully engaging read.

A topic nobody wants to talk about...
When I received this book, I wasn't sure waht to expect.Written by a behavior analyst who's books tend to be about behavior analysis, this book seemed to be outside the norm.As I've enjoyed his books in the past, I decided read it anyway.I'm glad that I did.
This book talked about a topic of inclusion that is often neglected or ignored.That is about the inclusion in congregations.It discusses some very poignant scenarios in which a person was not allowed inclusion for various reasons.In having worked with many adults with disabilities, I have often heard their desire to attend church, and although they didn't complain -- I noticed that their options tended to be limited to those congregations willing to 'tolerate' the differences.This book makes it clear that tolerance is not acceptable -- but rather, inclusion must be the goal, and should be available to all members of any congregation.Bobby walks the reader through the reasons that this is so important, replete with real-life examples, his typical humor, and a sensitivity that does not shirk from his subject-matter and fulfills its purpose well.
It is my hope that this is a catalyst for more authors (and populace at large) to begin discussing this very important topic.
~JP ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Unitarianism; History / General; Religion / Buddhism / General; Religion / Christianity / History; Religion / Islam / General; Religion / Christianity / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon); Religion / Christian Theology / General; Religion / Unitarian Universalism; ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
Many have argued that American Unitarianism originated solely from within Congregationalism and developed independent of outside influences. William Ellery Channing's 'Unitarian Christianity' sermon in 1819 was a key moment in the history of the denomination, as Channing consciously sought to define the parameters of the faith and eliminate all vestiges of competing influences. Yet the American Unitarian tradition was far more complex than its nineteenth-century adherents were willing to admit. In Joseph Priestley and English Unitarianism in America, J. D. Bowers reexamines its origins, course, and development and subsequently reveals the extent to which Joseph Priestley's ideas concerning Congregational polity were recognized and established within the United States. In contrast to studies that simply trace the history of the denomination as it flows out of New England and is controlled by Bostonians, Bowers shows that Priestley's legacy grew in importance throughout the nineteenth century and held sway throughout many of the frontier regions of the nation. By discussing the complexity of interdenominational rivalry, lack of central control, and a continuous transatlantic exchange among religious liberals, he shows that English Unitarianism continued to serve as an essential and noteworthy foundation for subsequent developments within the American denomination as it endured the challenges of Protestant orthodoxy, unregulated liberalism, Transcendentalism, and the never-ending quest to define liberal religion in America. This is an insightful account of an often neglected set of tenets and developments in the denomination's history. It uniquely traces the course of continued English influence as it established a new point of reference for understanding the dynamic origins of denominational development, Unitarian thought, and liberal religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

English Unitarian Universalists versus Congregational Liberal Christians
J.D. Bowers Joseph Priestley and English Unitarianism in American is a very important contribution to American Unitarian history.It clearly demonstrates the English Unitarian influence on Unitarian Universalist church history and the instances of institutional continuity. For ministers and seminary students it will help differentiate the Middle Atalantic English Priestley Unitarians from the liberal Christians growing out of the New England Puritan Congregationalist heritage. The liberal Christians saw themselves as a party or theology in a wider church and wanted to avoid the sectarian tendencies of English Unitarians. Eventually, of course, the two distinct streams were to merge.

Wesley V. Hromatko, D.Min.
... Read more

Product Description
F.D. Maurice (1805-72) was one of Victorian Britain's most controversial thinkers. Although he came from a Unitarian family and counted leading Unitarians as his friends, their influence on his work has never been seriously examined. The purpose of this new book is to look at his life and teaching in the light of Unitarianism. Maurice's faith had a distinctly Christological emphasis, but he continued to value his Unitarian heritage. His concern with the Fatherhood of God and the dignity of the human race owes much to his family background. Young's study opens with a compact history of Unitarianism during the lifetimes of Maurice and his father, a Unitarian minister. A series of biographical sketches draws on hitherto unpublished material to set Maurice's work in its historic context. Final chapters compare the central themes of his theology with the teaching of his Unitarian contemporaries. ... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1902, this comprehensive study was written with the aim "to give a history of the origin of Unitarianism in the United States, how it has organized itself, and what it has accomplished". ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more