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Fans of Cynthia Ozick are likely already familiar with Ruth Puttermesser, whose highly educated, unlucky-in-love but rather mystical existence as a Jewish woman in New York City has been chronicled in previously published stories appearing occasionally through the years. The Puttermesser Papers collects the old stories, along with several new ones, combined to create a funny and surreal picaresque narrative, touching upon Puttermesser's job at a blueblood law firm, her creation and intellectual sparring with the golem she makes out of soil from her flowerpots, her term as mayor of New York, her own death by murder, and beyond.
Book Description
With dashing originality and in prose that sings like an entire choir of sirens, Cynthia Ozick relates the life and times of her most compelling fictional creation. Ruth Puttermesser lives in New York City. Her learning is monumental. Her love life is minimal (she prefers pouring through Plato to romping with married Morris Rappoport). And her fantasies have a disconcerting tendency to come true - with disastrous consequences for what we laughably call "reality."
Puttermesser yearns for a daughter and promptly creates one, unassisted, in the form of the first recorded female golem. Laboring in the dusty crevices of the civil service, she dreams of reforming the city - and manages to get herself elected mayor. Puttermesser contemplates the afterlife and is hurtled into it headlong, only to discover that a paradise found is also paradise lost. Overflowing with ideas, lambent with wit, The Puttermesser Papers is a tour de force by one of our most visionary novelists.
"The finest achievement of Ozick's career... It has all the buoyant integrity of a Chagall painting." -San Francisco Chronicle
"Fanciful, poignant... so intelligent, so finely expressed that, like its main character, it remains endearing, edifying, a spark of light in the gloom." -The New York Times
"A crazy delight." -The New York Time Book Review
Customer Reviews:
interesting..........2007-01-04
This book came as a pleasant surprise! I had heard about the author (Cynthia Osick) and became curious. The book is very unusual and reports different episodes in the life a lawyer in New York, which are quite imaginative and fantastic. It is amusing as the main character seems to be a pathetic woman but slowly as the story progresses I came to feel that we all are pathetic too. I'm not sure that I got all the meaning of the author but it was fun and enjoyable.
Puttermesser for President.......2006-05-24
Cynthia Ozick has written another wonderful romp through a make-believe world that that reminds one of the verisimilitudes of insanity. THE PUTTERMESSER PAPERS will either draw you in so quickly the pages do not turn fast enough, or put you off immediately, in which case only a valiant effort will take you beyond page fifty. I was among the former group, and found the main character's ups and downs quite compelling. Who doesn't want to create their own personal muse/agent/protector out of potting soil? Golems... again, you either love them or... Ozick shows how love is often not easily recognized, and why, when we miss it, there are consequences.
And even if for only half a term, NYC could use a mayor like Puttermesser...
Oh to be smart.......2005-10-02
Is life really this frustrating for intelligent Jewish females in New York city? This novel (as is clearly enough noted in these reviews, really a collection of stories / novellas) describes various stages in the life and death of Ruth Puttermesser, who was brilliant in law school, but somehow never managed to turn that into a successful career, let alone a satisfying relationship. Meanwhile, the reader can sit back and watch as she briefly becomes mayor -- her downfall is as fast as her rise -- or gets married to a younger man whose whole purpose in doing so was to leave her.
For reading this book, it's good if you have a broad education, otherwise certain -- sometimes essential -- point might escape you. Still, Ozick's erudition is sometimes a bit much: as if she had swallowed an encyclopaedia. Also, her writing style relies a bit much on a particular trick: paragraphs start out with narratively relevant material, but then peter out in (oh so) witty observation. "Puttermesser had a younger sister who was also highly motivated, but she had married an Indian, a Parsee chemist, and gone to live in Calcutta. Already the sister had four children and seven saris of various fabrics." Cute, but after a couple of times it becomes a trick.
Death Is The Ultimate Truth.......2004-11-04
In Ozick's book, "The Puttermesser Papers" the reader encounters brilliance, insight and literary wisdom which is perhaps unsurpassed. The book presents the dilemma of a highly trained and highly intelligent and highly well read protagonist, who observes her life and presents her life philosophy, as it tangentially touches the rest of the world. Despite this life of mostly solitude and unhappiness there is the incisive uncovering of a universality of man/woman.
The book discusses the cycles of life, and afterlife, through the eyes of the protagonist, Puttermesser. Her life starts on a good footing; she makes certain decisions that are done mostly for ethical and aesthetic reasons. The changes make her happier, sometimes, and unhappy most of the time. Nonetheless, she perseveres. She stumbles through life's pitfalls and works them through, both professionally and personally. In fact, with a little help from some spiritual friends, she rises to exalted levels of power.
But, then the cycle changes. Those same friends that got her to high places, conspire to ruin this achievement, and in fact are successful at destroying it. She becomes a pariah in her own town, in her own neighborhood. And she sadly watches as all she has accomplished comes undone.
At the nadir of her life, she dies. And she does not just die, she is murdered. But that is not where the story ends. The story continues into Paradise, the Garden of Eden, Heaven, where she finds what she did not really expect. In Paradise, she finds that it is only necessary for one to 'think it so,' and it is so, in Paradise. But similarly to real life, all things must pass, and thus whatever one thinks into existence in Paradise, is also destined to disappear. And thus, Ozick reveals, that Paradise is not only Heaven, but also Hell simultaneously: A simulacrum of life.
And thus, Ozick leaves us with the age old question: Is it better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all? Or, as Ozick put it "Better never to have loved than loved at all. Better never to have risen than had a fall."
The book is recommended for all highly read people as the literary references are many. And the uses of them are brilliant. In addition, the book is recommended to anyone who is trying to answer the question of love, in terms of whether it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. The book provides spiritual, mundane and metaphysical thoughts on the cycle of life and afterlife, that provide highly provocative concepts to consider with regard to that question.
A Portrait of Desire.......2004-10-16
Ruth Puttermesser's world is an entertaining portrait of desire. It is desire (not intelligence)that defines Puttermesser, and desire that undoes her--inch by inch. This narrative tap dances through the decades of Puttermesser's life in a lively and colorful sequence of stories, sub-stories and letters. This is a New York story of desire (which I believe is what pumps the blood in and out of NYC)--the setting is inextricable from the plot. Was Puttermesser NYC personified in this book of magical realism? Reading this book was much like visiting New York city; I was surprised, delighted, horrified and saddend all at once. But most of all, I was satisfied.
Customer Reviews:
Another excellent Lynne Graham for my collection!.......2006-07-06
Lynne Graham never disappoints. She's my favorite Presents author because she delivers the goods every time. The sexy, rich tycoons and beautiful heroines jump off the page. Her storylines and dialogue keep you riveted. Ms. Graham does two things I really love: she often gives you a glimpse of what is going on in the male character's head and she infuses her stories with humorous/outrageous dialogue. The Presents line needs more authors like her. Snap up her books!
The Disobedient Mistress by Lynne Graham (Large Print Harlequin).......2006-06-17
Description from the book back cover:
Mistress in name only? Misty Carlton is shocked when Leone Andracchi offers to help her out of financial difficulty. Surely there must be a catch? There is ... The ruthless and sexy Sicilian tycoon needs her to pose as his mistress for a couple of months! Misty is compelled to take on the job. After all, Leone has asked her to be his mistress in name only. How hard can that be? But quietly, Leone is struggling to resist this beautiful woman he's brought into his life. She's gotten under his skin like no one ever before. Is it too late to change the plans he's set in motion?
A good read.......2003-09-14
Very good read and interesting story line. The best thing about this book is that it is one of a three part series 'sister brides'. If you enjoyed An Arabian Marriage , Heiress Bride this is the middle book of the series. I qiute enjoyed reading all of them.
wow, hot book.......2003-07-03
I loved this book and I also highly recommend it's sequal THE HEIRESS BRIDE which was also very very good.
The heroines in both stories are very strong and survivors. They both end up with rich powerful men who although are ultra alpha and of course who can be real cads in the beggining of the story, they more than make it up in the end by becoming wonderful and loving husbands. I am a Lynne Grahm addict, I can't get enough of her stories and these 2 books are 2 of my favorites by her.
Lynne does it again........2002-11-18
Ms. Lynne always gives a good conflict. Good story.
Product Description
How have I gone from being a defender of Christianity to an atheist? That is the question of this book. I was a Christian apologist set for the express purpose of defending Christianity from intellectual attacks. I was not afraid of any idea, because I was convinced that Christianity was true and could withstand all attacks. Now I turn that same intellectual muscle into questioning the things I formerly defended.
There are three major experiences that happened in my life that changed my thinking. They all happened in the space of about five years, from 1991-1996. They are: 1) A major crisis, 2) plus information, 3) minus a sense of a loving, caring, Christian community. For me it was an assault of major proportions that if I still believed in the devil would say it was orchestrated by the legions of hell.
Afterward I began to doubt the very things I had previously argued for. You see, I knew most of the arguments against Christianity, and as a philosophy instructor in a secular college I could debate both sides of most any argument. Anyway, I have told people time and time again that I could teach philosophy until I was blue in the face so long as I knew I had a loving, caring, and faithful Christian community to fall back on after my class is over. When that fell through the floor, the doubts crept in my life.
As the doubts crept in, my life changed, and so did my thinking. This book shares both the experiences that changed my life, and focuses on the ideas that I now reject. It is a look at Christianity from an insider's perspective from start to finish.
Customer Reviews:
This is the best single overall refutation of Christianity you can buy!.......2007-10-08
I was raised in a Christian Fundamentalist home my whole life. From first through 12th grade I was home schooled, and was taught everything through the Christian fundamentalist lense. After High school I attended a hyper fundamentalist place called Honor Academy. At Honor Academy I gained interest in philosophy and Christian apologetics and decided to dedicate my life to Christian apologetics. I am 23 now and since then I have read hundreds of Christian Apologetics books. I have read all of Lewis, all of Schaeffer, all of Peter Kreeft, all of Dr. Geisler's books, including his encyclopedia A-Z twice, and his Systematic Theology twice, I have read Plantinga, McDowell, Craig, Ravi, Moreland, Holding, Swinburne, N.T Wright, Paul Copan, R.C Sproul, Van Til, Gary Habermas, Lee Strobel, David Noebel, Francis Beckwith, Chuck Colson, Nancy Pearcy, Chesterton, Stuart C. Hacket, Martin, Richard Purtill, and many other Christian Philosophers and theologians . I was until recently enrolled at Dr. Geisler's school to study apologetics and philosophy.
This year I decided in order to be fair and honest to read all the top skeptical books on religion. So I did some research and made a list of over 100 books. I am now at book 76 and consider myself a confident Atheist. This book was one of the first I read. I was drawn to it since Mr. Loftus used to be an Apologist. This was the first skeptical book I read that made me seriously realize that I could be dead wrong! I hope Mr. Loftus keeps on writing, the market is very strongly in need of literature like his.
I think this book is the best single overall refutation of Christianity written, especially at the popular level. I think this book is superior for multiple reasons.
1. Its scope and coverage is more exhaustive on issues crucial to Christianity then other books.
2. Mr. Loftus anticipate objections from Christian philosophers and theologians that most skeptics do not, due to their lack of familiarity with the other side.
3. The book packs so much in such a little space, it has amazing brevity and at the same time brilliantly dismantles many core Christian beliefs and deals with many central issues that are left out of other works
4. The authors familiarity with Christian Theology and philosophy makes him much better at drawing fine and important distinctions that other skeptics miss, due to their lack of expertise of the other side.
5. The personal Deconversion narrative woven through out the book gives it an informal and personal touch that makes it more fascinating to read than other skeptical books. Plus he is the only skeptical author that I know of that was a highly competent Christian Apologist and Philosopher, this of course is another unique feature.
6. The authors non-abrasive style sets your book apart from many other skeptic books. He wrote the book in such a way as not to polarize the believer. The average believer would be much more likely to read this book than other similar books due to his respectful manner. This I congratulate him on.
There are many other noble things about his book. But basically what I am saying is that I think Mr. Loftus has written by far the best single overall refutation of Christianity in print! This is the best book to give to a believer. If I could only pick one book for my Christian friends to read, this book by far wins, no contest. If your a skeptic you should buy multiple copies for your friends and family, and if your a believer you should do yourself a favor and buy copies for yourself and your friends and start honestly examining the claims of Christianity from both sides.
This guy was no apologist.......2007-10-08
The title of this book is a little bit misleading. This guys claims that he was formerly an "apologist." Unfortunately, having a head full of knowledge, answers, etc. does not an apologist make. A true apologist is able to look at the philosophy of atheism (or any other competing worldview/religion) and recognize the internal flaws and inconsistencies of the philosophy.
Atheism is full of poor philosophy (begging the question, special pleading, etc.), and a true apologist would not only be familiar with the objections presented toward Christianity by atheism, but would have an understanding of why the atheist's arguments are flawed. Being familiar with their arguments is worthless if a theologian is unable to explain the internal inconsistencies and poor philosophy.
On to the substance of the book...
As stated in many of the comments here, this is just a guy who threw a temper tantrum when things didn't turn out the way he wanted them to. He blames God for the way God's people act as a result. This is absolutely ridiculous...if someone were to have a child, and that child were to grow up and murder someone on their own free will, would the parent stand trial.
Enough said...I feel sorry for this guy, but his ad hominem arguments and senseless ramblings aren't worth your money. He tried to do something - and expected others to do something - that nobody can do: live a good, Christian life; and he blames God for the shortcomings of God's children.
Ridiculous.
I feel sorry for any student who has learned "philosophy" from this man.
I know I'll be put to the flames for this, but that's just because the so-called "free thinkers" aren't really "freely thinking."
Catharsis.......2007-09-22
Mr. Loftus has written a thorough treatise on why he rejected his evangelical Christianity and became and atheist. This is not solely a personal account of why he left the church and ministry, although it starts out that way. The book begins with a brief biography, explaining how he became so enamored of evangelical x-tianity that he eventually made the ministry his livelihood. It is particularly honest of Mr. Loftus to quote his early writings in these passages so the reader can see how thoughtful yet profoundly mistaken he was.
The remainder of the book is Mr. Loftus addressing some of the main problems of the Jesus religion and the Bible. He wants the reader to understand that he did not reject x-tianity so he could sin and not feel guilt--his was a thoughtful and scholarly admission that x-tianity cannot be a description of real historical events upon which a person should base her/his life.
If Jesus was a historical figure, about which no one can be certain, he did not perform miracles; he probably didn't die on a cross or tree; and he most certainly didn't arise zombie-like from the dead and scare gullible folk in Palestine before ascending to heaven. The Bible, Loftus comes to understand, is mythologic ramblings of superstitious peasants. The story of Adam and Eve is clearly a fable; there was no universal flood; people don't repent in a whale's gullet and then preach to Nineveh. The Gospels are clearly embellishments of an early god-man myth, the writers of which are clearly trying to convince other people to believe in their brand of x-tianity rather than trying to tell us of real events (to which they could not have been witnesses).
An important fact arises from Mr. Loftus' discussion--intelligent adults rarely becomes x-tians. The author, William Craig Lane, and most people who babble about x-tianity joined before they were thinking clearly (as adolescents), or were inculcated as children. An intelligent outsider would never buy all the baloney that is x-tianity.
After coming to these shocking conclusions, Mr. Loftus was left with no choice but to look at the world rationally and employ healthy skepticism as he re-created his entire world view. The bulk of Mr. Loftus' exegesis is lengthy quotations from John Hick, William Craig Lane, and many apologists from the InterVarsity Press (what a freakshow that place must be!). This is a highly recommended read for those who have the courage to examine the predominant superstition in the United States.
the former and the weasel..........2007-09-04
One thing that both Christianity and Atheism show is that there seems to be no escape from dogmatism for the intelligentsia of all ages throughout the entire history of society. Organisation around ideas is the rule and not the exception within the scope of the human social experience. Case in point: these three sentences.
LOL.......2007-08-17
Another laughable attempt to use logic where there is no bases for it.
You cannot prove or disprove God. This is the only truth.
The author by his own admission is jaded. Not because of truth, but because he had some bad experiences. He can doctor it up however he wants with as many words as he wants but that is the best summary of this book and ones like it.
Book Description
Dark Horse Comics presents the latest volume of Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... featuring classic Star Wars stories not seen in over twenty years! Originally printed by Marvel Comics, these stories have been re-colored and are sure to please Star Wars fans both new and old. Volume 3 collects issues 39-52 of the original Marvel run and begins with a re-telling of The Empire Stikes Back and continues past that to adventures such as "Droid World" and "The Last Jedi." Before midi-chlorians, before Jar-Jar Binks, these are the continuing adventures of Lucas's first star-faring team in a freshly imagined universe.
Book Description
HAVE A NICE AFTERLIFE
Werewolves, demons, monsters, vampires. All these ferocious creatures are afraid of the same thing: the beautiful Princess Hime, an awesome warrior who fights off the forces off evil with a chainsaw and a smile. Not only does she look great in a tiara, she has magical powers that allow her to raise the dead. She’s a girl on a mission, and with the help of her undead servant and a supercute robot, there’s no creature of darkness she can’t take down!
Customer Reviews:
Good but..........2007-07-23
... not as good as the anime. I saw the anime first at an anime convention and then, realizing there is also an manga, rushed to get the book. Its not often I say this but the anime is much better than the manga.
Story - while on his way to his new home (a mansion his sister will be the maid for), Hiro meets the mistress of the mansion. Unfortunatly, he is killed moments after meeting her. To his surprise, he wakes up, restored by the blood of Hime, the mansion mistress who turns out to be the daughter of the King of monsters, making her the monster princess and giving her blood the power to bring people back to life. Now, Hiro is her slave and is forced to protect Hime from her power-hungry siblings because, if she dies, so does he!
The anime (called Monster Princess, which I think is a better title) gave the characters much for depth and personality; the manga characters seemed blank and lacking personalities. Other than this, its still a great story line and I will be getting the second book but I highly recommend watching the anime first (by DVD or Net, whichever).
The only reason Im not giving this manga three stars is because a friend of mine who did not see the anime read it and said she really liked it, meaning it can be enjoyed without seeing the anime.
So, not the best but certainly not horrible. Maybe look into the anime and then into the manga. Your choice. Enjoy it either way!
Book Description
King Tane Willowstorm of Aramis has secured an unprecedented two decades of peace and prosperity for the inhabitants of Asintania. The balance of good and evil is a constant struggle between both forces, and good has outweighed evil for far too long. The scales are about to be tipped once again. From the very depths of Hell a new evil is rising, endangering both Earth and Asintania. Tane must once again face his biggest fears in order to challenge the evil within his borders. The Willowstorm children, having lived a fairytale life, must work together and make the supreme sacrifice in order to save their father. Old and new friends join forces to aid the king and his family as the new threat attempts to conquer all of Asintania. Time is running out for all of them and nothing will ever be the same again.
Customer Reviews:
Fantasy Is Alive.......2007-09-16
In this the second installment of Mr. Duncan's Book of Legends Trilogy the twenty-year peace that Tane Willowstorm forged in the first book with the death of the evil Druid Del'Car is drawing to an end upon Asintania. There are signs all over this world that a new evil is awakening and that some of this evil is hitting very close to home for the Earth-born King of Aramis, one of the many nations in this very complex and richly imbued world created by Mr. Duncan. Mr. Duncan has peopled his world with a multitude of sapient creatures ranging from humans, elves and dwarves through lizardmen, yetis, barbarians, pixies, trolls, gremlins, giants, frogmen, and a host of other species.
Tane quickly realizes that the source of this new evil is Del'Car himself who has managed to rise from the dead and create an army from the dead that swiftly sweeps into power over the ill-prepared nations of Asintania. There is only one way to stop the new tyranny that is rising and that is through the Book of Legends, an ancient text written by the gods.
In Resurrection Duncan amplifies on themes he established in the first Book of Legends. He has managed to intertwine a massive epic tale with a smaller, personal story. While vividly describing scenes on a grand geopolitical scale, Duncan intersperses it with a powerful portrait of the love that exists between a father and his children. There are many touching moments in Resurrection that keeps the reader caring for what happens to these people while all hell breaks out around them.
Resurrection is fast paced. There is lots of activity taking place at breakneck speeds. Duncan manages to satisfactorily seguey through this action but at times there should be perhaps a sentence or two or some other form of break that will allow the reader to realize that he or she has left a previous scene and entered into a new one. I found though that as the further I got into the book the better Duncan became at managing these segueys.
This book stands on its own. It is fantasy in the classic sense of fantasy. It is imaginative, it is fun and I would highly recommend it to any fan of this genre. I look forward to reading the final installment to the Book of Legends Trilogy.
Book Description
Suffering and pain affect every human being. They are the results of evil in our world. The problem of evil is something both Christian and non-Christian must face and answer. How do we deal with such unpleasant realities? If there is an all-powerful, all loving, perfectly good God why is there so much evil? This book honestly grapples with these and other fundamental questions that are related to the problem of evil and the existence of God. The existence of evil is the chief argument traditionally used against the God of the Bible. The author argues the opposite: that the existence of evil actually justifies the argument for the existence of the God of Christianity. The answer proposed in this book is not one of theory and hypothesis alone, but comes from the historical life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through a combined theodicy (defending the justice of God for allowing evil) of the cross and resurrection, the case for the Christian faith is reasonably presented and defended.
Average customer rating:
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Pagan Resurrection: A Force for Evil or the Future of Western Spirituality?
Richard Rudgley
Manufacturer: Century
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| 17th Century
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| 21st Century
| Byzantine
| Expeditions & Discoveries
| General
| Islamic
| Jewish
| Medieval
| Renaissance
| Revolution
| Slavery & Emancipation
| Transportation
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| New Age
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Paganism
| Earth-Based Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0712680969
Release Date: 2007-02-27 |
Book Description
This controversial study of the rise of paganism suggests that the pagan god Odin and not Christ is the single most important spiritual influence in western civilization.
The author, an anthropologist, makes the claim that paganism, far from being a New Age fad, is fast becoming a major spiritual, intellectual, ecological and political force across the globe. Our civilization, our belief systems and indeed our psyche have been formed by the pagan god Odin. The influence of Christ, he says, has been relatively recent and shallow.
Rudgley takes the reader through the strange world of modern pagan cults, the beliefs that underpin important parts of modern culture, such as The Lord of the Rings and the highly pagan counterculture that sprang up in the sixties and which now offers an attractive alternative spiritual vision to the millions who feel alienated from Christianity.
Paganism, like Christianity, can be a force for good or evil. At this turning point in history, he says, we need to choose between the dark and destructive paganism that gave rise to Nazism and modern right-wing movements in America and, on the other hand, the green paganism of ecology and alternative spirituality. As with other controversial works of alternative history/spirituality such as
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the time is now just right for
Pagan Resurrection.
Product Description
Calvinism, once an influential doctrine among Baptists in the southern United States, is making a come back. Yet, many of its adherents discuss the issue from secondary sources never having read anything Calvin wrote. Professor Richards has written his critical analysis which begins with Calvin's teachings and extends their impact into the present.
Book Description
In this unique book about the major religious traditions of the world, a practitioner from each tradition--Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam--introduces the basics of his or her faith and participates in a conversation about the challenge
Customer Reviews:
Thin Discussions, Naive Outlook.......2006-05-08
As the title suggests, Five Voices, Five Faiths is a collection of five essays, each introducing one of the world's major religions and authored by a practicing adherent of that religion. In order of presentation (as well as the historical order of the founding of these religions, according to the editor), we encounter a "Hindu," a Jew, a Zen Buddhist, a Christian, and a Muslim-Americans all-each explaining the basic tenets of their respective faiths.
The five essays vary in their quality and depth of insight into the respective religions. Given the fact that each author was allotted only twenty pages to introduce a major world religion, one must expect the essays to be selective and limited with regard to their subject matter. The brevity, combined with each author's pluralistic outlook-a sort of rush to non-judgment as it were-lends itself to a misleading presentation of the views.
Professor Anantanand Rambachan's essay on "Hinduism" blurs important distinctions among religious traditions that are often given this designation. Indeed, the reader comes away with the impression that Hindus are committed to a sort of panentheism, as he cites a hymn in the Rg Veda that "states that while God pervades the universe by a fourth of God's being, three-fourths remain beyond it" (p. 3). He fails to tell his readers that he himself is an adherent of Advaita Vedanta, Shankara's 9th century philosophy of absolute non-dualism. On Advaita, Brahman is the only existing being, so that the observable world of samsara around us is actually an illusion due to avidya or ignorance. Further, Brahman is literally "propertyless" according to Advaita Vedanta, so that no properties-from personhood to power to goodness-apply to "him." The Advaitan concept of Brahman is a far cry from any theistic conception of God, and readers may be misled by the theistic overtones of Professor Rambachan's use of "God" to refer to Brahman. Though the Hindu doctrine of ishtadeva and the corresponding doctrine of diverse margas or "approved ways" "has enabled Hindus to think of the world's religions in complementary and not exclusive ways" (p. 7), the Absolute Monism of Rambachan's own view entails that, while theistic belief may be instrumental as a stepping stone to the truth of Brahman, it is little more than a useful fiction.
Yaakov Ariel's essay on Judaism emphasizes Jewish culture and practice and decidedly de-emphasizes doctrine. We learn something of Hannukah and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Purim, and of the cultural shift from the priestly class to a lay priesthood, from temple to synagogue, but precious little about what Jews believe about the Creator-or the Messiah.
Patricia Phelan tells us something of the Buddha's early life and original teachings, including the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The latter, with its practical emphasis, gets the most attention, and she steers clear of the
metaphysical implications of, say, the Buddhist doctrines of "dependent origination" and its corollaries of anitya (impermanence) and anatman (no-self). After nodding in the direction of the other Buddhist traditions of Theravada and Mahayana, she settles into a discussion of her own Zen practice.
Editor Amanda Millay Hughes, an Episcopalian, emphasizes the confessional nature of Christianity, and opens her essay with a statement and brief exposition of the Nicene Creed. She nicely articulates an orthodox account of such doctrines as the Trinity and Incarnation, and, importantly given this interfaith context, the ontological transcendence of God ("God is fundamentally other than any created thing or being," p. 75). She affirms the universality of sin and the need for forgiveness, but says little to nothing about the Atonement itself. She does, however, offer the exclusivist claim that "Christians believe that all human life needs the redemptive action of God in Christ Jesus" (p. 79). This does not sit well with the pluralist motivation behind this project, as one of her collaborators points out in the Q&A section. Rambachan asks, "How do you relate [this claim] with the reality of different religions?" (p. 88). Her reply is evasive. She notes that exclusivist thinking engenders "dark judgments about other religions" and confesses,"it is hard to give a definitive answer to your question" (p. 88). The non-definitive answer that follows urges the need for love and the universal "desire to live in harmony," and concludes with an appeal to "mystery." I'll return to her dilemma momentarily.
Amy Nelson, a self-described "white, educated, American-born" convert to Islam, explains the basic tenets of her faith. Allah has no cohorts, and "there is no god but Allah" is the cornerstone of Muslim faith. She explains the exalted view that Muslims take of Mohammed and of the Q'uran. And we learn something of the five pillars of Islam: monotheistic belief itself, prayer, fasting, alms, pilgrimage. Many post-911 readers may hope to learn whether Islam is, after all, a peaceful religion. But for a couple of oblique references to "popular western conceptions" (p. 111) of Islam, little to nothing is said in either the essay or the Q&A section to dispel the alleged misconceptions.
Five Voices, Five Faiths is motivated by the desire to "live amicably" with those whose beliefs are different from one's own, to "live with and value fundamental differences" (p. xiv), and to find "common ground" for interfaith dialogue (p. xiii). These are noble aspirations, all, I suppose. But the concerns go beyond a desire for harmonious co-existence. We are told that mere "tolerant forbearance" implies (arrogantly, I take it) that one is in a "position of privilege" that is not enjoyed by the other. Indeed, we are to avoid "unproductive dogmatic debate" (p. xv) and are urged to "do more than tolerate difference-we can honor it as part of the richness of human experience" (p. xiv). "Celebrate diversity," as they say. Ms. Millay Hughes quotes approvingly from an essay on religious pluralism by a Christian pastor who bubbles that "the Christian calling allows him to sing his song to Jesus `with abandon ...without speaking negatively about others'" (p. xvi). Though she once subscribed to the mandate to make disciples of all people (p. xvii), now, "as a middle-aged woman," she "reflects more deeply" on Jesus' "new commandment" to love one another. Her advice to the adherents of the different traditions these days is "hold onto the truths you have received" (p. xviii). One might draw the conclusion that somehow the Great Commission and this "new commandment" are mutually at odds. One might also be a child of the times.
Ms. Millay Hughes' dilemma in attempting to answer Professor Rambachan's question is symptomatic of the pluralistic perspective that motivates projects such as Five Voices, Five Faiths. She wishes to affirm her own Christian faith while commending other competing traditions, as "sacred truths." She wishes to "sing her song to Jesus without speaking negatively of others." Her trouble arises from a simple point of logic. To believe something just is to believe that it is true. And to believe that it is true entails believing that its denial is false. The Islamic version of monotheism requires that the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation is not only false but blasphemous. The Advaita Vedantan doctrine of Nirguna Brahman entails the falseness of all varieties of monotheism. There just is no sense in which all of these competing doctrines may be said to be "true"-not in a way that does full justice to the sense in which actual believers (as opposed to Religious Studies scholars) take their doctrines to be true. To believe anything is to believe that lots of other things-even doctrines that are cherished by fine people-are false. If tolerance means never thinking that those cherished beliefs of others are false, then, necessarily, no one is ever tolerant.
I do not recommend Five Voices, Five Faiths as a text for the college classroom-especially at the Christian college. Win Corduan's Neighboring Faiths (InterVarsity, 1998) is much more thorough in its exploration of the various traditions, is even-handed despite being written by a Christian philosopher, and lacks the confused pluralistic outlook of the present book. Harold Netland's Encountering Religious Pluralism (InterVarsity, 2001) written by a former student of Professor John Hick, is a healthy antidote to the perspective of Five Voices, and is a fine text for the classroom. Scholars who wish to understand the perspective of Religious Pluralism itself should bypass Five Voices and go directly to Professor Hick's An Interpretation of Religion (Yale, 2005).
An introduction to five major religious traditions of the world.......2005-08-11
Five Voices Five Faiths: An Interfaith Primer is an introduction to five major religious traditions of the world for lay readers, as presented by five practitioners of each religion. A different faithful individual speaks for Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, providing a plain-terms summary of the basic tenets of each followed an intriguing interview that tests how the ideals of each faith co-exist (or conflict) with one another. Ultimately a tribute to both the differences and the common bonds between faiths, Five Voices Five Faiths is deeply reverent, respectful, and spiritual, and an excellent beginners guide to analysis, comparison, and contrast between religious ideals.
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