Product Description
(Routledge) Analytical psychology text addressing the question of how to reconcile spiritual and religious practices with intelligence and rationality, two hallmarks of the secular age. Combines developmental and depth psychology with religious studies to create a concept of 'skeptical spirituality.' Softcover, hardcover also available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Psychology of Mature Spirituality
I purchased this book from Amazon, largely on the strength of the title.Had I realised beforehand that it has a strong theme of Freudianism and Neo-Freudianism, I probably would not have bought it, as like many (? most) psychologists nowadays, I am of the opinion that Freudian approaches have little utility in modern psychotherapy.But I am glad I did buy it as it has some excellent articles. (Or, rather, like the proverbial curate's egg, it is excellent in parts!)

The book has 14 chapters (and an extensive introduction) by different authors and is organised around the three main themes of Integrity, Wisdom and Transcendence.Some care is taken to define what these terms might actually mean in a practical therapeutic sense.There is quite a wide range of subjects and some of the chapter headings are:The place of integrity in spirituality; A Buddha and his cousin; Spiritual abuse; The Tao of wisdom; Psychotherapy's challenge to Christian fundamentalism, Green spirituality, etc.

The authors do not necessarily agree with each other and the reader will find quite opposing views expressed chapter by chapter.This does not have a jarring or discordant effect, but rather adds to the richness of the discussion and the interplay of ideas.

Many modern psychologists would, I think, dismiss Freudian or Neo-Freudian thought as being either passe or superstitious nonsense.This is unfortunate as many of these people (particularly Jung) could be rightly regarded as pioneers in spiritual therapeutic approaches and I can see no reason why their ideas can not be incorporated into modern-day approaches.

As I read through the book I frequently found myself having little "Ah yes" moments, following which I would go off to spend some time thinking through the implications of what I had read, and/or how the ideas could be applied in a therapeutic setting.It is a book that I will return to and re-read some chapters thoroughly with a stack of "post it' stickers so that I can make more extensive notes on particular themes.

If I have criticisms they would be that some parts are overly wordy to the point of being rather pretentious.As some of my old prison clients would say: too many 50 cent words when a lot less 10 cent ones would make it more understandable.It is not a light read.I did not particularly like the chapter on Taoism and the psychologies of Jung, Erikson and Maslow.I think Taoism got a very superficial "once over lightly" cover.Nor did I particularly relate to the chapter on Green Spirituality, but perhaps that was just me.

Small grumbles aside, this book makes a valuable contribution to a sadly undervalued and neglected theme of psychology.

See all my reviews at http://merlinsbooks.wordpress.com/
... Read more

Product Description
Film as Religion argues that popular films perform a religious function in our culture. Like more formal religious institutions, films can provide us with ways to view the world and values to confront it. Lyden contends that approaches which interpret films only ideologically or theologically miss the mark in understanding their appeal to viewers. He develops an alternative method which shows how films can be understood as representing a "religious" worldview in their own right.

Lyden surveys the state of the study of religion and film, offering an overview of previous methods before presenting his own. Rather than seeking to uncover hidden meanings in film detectable only to scholars, Lyden emphasizes how film functions for its audiences—the beliefs and values it conveys, and its ritual power to provide emotional catharsis. He includes a number of brief cases studies in which he applies this method to the study of film genres&#151including westerns and action movies, children's films, and romantic comedies—and individual films from The Godfather to E.T., showing how films can function religiously. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Blows big time.
This book is not a good read.Boring, inarticulate, tedious, and generally very difficult to get through.

The power of film
Well-written and fascinating!Lyden illuminates the power of film to influence large numbers of people, providing some with a worldview, language, culture, etc. that gives them the sense of community or meaning similar to that found in traditional religion. Excellent examples. ... Read more

Product Description
For nearly two thousand years prior to the rise of modern psychiatry and psychotherapy, the church has ministered to believers experiencing mental, emotional and behavioral problems by using the teachings of the Scriptures and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Contemporary Christianity’s embrace of psychology, then, raises an important question: Was there an insufficiency on the part of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit during those two millennia that made it necessary for the church to turn to modern psychotherapy in order to more effectively address a Christian’s problems of living?

In the history of contemporary Christendom, no secular enterprise has had such a profound influence on Christianity as has psychological counseling. The critical question raised by these developments is: Have they been helpful or harmful to the body of Christ?

Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon, co-authors of The Seduction of Christianity, unearth the roots—and expose the results—of Christianity’s embrace of the beliefs of Freud, Jung, Rogers, Maslow and others. Using content compiled from past feature articles in The Berean Call newsletter, the authors also contribute new material and tackle answers to tough questions in a special Q&A section.

Table of Contents:


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Customer Reviews (3)

A PROMINENT CHRISTIAN MINISTRY ATTACKS "CHRISTIAN COUNSELING"
Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon operate an "anti-cult"/apologetics ministry called The Berean Call; they (particularly Hunt) have written many other books, of which The Seduction of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days is probably of most interest to readers of this book.

As the Publisher's Note to this 2008 book states, "this book is a revised and expanded compilation of articles, questions, and commentary from past issues of 'The Berean Call' newsletter."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

Christian psychology "wasn't founded by Christians and is in fact anti-Christian. It doesn't come from the Bible but is simply an attempt to integrate the theories of atheists into the Bible in order to supply missing essentials for daily living that the Holy Spirit apparently failed to include. Does that sound reasonable?" (Pg. 9)
"So what's the problem with psychotherapy? According to numerous scientific studies, it rarely works (and then only superficially) and is known to be harmful. From a biblical perspective, it is an antichristian, religious counterfeit." (Pg. 40)
"Sadly, many conservative evangelical preachers and teachers of note ... bought into, taught, Christianized, and further popularized the concepts of self-love, self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image. It is the 'new priesthood' of Christian psychologists, however, with credentials that falsely imply the anointing of science, that has convinced both shepherds and sheep of the legitimacy of the theories and methods of humanistic psychology." (Pg. 56)
"(P)sychology is the most successful false gospel in leading both the world and the church astray." (Pg. 69)
"Psychology's redefining of sin as sickness has excused wickedness and thus encouraged it." (Pg. 166)

A quite different interpretation of Psychology
The author states that humanistic psychology especially as championed in
Christian" psychology is to Bible-believing Christians subversive and
destructive. He gives for this mainly 5 points. 1. Humanistic
psychology`s theories came from the atheistic, anti-christian founders
of psychotherapy like Freud or Jung, whose concepts qualify for what the
Scriptures condemn as the counsel of the ungodly" (Psalm 1,1).He asks,
can from a poisonous well come healthy water? 2. The humanistic
emphasis upon loving and esteeming self rejects the biblical commandment
to deny self, which Jesus admonished us to do in Matthew 16,24. 3. The
increasing focus on esteeming oneself gradually distorts a believer`s
understanding of the truth regarding the sinful nature of man and hides
conviction of sin in a morass of humanistic rationalizations. 4. the
subjective feelings orientation of humanistic psychology undermines the
absolutes of God`s objective truth. 5. as the leaven of humanism grows
in the mind of a believer, this interpretation of the Scriptures
gradually shifts from what God has indeed said (Genesis 3,1) to "a way
which seems right unto aman but in the end it leads to certain death"
(Proverbs 14,12).
He also says, that the fruits of humanistic psychology are already seen
as destructive in the American society where the morale is on the
decline everywhere, the criminality rate rising and the families
breaking up. Psychology says there is no sin, only hurt feelings and low
self-esteem. To set hope in a renewed "Self" is a false gospel, and
contradicting God`s word which says that on should be "dying to
self" (Matthew 16,24) , crucifying the self (Galatians 2,20),
sacrificing the self (Romans 12,1) and being delivered from one`s self
(Luke 4,18).
He has made the observation that the power to build opinions is in the hands of a few who make a fortune. And the Christian churches play a supporting role to all this, leaving alone the dedication to the only one who can not only safe souls but also heal them. Only Jesus Christ is the healer and redeemer, not psychology.
Psychology is in its worst forms mythology enriched with theories of sexually and spiritually shipwrecked people like Freud or Jung who even dealt with occultism.
"Replacing God with Self leads to the central dogma of the religion of
psychology: mankind is innately good."
It is true that the Bible teaches that man in innately not good. Therefore the conclusions of the author are right from the standpoint of a Christian who cares for regarding Gods Word as faultless.
It says in 2Tim 3,16 about itself, that it is good for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, or that it is good for making man a new creation and the old things pass away (1 Cor 15,3-4). But here you have, according to the author, the next problem: many Christians doubt the word of God. Even the Catholic church does not give full credit to the Bible at the price of denying the Bibles inerrancy, sufficiency and authority to erect the own inerrancy, sufficiency and authority. This is indeed a remarkable discovery of Hunt. Psychotherapy is, the author says, also a modern form of shamanism. In so far E.Fuller Torrey agreed with him when he said that: "The techniques used by western psychiatrists are, with few exceptions, on exactly the same scientific plane as the techniques used by witchdoctors."
The great Philosopher Karl Popper said: "Though posing as science
psychotherapy had in fact more in common with primitive myths than with
science and resembled astrology rather than astronomy." He could say so,
because Jung and other psychotherapists used astrology within their
methods.
In psychology, the author warns, virtue is ridiculed, evil is praised as good and liberating, biblical moral standards are mocked as the narrow-minded thinking of a past generation out of touch with todays`s reality. Maybe the people of Sodom and Gomorrah thought the same. Then seeds of this
liberal totalitarianism are sprouting even in evangelical circles, where
those who dare to oppose false teachings and the belittlement of sin are accused of division, are denied a voice from pulpits, radio and TV, and their books are refused.
Hunt gives also an answer to the question why the world embraces psychology so willingly. He cites 2Cor. 4,4: "the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not". And why is it that so many Christians join them? Because they love the world more than God, he says. Why should they reject psychology when they do not reject the rest of the world? Although Jesus commanded (1.John 2,15): "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." Or is it to escape the blame not to be "scientific" and be regarded as backward and inferior?
The main concern of the author is that psychology has redefined sin as sickness. So that it could excuse immorality and thereby encouraging it, drive the people further away from Christianity. The sinner is now diagnosed as in need of a therapy rather than being accountable and called upon to repent. Every kind of failure is excused as some kind of addiction. "Psychology has been rightly called the only profession that creates the diseases that it claims to cure."
Friends of the doctrine that the Scripture alone is necessary to cure people will find this book as an affirmation. Friends of psychology will have it difficult to sit through the whole book. They have something to digest.

Excellent Book.
I read this book after watching the documentary DVD and just by examining through the pages, It really gave me solid facts to Debunk Psychology Forever!! This book along with some other books from the Bobgans and other material coming from Psychologists who discredit's psychology, shed's light on issues that psychology claims can solve but in reality, it creates it's own problems. This book is a real blunt attack against "christian psychology"(which is really an oxymoron honestly speaking). It also helped me to stay away from dangerous 'psychotropic drugs' that psychologists prescribed to me when I was still seeing one. To those Genuine Christians who honestly want to seek answers about the dangers of psychology and to give some insights to the history of it's founders like Freud, Hung, Adler, this book is for you. It also helps Christians to have a more solid Biblical foundation to the truth of the Gospel.

My only reason for rating this book as four stars is that some portions of the book includes topics such as Dispensationalism and Eternal Security which to me is not suppose to be discussed in the book. Other than that, Dave and T.A. did an amazing job in researching and exposing some hidden truths about psychology, much as the same way they did in the Seduction of Christianity. ... Read more

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A theologian reflects on the issues that still divide scientists and religious believers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Mind-Expanding (For Those With An Open Mind)
This book is only about 200 pages, but I was frankly pretty spent by the time I reached the end, not because the writing isn't clear (it is), but rather because the material is inherently challenging.And how could it not be?After all, we're talking about the big questions, for which no one has definitive answers.

To be more specific, John Haught clearly knows his science and his theology, and this book provides a rather sophisticated and intense exploration of the relationship between the two (even though he modestly describes the book as only an "introduction" and a "prologue to conversation").He frames his exploration by making the strongest case he can for four different views:

1. The Conflict view argues that science and religion can't be reconciled, and science has a vastly stronger evidential basis, so religion should be disregarded.

2. The Contrast view argues that science and religion ask different kinds of questions and use different methods, so they occupy different spheres and can't come into conflict, even in principle, unless they're mistakenly conflated or trespass into each other's domains (eg, when science drifts into the metaphysical pretensions of materialistic reductionistic scientism, or when religion tries to discern the order of the natural world).

3. The Contact view argues that a rigid boundary between science and religion is both naive and unproductive, and that science and religion, though distinct endeavors, should enter into dialogue to try to learn from each other, especially in the direction of religion evolving with advances in scientific understanding (eg, in physics, cosmology, and evolutionary theory).

4. The Confirmation view goes further and argues that science and religion are fundamentally engaged in the same quest for deep understanding of reality and existence, so they should work together harmoniously.Religion should thus gladly encourage and appreciate scientific research, no matter where it leads, while science should recognize that it shares religions's faith and trust that reality is indeed substantially intelligible.

Haught lays out his main findings from this framework in the first chapter, so this chapter is almost a summary of the book.The remaining eight chapters then apply this framework to more specific questions (Was the universe created? Why is there complexity in nature? Etc.).Haught goes into quite some detail, weilding all sorts of plausible arguments and counterarguments to the extent that I sometimes felt dizzy.Applying the four-views "debate" format to each chapter does result in significant repetition, but I think the pros of this format outweigh the cons.

One significant limitation is that, for the purposes of the book, Haught takes "religion" to mean the Abrahamic religions in a general sense, and he takes God to mean their shared conception of a personal God.This of course leaves out both more specific and more general understandings of religion and God, and it also leaves out other very different understandings, such as found in the East.Haught's particular choice here certainly doesn't undermine the book, but one should at least be aware that a different choice would have resulted in a different book.

In the end, Haught favors the Contact and Confirmation views, but he's not dogmatic about it, and he shows a genuine desire for continued and open-minded dialogue.I tend to agree with him, though I admit that started the book with those leanings, so the book primarily expanded and enriched my mind rather than fundamentally changing it.In fact, the book reinforced my sense that anyone who has their mind firmly made up on these matters has probably forgotten (or never realized) the uncertainties and fallibility involved, and has thus probably become prematurely trapped in a hardened dogmatism without even realizing it (though, to avoid self-inconsistency, I recognize that I could be wrong about this).

In summary, I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sincere interest in exploring the relationship between science and religion.This book is an exceptional resource for that purpose, and the science isn't significantly dated, even though the book was published in 1995.Just be prepared to expend substantial mental energy in reading the book; you may finish the book feeling as perplexed as I was, but it's the good kind of perplexity which comes from earnestly grappling with deep (maybe intractable) questions and thereby better appreciating their profound complexity.

If You're an Idiot
I had to read this book for my Science and Religion class in college, and it was so redundant. The author says the same exact thing over and over. using various different kind of metaphors. I mean, I guess if you don't understand what he's trying to say, it helps that he's going over it over and over, so you can understand. But the material is pretty straightforward.
This book could probably be 1/3 of the length.
Maybe it's good for a person who's severely disinterested in the subject of Science and Religion, since it explains EVERYTHING. MULTIPLE TIMES.

Science & Religion- Haught
This is an excellent book for anyone struggling to come to terms with the complexity of the subject matter giving the student an in depth appraisal in the most readable manner.Highly recommended.

Excellent Introduction to the Science and Religion Debate
The title of this book aptly describes what has been happening more and more in the relationship between science and religion since the publication of Ian Barbour's Issues in Science and Religion in 1966. Fortunately, as John Polkinghorne has pointed out in his work, Belief in God in an Age of Science: "Only in the media, and in popular and polemical scientific writing, does there persist the myth of the light of pure scientific truth confronting the darkness of obscurantist religious error." I find this an excellent introduction for non-experts (such as myself or college students) to the central issues in science and religion today.
The author has been teaching a course in science and religion at Georgetown University for more than 25 years. This is perhaps why reading the book feels like participating in a debate in a university classroom. The fact that each chapter has as its title a crucial question contributes to this experience. For example, "Is Religion Opposed to Science?" is the title of chapter one. Then the question is analyzed under each of the four basic approaches that have been tried to relate science and religion: 1) conflict, 2) contrast, 3) contact, and 4) confirmation. Even though professor Haught clearly favors the contact and confirmation approaches, he does an excellent job in explaining with authenticity the other perspectives. This feature of the work will definitely induce discussion and debate in a classroom setting.

An excellent classroom tool
There are two kinds of textbooks for a course on science and religion.One is the book that tells you everything you need to know. Ian Barbour and Holmes Rolston III have produced marvelous examples. The other is the book that invites the reader deep into the issues at stake, with just enough information to make those issues clear.This second kind of book usually needs supplementary sources of information.Haught's book is of this kind, and is outstanding of the type. I know because I use it in my own classes.By presenting each issue from four different viewpoints, the book allows a reader to identify her or his own position, in relation to possible alternatives.The reader has to sort through the pros and cons given by proponents of the four positions.So the student is propelled to a critical evaluation of alternataives.Haught provides many samples of ideas from contemporary thinkers, both religious and decidedly unreligious.The samples open the way to using more material from these primary sources, all in the context of the arguments and reasonings presented in the book.It is an excellent educational tool. END ... Read more

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Is the human self singular and unified or do we each have several selves? This book explores the very different answers that Christian theology and the secular Human Sciences tend to give to this ancient question. The latter have largely abandoned the idea of the single unitary self, whereas the former continues to idealise it. Those few theologians that have taken the idea of self-plurality seriously deem it to be a pathological condition, indicative of a contemporary social malaise. Through an original analysis of recent theological and secular literature, this book examines and explains the extent of the disparity between the disciplines.Introducing a novel psychological framework to distinguish various understandings of self-plurality, the author argues that Theology's blanket condemnation of the notion is inappropriate. The author suggests that a possible reconciliation of theology and the human sciences depends upon a reconceptualisation of the self in terms of a personal narrative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Self et al.
The Self, et al.
Léon Turner's book Theology, Psychology, and the Plural Self represents yet another attempt to approach and catch a glimpse of the elusive concept of self. Many current books focusing on the topic of self situate the issue in the context of modernity and postmodernity. This is explicitly not the aim of Turner's endeavor in addressing the self, though he does provide essential contextual information in order to position his own thesis--a thesis that is at least implied in the "Plural Self" part of the title. The modern notion of self, as Turner points out, can be traced to a number of philosophical stances and persons, perhaps most famously Descartes. The hallmark of this self is the "I". The "I" is the exalted thing that thinks, certain of its own existence. Contrasted is the deconstruction wrought by postmodernist thought where the self is, at best, nothing more than a conglomerate of autonomous voices which are the product of social training and manipulation, and, at worse, nothing more than rhetorical flourish (17).

Turner's expressed interest in pursuing the self from another angle can be found in both his dissatisfaction with the lack of informed dialogue between the human sciences and theological anthropology, and, related to the first, many theologians' dismissive attitude regarding scientific findings that are construed as opening the door to dangerous postmodern rhetoric (self as nothing but social construction, etc.). Turner's central drive, then, is not to necessarily treat these competing views as such, but to look to the presuppositions of theological inquiry which, while conceding defeat with regard to the exalted "I" of Cartesian metaphysics, insists on treating multiplicity in the self as anathema. In transcending Cartesian notions of the static self, theological anthropology has embraced and developed a relational understanding (and Turner says this as a good, if not exhaustive, approach) of the human person, often in terms of perichoresis, but adamantly seeks a substantive foundation upon which this relational self can be positioned securely. The impetus for this, so Turner discerns, for theology is establishing the invariant entity that is the self-same entity through time, that is, personal continuity. Where theology errs is in its making continuity of self and the singularity of the self coterminous. In other words, the self as continuously the self-same agent through time is contingent on the notion of the self as unified, indivisible whole (67).

This is precisely where Turner's thesis comes to the fore: his contention is that this lack of distinction (between personal continuity singularity of the self) is not only unnecessary, but also debilitating--debilitating for both theology and persons in that it a priori precludes plurality of the self. Even if a substantive grounding of the self could be theorized, any such grounding would not be an exhaustive description nor understanding of the self (and consequently, the human person) so long as that grounding did not take into consideration what Turner considers to be considerable evidence and substantial consensus in the scientific community that the human person is not a unified whole, but develops as and consists of multiple sub-personalities. Turner argues that the human self is by its very nature plural and in asserting this he presents an important challenge to contemporary theological anthropology that interprets humanity's fallen state in terms of fragmentation and disunity.

Therefore, most theological anthropology focuses on the classical idea of the human person made in the image of God and in humanity's fallen state that image has become fragmented. Through sin, turn toward the self and away from others and God, the self has in fact become estranged and alienated from itself, others, and God--in a word, fragmented. The Church's mission, then, is to rehabilitate this fractured and fragmented self and integrate it back into a unified and single image. Wholeness, then, according this theology, is close to holiness. The plural self is construed as broken, indeed, it is pathologized and any notion of plurality is either indicative of sinful falleness (both of humanity and the individual) or of an actual mental disorder. Turner explores these sentiments via two theologians, Pannenberg and McFadyen, who, while conceiving of the self (as image) in terms of an eschatological human destiny and relational, communicative nature (respectively), both lapse into the coterminous singularity and continuity.

Thus, Turner approaches the belief from the opposite spectrum of much theological anthropology when he presupposes that the self is plural by nature in contradistinction to the presupposition that the self is single and unified whole. In addition to posing a challenge to current theological anthropology's understanding of fallen human nature, Turner's thesis simultaneously poses the question of whether or not there is a problem of the self at all. That there is a self to be talked about Turner concedes as a universally accepted fact (32). Self is certainly not a problem in that sense. The self, however, as dissolved and eroded by the winds of postmodernism could possibly pose a problem. However, the latter problem exists only where the assumption that a healthy self is a unified self is held or where multiple, disconnected selves are interpreted as unhealthy. If, on the other hand, plurality of the self is natural, the so-called "problem of the self" dissolves.

That the problem of the self dissolves does not mean, however, that the conversation becomes superfluous or irrelevant. Precisely the opposite is the case, Turner argues. It is the understanding of plurality as pathology or as fallen nature that stifles dialogue within theology and between theology and other scientific disciplines. The dissolution of the problem of plurality rather makes room at the table for multiple conversation partners and opens up the channels of communication where theology and the human sciences are informed by one another (66). Turner notes early on that "people are not what they use to be"(9). Society has changed, and the human self must deal with that change, but change is something the self has, indeed, always dealt with and will always deal with. Persons deal with those changes in a plurality of ways. In this sense, then, people are what they always have been: plural. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Psychology is a social SCIENCE
Two major notions dominate this book:
1) meaning systems
2) the principle of intratextuality

The idea of meaning systems seems to add practically nothing to the lay understanding of "meaning", as when I might say "This gives meaning to my life". If I were to ask myself just how it gave meaning to my life, I might note some behavior or behaviors of mine that indicated the meaning. Lay people like you and I can do this: psychologists add little if anything by elaborating on such understandings via the notion of "meaning systems". If someone comes to your door holding a Bible and wanting to share with you their feelings of being saved, you can assume without resort to psychologists that your visitor feels they have found something meaningful.

The principle of intratextuality is a fancy term. The authors "assume that fundamentialists are correct when they argue that a reader must go into the text and allow the text to speak for itself". They take this remarkable assumption very seriously, adding that "no discussion of fundamentalism can proceed meaningfully if it refuses to enter into the text and be obedient to the imperatives of the text". Covering Christian and Islamic fundamentalism, it seems amazing that the authors were able to be "obedient to the imperatives" of both the Bible and the Koran. Did some of the authors refuse to obey the imperatives of one text while the other authors refused to obey the imperatives of the other. Or did they find a way to obey both simultaneously. Or did they obey one, then renounce it so they could obey the other?Do they assume any imperatives of science that they remained obedient to during this process?

What you won't find in this book are interviews with fundamentalists or survey results gathered from fundamentalists. What you'll find here are speculation (some of it identified as "model-building") and assertion. The authors deliberately do not try to explain how a person becomes a fundamentalist: they assume that one has and then "describe" the effects. They don't offer any methodology for this describing, although description can be quite selective and, hence, biased. They don't describe problems fundamentalists have maintaining their faith. They don't describe people who leave fundamentalism; they don't describe people who go to Fundamentalists Anonymous. With some much emphasis given to the sacred text as "speaking", the role of leaders, the impacts of conformity or collusion, and consideration of possible manipulation go unaddressed. At times, it is not clear from the voice of this book whether the authors are speaking or whether they are describing what they think fundamentalists would say, as on page 36: "The text does not contradict itself". Perhaps this is the voice of a fundamentalist but, the authors having opened the book with an "About the Authors" that associates them with fundamentalist backgrounds and sympathies, it's hard to tell. For one of the authors, Ralph Hood, it states in this opening "About the Authors" section that he believes fundamentalist religion has been poorly portrayed in the psychology of religion ... " and the book's concluding paragraph states "Our purpose in this book has not been to defend fundamentalism as much as to critique the efforts of some scholars outside fundamentalism who are quick to assume nothing good can come of it". So is this book research or polemic? Is it held that if one picks any book as sacred and follows its dictates, that some good will come of it? Or does this just apply to the Bible and the Quran? If so, why? Perhaps the advice is to wait and see if some good comes of it and then sanction that book. Must just some good come of it or must it be on balance good. Who judges and how that when one picks up snakesenough good comes of it? If the authors can determine whether some good comes of fundamentalism, presumably they can determine whether more good comes of Christian fundamentalism or Islamic fundamentalism.

If we want to understand fundamentalists, perhaps we should just speak more with our fundamentalist neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And be skeptical of experts. ... Read more

Product Description
Finally, social scientists have begun to attempt to understand religious behavior rather than to discredit it as irrational, ignorant, or foolish--and Rodney Stark and Roger Finke have played a major role in this new approach. Acknowledging that science cannot assess the supernatural side of religion (and therefore should not claim to do so), Stark and Finke analyze the observable, human side of faith. In clear and engaging prose, the authors combine explicit theorizing with animated discussions as they move from considering the religiousness of individuals to the dynamics of religious groups and then to the religious workings of entire societies as religious groups contend for support. The result is a comprehensive new paradigm for the social-scientific study of religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Single Best Book on the Sociology of Religion
Acts of Faith represents the culmination of more than 30 years of research in the sociology of religion by Rodney Stark (and also Roger Finke).It is Stark's magnum opus, putting together in one place the distillation of all of his important research, and is the single best book on the sociology of religion that I've come across.While no single theory, even a good one, can explain religion adequately, Acts of Faith represents the single best attempt I've yet seen.Like any good theory, it has power to explain a wide range of phenomenon.While it's not a book above criticism, many of the more negative reviews misunderstand what Stark and Finke are actually saying.I first came across this book when I was pursuing my Ph.D. in Religious Studies.

Stark and Finke begin by properly destroying the secularization thesis as it was taught for several decades.The old secularization thesis stated things such as "religion is false and harmful" and "religion is doomed."Stark and Finke's response is to properly understand the ways in which this older secularization thesis has been radically revised.Not only is religion alive and kicking in the world, but the religious piety of the past was also not as great as has been assumed.

The heart of the book deals with what the authors refer to as "the religious economy."While there are certainly other legitimate ways of analyzing religion, Stark and Finke's model has great explanatory power.For them, "a religious economy consists of all the religious activity going on in any society."One of the most important corollaries of this view is that "The capacity of a single religious firm to monopolize a religious economy depends upon the degree to which the state uses coercive force to regulate the religious economy."This statement is profoundly true and useful: it helps explain, for example, why religion can look strong in state-sponsored churches and yet be inwardly weak.It also helps explain how the Christendom of Europe could give way to the current atheism.In contrast to "religious economies" that are regulated by the state, countries that have unregulated religious economies have religious "competition," which leads to higher levels of religious commitment.This helps explain, for example, why religion is still a lot stronger in America (historically an unregulated religious economy) than in Europe (historically regulated religious economies).

Along the way, Stark and Finke help explain many other human factors associated with religion and religious behavior.One of the most important of all, which everyone should be familiar with, is the notion that the density of social networks helps explain religious conversion: we're much more likely to convert to a new religion or denomination if the people who are closest to us are involved with the new religion or denomination.

The book is tightly argued and clearly presented, but the best feature of all is the back of the book (pages 277-288) where Stark and Finke list, in order, all of the definitions and propositions they have made throughout the book.This is an amazing summary of the book and makes it very easy to rehearse their arguments and to access them for further thought and research.I wish every academic book had this feature!


There's a lot more here than I can explain in a review, but I highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about the sociology of religion or wants to gain a better insight into the future of religion in the world.Other works by Rodney Stark are also worth reading, but this is the best of the best!

Compelling and informative, but somewhat biased
The authors propose that religion is analogous to a commodity that people buy. Religious behavior is said to be the result of people acting in their own interest. It is reinforced by dogmas claiming that good behavior will be rewarded in this life and the afterlife. Feelings of solidarity, friendships between parishioners, and other social interactions also reinforce religious behavior. These factors are most likely to be found in conservative religious groups. These assumptions allow the authors to account for many features of religion in contemporary society.

One of their most interesting arguments is that the absence of satisfactory sellers of religion suppresses church attendance in Europe whereas the abundance of denominations in the US stimulates church attendance. An equally interesting topic is the way they account for the decline in the number of people wishing to join Roman Catholic religious orders following Vatican II.

The treatment is very compelling but dry and academic. Much of the evidence derives from the authors' own research which focuses on the US and Europe. Latin America, Canada, Australia, and Islamic countries are not adequately covered. The rest of the world is not covered at all.

The book is marred by occasional criticisms of liberal religions, apparently because the authors perceive a bias against conservative religions in the literature. I would have preferred a more objective approach.

Good Economic Model of Religous Participation, But Flawed in Imprtant Ways
The main point of this book is that religious behavior conforms to the classic supply and demand economic model.Religions sell "products" and exact "costs."Cost/benefit determines why people join or leave religious groups.

Here is a partial summary of themes.

1) Religious belief is rational because believers evaluate the costs and benefits of their religious participation.They conclude that the benefits outweigh the costs.Therefore they are rational actors.

This is really silly.It confuses participation with belief.Yes, the perceived cost/benefit ratio may justify participation from a narrow economic point of view, but this says nothing about whether the actual beliefs are rational.Under S&F's analysis, participation in suicide cults, the Flat Earth Society, and spaceship cults is rational because the believer thought about participating and then concluded that benefits outweigh costs.

The authors also fail to recognize the equivocal nature of the term "rational."They use it in a narrow economic sense.But those who think religious belief is "irrational" do not disagree with this. They say, rather, that religious belief goes beyond the evidence, requires unwarranted, blind, assumptions, etc. and is therefore irrational.S&F do not address this conception of rationality. Accordingly, skip the first chapter. It's a waste of time.

2) Religious participation is subject to market principles of supply and demand.Religions exact "costs" for their "products" and religious participants are rational actors who perform cost/benefit analysis prior to engaging in religious activity.(Costs are such things as $$$, donations of time, willingness to undergo tension with surrounding culture, celibacy, separation from society, etc. Benefits are not usually material, but involve emotional satisfaction and often expectations of rewards after bodily death.)"High tension" groups exact more costs from their participants."Low tension" groups exact less.A bell curve shows that the MAJORITY of people want to be in medium tension groups, those in which they feel that they are making some sacrifices, (but not too many) and that they are different from the society around them (but not too different.) When Vatican II allowed nuns to dress in civies and live in apartments, recruitment dropped because nunhood was no longer so special.Women WANTED to pay the higher cost for a distinct and visible role in society.Post Vatican II they were just social workers and teachers who had to give up sex.People WANT to pay for a good religious product. If the product is watered down, they'll go somewhere else. Likewise if the product is too expensive, as in groups that require celibacy, separation from society, large financial donations, or that advocate doctrines that subject adherents to ridicule, members will leave. Thus, medium tension churches are the most successful.

When groups change from moderate tension to low or high tension, they tend to lose members. Liberal churches in the US are shrinking. When the Unitarian Universalists recently brought back some traditional elements of the liturgy, their numbers began to grow.

I would like to have been given more information on WHY folks are attracted to medium tension groups.

3) Free religious markets result in greater levels of religious participation. The United States is "the first fully unregulated religious economy."It has the highest level of religious participation.Countries with state monopolies on religion (most of Europe, including the Western democracies) have extremely low levels of participation.Pews are empty on Sunday in Sweden. Even though these countries are democracies, they restrict the abilities of unofficial groups to operate. This book contains some shocking information about the Western "democracies" and their repression and harassment of small, unofficial churches, like Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals.

Competition breeds increased religious participation because churches adjust their products to what the market wants.Also, the more supply, the greater likelihood that individuals will find a "vendor" that matches their preferences.

4) Religious preferences don't change much. Change in participation comes when the SUPPLY SIDE responds to existing demand. The US has had a 65% rate of church membership for decades, irrespective of economic conditions. When people change religions or churches, it is not because their beliefs (preferences) have changed. Rather it is because the new group better appeals to their existing preferences.(This is probably a controversial point. Do they REALLY mean that religious values don't change much?)

5) Secularization theory is all wrong. Those who say religion will die as society becomes more educated have been proven wrong.The industrialized world shows that this is not happening. Even in societies with low participation, "believing without belonging" is very high. (Western Europe has high rates of religious belief, but low levels of participation.)This section could be better.Perhaps secularization IS happening, it just doesn't manifest itself in more atheism. Perhapsgod is becoming less anthropomorphic, less active, and therefore less real.This could still count as evidence of secularization in a given society. The authors don't do a good job addressing this subtle point.

Overall, this book offers a believable and coherent theory as to why religions succeed or fail, and religious believers will be disturbed to find that their purportedly sacred activities are government by crass economic forces of the Adam Smith variety.Ironically, the authors come across as very pro-religion, and pro-conservative religion to boot, even appearing subtly to offer advice to the Catholic Church on how to get its act together (though they say they don't.)Their clear preference for traditional religion is annoying and inappropriate. No need to call the Jesus Seminar an exercise in "preening silliness" or make repeated to references for the alleged vapidness of liberal theology.Their scholarship does not quite cross over into advocacy, but their sympathies are tastlessly and unprofessionally evident.

Worth reading, but you may not need to now that you've read this review.

How religious groups work at a nuts and bolts level
I'm not sure whether to give this book a 4 or a 5...but to play it safe I'll make it a 4.

One of the main points of this book is that religion/religious groups far from being a display of "irrationality" are very rational and based in logic of members...and these same groups hold many benefits for their members.

Moreover, the author shows how "fundamentalist" churches have more to offer their adherents and thus are growing, while on the otherhand "mainline" churches have less to offer and are thus shrinking.

He moreover goes on to discuss the structure of the successful "mega" churches. He notes that while they are technically one big church, they are in reality a bunch of smaller fellowships (about 40-80 people large) within a bigger church. It's these intra-church fellowships which are the real facilitators of growth, not the huge sunday morning studies where people feel lost in the crowd.

Anyways, what I just mentioned is the tip of the iceburg in regards to this book. It also goes into issues of religious economy, how that economy differs from nation to nation, conversion vs natural increase, and many other aspects concerning the dynamics and organization of religious groups

Very engaging, but some serious faults
This book is packed with arguments, facts, theories, and ideas that anyone in the sociology of religion will be interested in. Stark and Finke are leaders in their discipline, and their work demands attention.
There is a lot that is good here. For example, their illustration of the ways in which social networks determine religious identity is key. I also appreciate the whole "religious economy" metaphor; indeed, religions do compete for customers these days and definitely "market" themselves, which I agree does cause more people to actually get involved. In short, advertising works -- and religions have figured that out.
I had problems with a lot of their assertions. For one: secularization. They claim that secularization theory is dumb, dillusional, and dead. Are they serious? C'mon. Just look at the data. The evidence is strong and clear: belief in God and church attendance are CLEARLy declining in places like great Britain, France, Holland, Germany (especially east germany), Czech Republic, and religion is at an all-time low in Scandinavia (!!) -- and also Japan. Secularization may not be happening in the U.S. or much of the world, but to deny its reality in most of Europe is simply blind. Look also at Jews -- most are now non-believers, even in Israel. Compare that to Jews 200 years ago -- yet another major example of secularization that S and F avoid dealing with. And also see the rates in Canada, where belief is also down (see Reginald Bibby)....for the evidence of secularization in selected countries, see the work of Steve Bruce, Grace Davie, and even the recent World Values Surveys from Inglehart, et al.
Another problem with this book is the wacky "rational choice" silliness. Please -- and these guys claim to have degrees in sociology? Rational choice theory is so pithy, so lame, so weak it is hard to believe ANYONE takes it seriously. The bottom line is that "costs" and "rewards" are subjective. And to say that people "choose" their religion is obviously true on some basic level, but it obfuscates broader cultural, historical, and social forces that make up the heart of the sociological imagination - see Phil Zuckerman's solid critique in his latest book on soc. of religion.
Finally, their clear argument in the Introduction that only persons of faith can be "truly scientific" when studying religion is laughable. ... Read more

Product Description
In the past century psychology has been practiced in the manner of medical science, working from the assumption that therapy can transcend particular ethnic and religious traditions. Seeking to move the conversation forward, this book argues for a theologically, culturally, and politically sensitive psychotherapy whereby the Christian psychologist treats the patient according to the particulars of the patient's political situation and ethnic and religious tradition, while acknowledging the role of his or her own Christian story in therapeutic dialogue. The authors point to the life of Jesus as the foundation on which to build a therapeutic ethic, appropriating the story of his life to bring healing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Challenge to American Psychology
In Peaceable Psychology, Drs. Dueck and Reimer have written a most compelling, challenging and at times disturbing book about the role of modern American psychology within the growing multi-cultural world, both overseas and here in the United States.The authors, rooted in their Anabaptist tradition, challenge us to reflect critically upon the assumptions, values and unconscious motives that drive our efforts to spread American-style psychotherapy around the world.While modern American psychologists believe that they are helping the world by exporting their knowledge, methods and psychotherapeutic delivery systems, we are in fact, in the opinion of the authors, "doing violence," a cultural violence upon those who we seek to help.We do this violence because in exporting the basic values of the modern western psychotherapeutic establishment, like individualism, secularism, scientism and materialism, we are undermining the culture of non-western clients and cultures.The best alternative, according to the authors, is a "peaceable psychology," a psychology grounded in the radical teachings and servant model of Jesus Christ, which has as its core values assumptions that are often different from modern western psychology.

R. Scott Sullender, Ph.D.
San Francisco Theological Seminary

A Peaceable Paradigm
I am not a psychologist, but I gained a great deal of insight from this book, and the peaceable psychology articulated by Dueck and Reimer could be transferred easily in the terms of a peaceable theology, a peaceable ethics or a peaceable ministry.

In short, Dueck and Reimer are practicing and pleading for a peaceable psychology grounded in the peace-making work of God in Jesus and oriented toward promoting peace with others through entering into their suffering, valuing their differences, dialoguing in their language, respecting their culture and traditions, and learning from their wisdom.

It is remarkable to consider how this peaceable approach to psychology could be applied to other disciplines and areas of ministry. Consider youth ministry. Can you imagine the effectiveness of a youth ministry grounded in the person and work of Jesus and oriented toward bringing peace into the lives of adolescents by entering into their suffering, valuing their unique differences, dialoguing in their language, respecting their culture and traditions, and learning from their wisdom (yes, adolescents have wisdom too!)? This is just one example of how the peaceable psychology advocated by Dueck and Reimer could bear fruit, even for those who are not trained in psychology or psychotherapy.

So even if you have never read a book on psychology before, A Peaceable Psychology would be a good place to begin. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most fascinating and enduring issues in the development of the modern world isthe relationship between scientific thought and religious belief.It is common knowledge that in Western societies there have been periods of crisis when new science has threatened established religious authority.The trial of Galileo in 1633 and the uproar caused by Darwin's Origin of Species(1859) are two famous examples.Taking account of recent scholarship in the history of science, Professor Brooke takes a fresh look at these and similar episodes, showing that science and religion have been mutually relevant in such a rich variety of ways that simple generalizations are not possible.Standing back from general theses affirming "conflict" or "harmony," which have so often served partisan interests, the author'sobject is to reveal the subtlety, complexity, and diversity of the interaction of science and religionas it has taken place in the past and in the twentieth century. Instead of treating science and religion as discrete definable entities, his approach is sensitive to shifting boundaries and willing to consider the contexts in which particular forms of science could be used both for religious and secular ends. The result is that, without assuming specialist knowledge, Brooke provides a wide-ranging study from the Copernican innovation to in vitrofertilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very good introduction to the subject
I think John Hedley Brooke brings out some very interesting material in this book. Various theses, interpretations and topics are analysed. The text serves as a primer for students of history of science and theology...

Lots of potential, but fails to deliver for this reader.
Without a doubt, John Brooke is very knowledgeable on the history of science and religion.His knowledge is evident in this book "Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives."Unfortunately, however, his writing style does not do justice to his understanding.Here are some of the major writing style concerns that I have.

First, he repeatedly quotes authors without providing references in the form of end notes.Take, for example, the second paragraph on page 119.It reads, "Aristotle had this to say in the context of explaining planetary motion, 'We are inclined to think of the stars as mere bodies or units...we ought to think of them as partaking of life and initiative.'"No end note!?This happens throughout the book and it is really annoying.He continually relies on quotes to support his arguments but you can't find the source of the quote.Or he often says, "so and so said..." but does not surround the supposed statement with quotation marks.This gives the book an unscholarly feel.So often I found myself thinking, "Well, should I trust Brooke, that he is correctly representing the ideas and comments of others?"This is a risk I am not willing to take.

Second, his writing style does a lot of what I call "name dropping."For example, he will be writing about Galileo, and then suddenly, in the same paragraph, slip in the name of some person and then say a thing or two about that person without providing a context or background about who that person is or why he or she is important.A little bit of this is ok, but there is too much of it and it gets annoying after a while, not to mention making it hard to follow the discussion.He takes too much for granted in thinking that the reader knows these obscure people.

Third, he often refers to Bacon, but which one!?Are you talking about Roger or Francis?This gets real annoying after a while.Again, he is taking too much for granted in thinking that the reader knows who he is talking about.

Fourth, the writing style in this book is, I hate to say, convoluted and oftentimes exhausting to read.Too often the reader has to stop, go back, and slowly read over again (and yes, again) to ensure full understanding.This makes reading the book laborious.Here is an example from page 109, first full paragraph."The scientific texts produced by Jesuit scholars were sometimes short on theory [how so?].This may reflect the belief [whose belief?] that catalogs of data [what kind of `catalogs of data'?] were more appropriate for teaching purposes or that there were pressures to shy away [what is meant by `shy away', and why?] from controversial ideas [such as...?].Even those who saw the need for theoretical models [what is meant by `theoretical models'?] sometimes exulted [you mean, `delighted in'] in a pluralism [theoretical pluralism?] that had the effect of giving priority to none"[which is to say that....?].This example contains many ideas, but they are just mashed together.All the while the reader is trying to keep pace as he or she goes along.Again, he takes for granted that the reader understands as he does.

Fifth, there are too many negatives.Try the following sentence found on page 19: "To say that religious belief could function as a presupposition of science need not [one] entail the strong claim that, without [two] a prior theology, science would never [three] have taken off."Reading this sort of verbiage page after page gets tedious.

On the positive side, he emphasizes the importance of interpreting past events within the context of which those events occurred.In all fairness there are a lot of gems in this book, if you don't mind hunting for them.But at some 347 pages long, I dare say that most people won't press forward to the end of the book looking for the gems.

In conclusion, Brooke is very knowledgeable, but unfortunately does not convey his ideas in a clear and concise manner in this book.It does not rise to the level of other books on science and religion, such as "Science and Religion" (by Ferngren) and "Religion and Science" (by Barbour).I can highly recommend these two books.

The best book I know on the topic
Brooke challenges many comfortable myths about the history of science andreligion in the West.Fans of Andrew White's "warfare"metaphor---that science and theology have always been in conflict with eachother---will find that this simplistic metaphor fails to capture thecomplexity of actual historical data.On the flip side, Christianapologists who maintain that Christianity deserves the lion's share of thecredit for the rise of natural science in the West will also find thatreality is much more complicated than this neat story would have it.Thebook is a must for anyone who is serious about understanding therelationship between these two powerful forces that shape so much ofWestern culture today. ... Read more

Product Description
This revised edition sets out to define the psyche and its place and purpose in the Universe. Using the kabbalistic and modern models, it traces the origins of humanity in the Divine Scheme. Then comes a detailed account of incarnation, gestation and birth, followed by the individual's physical and psychological development and the various processes of the mind. These include its negative aspects such as possession. As the ego, Self, individuation and collective levels are set out so the issues of fate, destiny and spiritual evolution are explored, leading to the Path of Inner Ascent to the Divine Realm. The many pictures and new diagrams enhance the exposition and will illuminate both old and new ideas about the psyche. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent intermediate-level explication
Part One is a plain and succinct explanation of Buddhist views on such concepts as consciousness, perception, non-self-hood, and the nature of suffering, with comparisons to Western thinkers such as Hume, Locke, and especially William James.I would highly recommend this for readers who have been introduced to Buddhism and who are seeking an understanding of unfamiliar concepts.

Part Two, a further examination of these concepts in later Buddhist schools of thought, is probably of interest to those at a slightly more advanced level of scholarship. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapman Univ., Orange, CA. Text provides an introduction to various religious traditions and concepts of psychology in each of these traditions. Includes contemplative psychotherapy, healing experiences, mysticism, storytelling, massage, acupuncture, and yoga-based psychotherapy. For therapists. Hardcover, softcover available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Breath of fresh air
This book is filled with chapters which take readers back to what therapy was in its original form - spiritual expansion and exploration. Each chapter is unique and distinct, yet all of them flow together in harmony. My favorite chapter is Tales of the Goddess: Healing Metaphors for Woman. This chapter offers a perspective which empowers women to fully claim their feminine power without agression against men. I found this book to be empowering, informational, and diverse.

Ground-breaking work for 21st century health & healing arts
This is an important anthology that brings together an impressively diverse number of scholars, healers, and other practitioners to share knowledge on the cutting edge of mind-body disciplines.It could not have appeared at a more opportune time.I would readily recommend most of the selections, particularly the chapter on Taoism.

A very meaningful book
This book is very interesting. It delivers the information in an original and mind catching way. The Indian chapter was especially intriguing. I hope everyone catches the important messages that this book contains.

A book whose time has come!
If ever such a book of wisdom and understanding was needed in world, now is the time! As our personal and collective awareness have become raw with violence perpetrated upon ancient separateness and hatred, this book becomes a must read over and over again. It is a profound resource for all of our altars - a multifaceted and powerful way to focus our prayers for wholeness and for healing - for each other and for our world.

A Serious Guide
Now that we've opened our minds to alternative healing, we have found that many of these spiritual practices have always been there!Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom is a guidebook to the psychological healing practices of the world's religious traditions. In her introduction to the book, editor and co-author Sharon Mijares guarantees us that this is not a treatise on dogma. She's right. It's a serious guide to spiritual healing practices detailed by thoughtful scholars and teachers qualified to share the power of spirituality.The book will be extremely helpful to practitioners, but this anthology of stories, chants, dances, and meditations is not simply a guide for professionals. It's a superb collection for the body/mind/spirit of the common reader as well. ... Read more

Product Description
The tensions often cited between psychology and Christianity are well known. Much worthwhile work has been done to construct theories and frameworks for integrating the two. But how do Christians in psychology actually weave together these strands of their lives and their work. What are their stories?Here Glendon Moriarty brings together twelve of the foremost clinicians and academics in the field of Christian integration to share their stories. Coming from different perspectives and experiences, reflecting gender and ethnic diversity, these prominent psychologists tell about their spiritual, personal and professional journeys of interrelating their faith and profession.In this book we hear about the developmental issues, the sense of calling and the early career insights that shaped their paths. They recount the importance that significant relationships had on their understanding of Christian integration, especially noting the influence of mentors. Struggles and doubts are common human experiences, and the contributors openly share the stresses they encountered to encourage others with similar issues. On a day-to-day basis, we see how spiritual disciplines and the Christian community assist them in their work and in their understanding. Finally, each writer offers a personal note with lessons learned and hard-won wisdom gained. Randall Sorenson once said, "The integration of psychology and Christianity is caught, not taught." In these stories is a unique opportunity to catch sight of twelve who have already traveled that challenging path. ... Read more

Product Description
Religious terrorism has become the scourge of the modern world. What causes a person to kill innocent strangers in the name of religion? As both a clinical psychologist and an authority on comparative religion, James W. Jones is uniquely qualified to address this increasingly urgent question. Research on the psychology of violence shows that several factors work to make ordinary people turn "evil." These include feelings of humiliation or shame, a tendency to see the world in black and white, and demonization or dehumanization of other people. Authoritarian religion or "fundamentalism," Jones shows, is a particularly rich source of such ideas and feelings, which he finds throughout the writings of Islamic jihadists, such as the 9/11 conspirators.

Jones goes on to apply this model to two very different religious groups that have engaged in violence: Aum Shinrikyo, the Buddhist splinter group behind the sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo subway system, and members of the extreme religious right in the U.S. who have advocated and committed violence against abortion providers. Jones notes that not every adherent of an authoritarian group will turn to violence, and he shows how theories of personality development can explain why certain individuals are easily recruited to perform terrorist acts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Psychology of Religion Text
Blood That Cries Out . . . is an engaging and timely text for teaching psychology of religion courses, and/or religion studies.Jones skillfully utilizes the psychoanalytic concepts of shame and idealization as primary rubrics to understand the dynamics of religious terrorism.The reader gains insight into the belief systems and the behavior of persons who justify violence on the basis of religious conviction as the psychological function of idealization and the effect of shame in personality formation are explicated.In addition to the psychological analysis, another strength of the volume is the inclusive range of religiosity addressed in the book: Islamic fundamentalism; violence in Japanese Buddhism; and U.S. Christian contexts.

Especially poignant is the author's experience not only as a clinician and educator, but also as a human being living in the vicinity of Manhattan on 911.The book is well written and compelling for anyone who seeks to understand the complexity of religion gone awry in our contemporary society. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

A Must Read in Psychology of Religion and Violence
James W. Jones follows up his previous book Terror and Transformation with a deeper and more refined analysis of the psychological dimensions of religious terrorism. In his brief and highly readable treatment, Jones considers the activities of religiously motivated terrorists from Mulim Jihadism to the violent Buddhism of Aum Shinryiko and violence arising from American Christian Apocalypticism. Recognizing the multidimensional reality of religiously motivated violence, Jones focuses specifically on the individual and group psychodynamics which support and encourage violent actions. His concluding chapter invites us to reflect on "so what?" Religion has the capacity to support violence, but religion also can offer ways to curb it: "Most of this book has been taken up with illustrating some of the ways that religions partake in and reinforce the psychological processes associated with violence and genocide. But the world's religions also contain resources for critiquing and transcending those same inner dynamics." [p. 159].

A reasonably good effort at difficult subject
Jones sets out to combine psychology and religion to create an understanding of what he calls "religious terrorism".He has some good points which are well-thought out such as sanctifying violence, sacrifice, and martyrdom.Other points, however, are either unsupported or contradictory.

"The failures, as much if not more than the successes, of the ideologies of modernity (capitalism and Marxism) are the breeding ground for fundamentalism and its violent offshoots." (pg 40)

This is a very interesting claim, but not only is this not supported anywhere in the text (it appears in a section on humiliation) but it is contradicted by Jones's own premise of religion being the primary factor in inspiring "religious terrorism".

"The usual sociological variables-poverty, lack of education, and so on-often appear to play little role and have little predictive value.One of the best predictors is religiosity." (pg 59)

So if the focus is religion, then how exactly is "modernity" to blame?

In most of his book Jones tends to dampen his own case.For example, he says that Arabs in the Middle East suffer shame and humiliation which inspires them to join terrorist groups, etc.Then he says that Jewish settlers in Israel also suffer shame and humiliation.This begs the question: why does one group have a serious problem with terrorist groups and not the other one?And doesn't this mean that humiliation ISN'T a key factor?The entire goal is to find the unique conditions under which terrorism is fostered.

Another problem is that he seems to quote the same few sources over and over again.

Leaving on a positive note:I took the time to read the book and review it (however poorly) so I would say that Jones has added to the discussion of terrorism.

Finely, the nuanced treatment on terrorism we've been waiting for.
The arguments of James W. Jones's new book do not merely balance the psychological lens with the socio-political lens when studying terrorism, they produce a fine-grained mode of analysis that enables readers to see how both lenses are always essential to understanding the genesis and virulence of terrorism. Historical examples and conceptual rigor are woven together in a remarkably accessible prose. Jones' achievement is to offer a book that is unique, one that stands out above the myriad of works treating terrorism today.

Mark Lewis Taylor
Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Theology and Culture
Princeton Theological Seminary

Terror In the Name of God
Dr. James Jones book, "Blood That Cries Out From the Earth" is the most important reflection to date on the relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the psychology of religous motivated terrorism.His approach is based on extensive research not only from a political, cultural or mitliatry nature but with a specific focus on the role of the religious mind.The world needs a spiritual/religious response in this time of terrorism. Jones outlines the underlining journey into the shame/humiliation, rigidity and splitting of terroism and leads the reader back to a vision of hope. Future engagement with this area of study must begin with facing this dreadful reality and forge forward with wisdom and compassion. PaulaJHamm, LPC,Member of American Psychoanalytic Association ... Read more

Product Description
In recent years a noticeable trend toward harmonizing the distinct worldviews of science and religion has become increasingly popular. Despite marked public interest, many leading scientists remain skeptical that there is much common ground between scientific knowledge and religious belief. Indeed, they are often antagonistic. Can an accommodation be reached after centuries of conflict?

Among the topics discussed are the Big Bang and the origin of the universe, intelligent design and creationism versus evolution, the nature of the soul, near-death experiences, communication with the dead, why people believe in God, and the relationship between religion and ethics.

In this stimulating collection of articles on the subject, the editors have assembled the thoughts of scientists from various disciplines. Included are works by such distinguished authors as Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Richard Dawkins, Richard Feynman, Kendrick Frazier, Martin Gardner, Owen Gingerich, Stephen Jay Gould, James Lovelock, Steven Pinker, Eugenie Scott, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Steven Weinberg, and many other eminent scientists and scholars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Excellent, well reasoned, rational arguments confirming that which all

Excellent, rational, well reasoned arguments, addressing the root cause for the past and ongoing "war" between science and religion; i.e. that war that only exists between the rational methodology of science - seeking the understanding of the physical world - and that of the irrational psuedo science - anchored in fundalmentalism - now masquerading with its new monica: "creation science".

Forensic Buff
This book is too complex for me. Maybe someday I will pick it up again.

One-sided
I am not a Christian but I still was offended by the one-sidedness of this collection of essays, most of which first appeared in Skeptical Inquirer.The volume is titled "Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?" but a more honest title would be something like "Scientists' Views of Religion: How to Leave it Behind". Out of the 39 essays, I counted barely a handful that defended religious views.There is a place for such a collection, but editors should have been more honest about their bias. That said, the essays did provide insight into the 'science overcomes religion' perspective.Especially helpful was Gould's essay presenting his famous 'non-overlapping magisteria' argument (that religion and science are not incompatable because they preside over entirely separate domains of values vs facts), and a rejoinder by Dawkins.

A good primer on the science/religion debate
Nearly all the essays in this collection are either transcripts of papers read at a "Science and Religion:Are They Compatible?" conference or reprints of essays that originally appeared in either the "Skeptical Inquirer" or "Free Inquiry."As such, they're addressed to an educated, nonprofessional audience.But for the most part, they're rigorously argued pieces that challenge the reader to take a close look at the relationship between scientific and the religious worldviews.

The minority opinion among the authors, most famously expressed in Stephen Jay Gould's essay (pp. 191-203) defending his NOMA (nonoverlapping magisteria) thesis, is that science and religion aren't incompatible because they ask separate questions, science dealing with facts and religion with values.Paul Kurtz argues (pp. 351-59) for a different kind of compatibility, one that recognizes that religious language is aesthetic but wholly mythical, and thus offers no serious challenge to religion.But most of the authors collected here tend to agree to one degree or another with Jacob Pandian's ("The Dangerous Quest for Cooperation between Science and Religion") suggestion that academic departments of religion be renamed "departments of superstition (p. 171), or Steven Weinberg's ("A Designer Universe?") claim that he's "all in favor of a dialogue between science and religion, but not a constructive dialogue.One of the great achievements of science has been, if not to make it impossible for intelligent people to be religious, then at least to make it possible for them not to be religious.We should not retreat from this accomplishment" (p. 40).

The overriding reason for dismissing the truth-value of religious claims is the authors' commitment to methodological naturalism, and the merits of that methodology is defended again and again in their essays.Part I uses the method to deny the cogency of design and cosmological arguments for the existence of God.Part II uses the method to criticize ID and creationism.Part III offers the most explicit defenses of naturalism found in the volume.Part IV focuses on the NOMA thesis.Part V applies the naturalist/physicalist method to questions of after-death existence.Part VI offers natural history explanations for the popularity of religious belief.Part VI offers essays that find great meaning and purposefulness in looking at the world through the lens of methodological naturalism.

As one would imagine, the quality of the articles is uneven--the contributions by Feynman and Lovelock, for example, are so flimsy that one wonders why they were included in the first place--but overall quite good.Especially noteworthy are the essays by Victor Stenger on the anthropic principle, Quentin Smith on big bang, Dennett on scientific method, the debate between Gould and Dawkins on NOMA, and Morton Hunt on the biological roots of God-belief.Editor Paul Kurtz's introduction to the collection is excellent.

My only reservation about the collection is that none of the authors really do a critical meta-analysis of methodological naturalism.An argument could be made that such an inquiry is outside the volume's scope.But it seems to me that an essay devoted to an explicit scrutiny of the strengths and limitations of naturalism as a method--and perhaps also a comparison of it methodological to ontological naturalism--would've been helpful.

Outstanding collection
This is an all star collection of essays by some very eminent scientists and others, including Richard Dawkins, Steven Weinberg, Richard Feynman, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Pinker, James Lovelock, Daniel Dennett, etc.Thrown in for "balance" or fairness are essays by some others who espouse views decidedly not congenial with those of Editor Paul Kurtz, who is the founder of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.

Most noticeable among the latter is William A. Dembski a mathematician and a well known proponent of Intelligent Design.I want to start with his essay which is entitled, "Skepticism's Prospects for Unseating Intelligent Design."

Immediately in the title we see employed one of the familiar tactics of the now discredited creationists, namely a statement presented slyly as "a given" about something that is in fact untrue.Dembski has skeptics (or actually evolutionary biology) attempting to "unseat" Intelligent Design.This is bit like the tail trying to wag the dog.The main thrust of Dembski's argument is that more Americas believe in design than in evolution.This "counting heads" sort of argument is obviously not science.It is an attempt to politicize science, to make what is true dependent upon what a majority of people think is true.

Dembski writes, "To allow an unevolved intelligence a place in the world is, according to skepticism, to send the world into a tailspin.It is to exchange unbroken natural law for caprice and thereby destroy science." (p. 91)

This is insincere since what Dembski really is saying is "To allow God a place..."Science would be glad to allow God a place in the world if it were somehow established that God exists.So far, after many, many centuries of trying, no one has been able to provide any evidence that God exists.Furthermore if God should become scientifically manifested, the skeptic's world would not be thrown into a tailspin.Rather skeptics would have a little less to be skeptical about!

What Dembski is really asserting here is the simple statement "If God exists, then skeptics think science will be destroyed."It's really laughable how the euphemistic expressions for God that the Intelligence Designers contort themselves into tend to turn their prose into babblelese.

Dembski finishes with some bogus claims for ID, some satirical "action points" for skeptics, and then returns to his main theme: "Poll after poll indicates that for most people evolution does not provide a compelling vision of life and the world." (p. 97)

Well, science move aside!The people have voted!Reminds me of the bumper sticker, "God said it.I believe it.That settles it."

More typical of the profound thought and expression in the book is the brilliant essay by Steven Weinberg entitled, "A Designer Universe?"This essay includes the famous statement: "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil--that takes religion." (p. 40)

Another nice Weinbergian expression is this as a kind of comment on the idea that God gave humans free will as a way to account for evil in the world while maintaining an all powerful and benevolent God: "It seems a bit unfair to my relatives to be murdered in order to provide an opportunity for free will for Germans, but even putting that aside, how does free will account for cancer?Is it an opportunity of free will for tumors?" (p. 38)

Still another is this as a counter to the idea of God the Designer: "if...you believe in a God who is jealous, or loving, or intelligent, or whimsical, then you still must confront the question `Why?'" (p. 38)Consequently, such a God is not the entire answer and really begs the question, "Who designed him?"

This point is generalized by asking "Why is this theory compelling and not another?Why quantum mechanics and not Newtonian mechanics?"Weinberg concludes, "So there seems to be an irreducible mystery that science will not eliminate." (p. 33)This mystery, this uncertainty, is what creationists would like to eliminate.But I believe the mystery is part of the human condition and something to revel in, not something to sweep under the rug with authoritarian certainty.

Another outstanding essay is by Victor J. Stenger, "Anthropic Design: Does the Cosmos Show Evidence of Purpose?"He concludes with this beautiful view of the cosmos: "The hundred billion galaxies of our visible universe, each with a hundred billion stars, is but a grain of sand on the Sahara that exists beyond our horizon, grown out of that single, original bubble of false vacuum.An endless number of such bubbles can very well exist, each itself nothing but a grain of sand on the Sahara of all existence.On such a Sahara, nothing is too improbable to have happened by chance." (p. 45)


One of the most straightforward and appealing statements in favor of science is this from David A. Shotwell in his essay "From the Anthropic Principle to the Supernatural": "If you admit the supernatural into your calculations, anything goes.That is why a supernatural explanation is useless to a scientist, however pious he may be on Sundays.It provides no direction for research, suggests no testable hypotheses, and gives no reason to expect one result rather than another...." (p. 49)

I'm running out of space, but be sure and read Daniel Dennett's profound and witty homage to science entitled "Why Getting It Right Matters: How Science Prevails."Here's a quote: "Alongside our tools for agriculture, building, warfare, and transportation, we have created a technology of truth: science." (p. 156)

Here's another about "a standard of truth [from Plato] to be aspired to by all truth seekers."This standard is "heavily relied upon, even in matters of life and death--by the most vigorous opponents of science.(Or do you know a church that keeps track of its flock, and their donations, without benefit of arithmetic?)" (p. 157)
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Product Description
Birgitta Mark shows how mystical experience covers three aspects of a person's general experience: mystical ideas, mystical states of consciousness and mystical development. In this comprehensive and balanced study, she examines the state and theory of mysticism, explores the credibility of evidence for mystical experience, including the latest scientific theories of consciousness and neuronal activity and how they influence mysticism, delves into the writings and subsequent interpretations of the mystical experience of John of the Cross andconnects evidence and hypothesis within his writings.

The author notes that her own understanding of consciousness is based upon S.A. Greenfield's theory of consciousness and A.R. Damasio's theory of emotions. In her own view, she says, the main cause of the promotion of mystical development is the recurrence of such mystical states of consciousness.

This well-researched book would be of great interest to scholars of religion, mysticism, and psychology and others who wish to learn more about our understanding of mystic states and how they affect and are affected by the persons who have experienced them through history. ... Read more

Product Description
The Handbook of Religion and Mental Health is a useful resource for mental health professionals, religious professionals, and counselors. The book describes how religious beliefs and practices relate to mental health and influence mental health care. It presents research on the association between religion and personality, coping behavior, anxiety, depression, psychoses, and successes in psychotherapy and includes discussions on specific religions and their perspectives on mental health.

Key Features
* Provides a useful resource for religious and mental health professionals
* Describes the connections between spirituality, religion, and physical and mental health
* Discusses specific religions and their perspectives on mental health
* Presents research on the association between religion and personality, coping behavior, anxiety, depression, psychoses, and successes in psychotherapy ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An amazing creation and resource!
This book is a must have resource for anyone interested in the plethera of studies published in the field of religion and healthcare. This book is the most comprehensive collection of all the related studies ever done to date. Koenig, McCullough, and Larson have brought an enormous resource to the hands of those who need them. Personally, I have found this book to be extrememly helpful in resourcing the various studies related to my own work.The medical field is becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between religion and spirituality with health. Perhaps this powerful collection will help spurn others to contribute to this growing field! ... Read more

Product Description
This wide-ranging exploration of the spiritual and scientific dimensions of dreaming offers new connections between the ancient wisdom of the world's religious traditions, which have always taught that dreams reveal divine truths, and the recent findings of modern psychological research. Drawing upon philosophy, anthropology, sociology, neurology, literature, and film criticism, the book offers a better understanding of the mysterious complexity and startling creative powers of human dreaming experience. For those interested in gaining new perspectives on dreaming, the powers of the imagination, and the newest frontiers in the dialogue between religion and science, Visions of the Night promises to be a welcome resource. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent Book!
This is a fantastic book.I suggest every women read this. I am recovering from an eating disorder and along with therapy this book has changed my life.I have two young daughters and reading this really helped me to get a fresh perspective on when matters.

Required reading
Reviewed by Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted and Madness: A Bipolar Life:

"This book should be required reading. We have believed for so long that there is only one kind of beauty, only one `perfect' body, and have similarly come to believe that our disordered attitudes toward food are actually normal. They are not. Lelwica overturns these assumptions, asking us to examine our long-held faith in the tragic Religion of Thinness, and opens the door to a new way of being in our bodies and in the world."

Brilliant!
Reviewed by Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me:

"Stop battling your body, and fill your life with connection, balance, and joy. With a focus on mindfulness and cultural criticism, including real advertisements to analyze the media's true message, Lelwica teaches the reader to question society's superficial ideals. Her concept of forming communities to discuss these topics is brilliant! It is a must-read for men and women of all ages!"

thoughtful and comprehenive
Reviewed by Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, MEd, author of The Rules of "Normal" Eating:

"Through a thoughtful, comprehensive critique of the religious, gender-based, and cultural factors that brainwash women to be pro-thin and anti-fat, Lelwica gently guides the reader to question body hatred and the quest for body perfection. Moreover, she provides a way out of women's obsession with thinness--through body and emotional mindfulness and critical assessment of cultural messages--that will bring them true inner peace and happiness."

A comforting, encouraging read
This book is a good book, a solid book, and one that promises to provide comfort to those struggling with an unruly preoccupation with food and eating.

Lelwica draws on categories of religious studies to help her identify the forces that conspire to keep women and men focused on food as the answer to the needs of their "spirits." For each category (myth, icon, ritual, morality, community, and salvation), she relates why humans need it, how religion has historically provided it, and how the religion of thinness tries--and fails--to provide it. She discusses alternatives that various religious traditions offer, and guides readers in finding their own paths.

Using this approach, Lelwica is able to make several important points.

The first is: It's not (just) about you.Eating disorders, she writes, are "rational responses" to a "culture that demands we be thin" (xxiii). While other authors analyze the social context of eating disorders, Lelwica's categories allow her to map how images (of thin models) reinforce myths (about how thinness leads to happiness, health, goodness, and social acceptance), which individuals enact through specific rituals (like counting calories), in community with others (who are also dieting), that serve to reinforce the idea that the myth is true.

A second and related point is that you can't (just) think your way out of an eating disorder (278). As important to thinking critically about cultural beliefs, images, and practices is the process of developing beliefs, images, and practices that embody a different worldview--one, for example, that affirms human bodies in all their diversity.

A third point Lelwica makes is that practices of mindfulness in particular offer an excellent tool for helping to develop these alternatives. Exercises in each chapter encourage readers to cultivate an awareness of their bodily sensations, so that they will be able to discern how they have been captivated by a "religion of thinness," and find in their bodies a "source of wisdom" (187). (A point with which I very much agree! See What a Body Knows: Finding Wisdom in Desire). We can learn to find, trust, and move with the wisdom of our bodily selves.

In all these ways, Lelwica's excellent book enhances our understanding of eating disorders and opens new routes to overcoming them. ... Read more