Far From Rome Near to God
588272
I ordered this book from Amazon. Even though I live in Canada, I had it within a week. Great service. Keep up the good work.

I am enjoying this book very much. This book provides a condensed version of life stories of former priests. Although I was never a priest, I did find that I could identify with many stories, having personally undergone a similiar spiritual transformation.

I am particularly moved by the courage and risk that these men took after studying for the priesthood for 10+ years, and found no other alternative than to leave all that they had come to know. They didn't know what they would do for a living, but God provided for them.

These men didn't just decide to leave the Roman church, but after honest soul searching were convicted even after growing up in the Roman church. But each and every testimony had this in common- these priests encountered True faith from witnesses who were not afraid to speak the Truth.
1416574
Don't poo poo this book unless you have read it.  It is about Christ visiting the "Other Sheep" he mentioned in the bible.
962448
Robertson's book has many remarkable quotes.  Every press in Europe was printing the Bible in 1465.  There was only one solitary exception.  The pope's press in subiaco.  It published the first book in Italy.  (page 212)

HOWEVER.  It never printed a single verse of Scripture.  Wow!

How is that possible?  Oh yeah, we can't be trusted to understand Him.  We are only His sheep that hear his voice.  That is too sad.
4057966
I remember being in awe of The Pergamon Altar in the museum of the same name in Berlin, little realising then what this told us about empire.

Todays globalised world shares many of the characteristics of the Roman Empire. Jesus message has been sanitised, lost its saltiness, become tepid so the author helps us to see afresh Jesuss challenge.

The book has five chapters: a relatively short introduction and conclusion are separated by three long chapters; one on Jesus, one on Paul and one on Revelation. By paying particular attention to the socio-economic context that both the writers and readers of the Scriptures experiences, Smith draws out new insights from the text and develops a scintillating critique of the inequalities of our globalised world.

The author is a bit nave when it comes to New Testament scholarship, thinking at the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain are two different occasions. Matthews doubling the demoniacs is seen by him as universalising the plight of the homeless.

David takes up N. T. Wright's advice that we should read the New Testament 'with first-century eyes and with twenty-first century questions'. So he engages in what he calls 'deep listening' to the message of Jesus and the New Testament writers.

I don't like the way the author confuses sexual rapacity with bisexuality: Paul's hearers in Rome did not need to look very far to witness living examples of the vices and perversions he describes because at the very time at which his letter was composed the emperor Nero, a man known to be an aggressive bi-sexual, regularly stalked the streets of the city with his entourage, choosing people at random
to satisfy his lusts. However, the followers of Jesus in the Roman slums had much more personal and painful experience of the moral corruption described by Paul,

since this was deeply embedded within a social system within which huge numbers of persons were treated as sub-human, and therefore as usable and expendable on the part of others who possessed power and were accorded honour.
525426
Priest of Nature is not an easy read. I learned less about Newton than I expected. Instead, I learned a great deal about how towering genius could spend endless hours delving into the Old Testament for clues about the meaning of various obscure prophesies and trying to pinpoint the second coming. Of course, all the interpretations of biblical language are speculative. Some are to be taken literally, some allegorically. In any case, they all come to nothing and seem to be a complete waste of Newton's time...and ours.

We do learn that the Catholic Pope is the anti-Christ, that Catholics are idol worshipers and that Roman Catholicism is the great apostasy. It is a wonder that the Catholic Church still exists!
2032863
I bought this book from Amazon along with "Jesus and the Forgotten City."  The latter book details the archaeological discovery and analysis of Herod's capital city of Sepphoris, located a mere 4 miles from Nazareth.  This investigation was aided by sponsorship from National Geographic, because they wanted this discovery to appear as the Christmas 1999 cover story.  The resulting perspective of this dig proved that Jesus' influences were not rural but more urban.  The board of National Geographic eventually vetoed the idea of this story for Christmas because they found it too controversial.  Why?
Then, I read "The Christ Conspiracy" and what was always a suspicion was verified.  True, Acharya S does get a little opinionated, which disturbs those who are looking for a more academic type book, but maybe she wants to get her subject in our face.  And why not.  The persecution of other groups of people, especially the Jews, based on some one who really did not exist, is an abomination.
I have read books on biblical archaeology and Jesus studies for years.  The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Q Document, the Nag Hammadi Library, books by Karen Armstrong and Elaine Pagels.  This book condenses a lot of the studies into a single volume and reveals the evolution of our current religious milieu from our ancient archetypes.
And as one of the other reviewers stated, "the truth will set you free."  The combination of those two books produced an emotional response that did set my mind free.
It was perfectly obvious why the board of National Geographic was against the article and why most of the major religions are not sponsoring archaeology digs in Israel.  It is not that they are afraid of finding something that will refute the Bible; it is the fact that they will not find anything proving that Jesus existed, which has been the condition thus far.
So, in Sepphoris, Herod's Galilean capital, within walking distance of Nazareth, nothing has been found placing Jesus in his supposed location.  And, Acharya S' and other scholars' hypotheses are proven true.  And the conspiracy continues to be bolstered, even by National Geographic.
2605709
This book would be better geared toward that Catholic Reader. Though some of the material is interesting to read and the way of thinking of mainly what some refer to as 'the desert fathers'...I couldn't help but keep thinking much of the writings fell more in line with something between Buddhism and Gnosticism and very much focused on the carnal man as if someone a person on their own could become 'less so' by self will. A few chapters sounded relevant to Christ's work in the Spirit but for the most part read this book as a bathroom reader.
4127291
First my background, 18 years of Catholic school education; mostly all the New Testament.  If you are looking for an interpretation of the Bible this book is not for you.  Feiler describes the land which Moses traveled through leaving Egypt and finding the Promised Land.  His description of the locations are awesome.  The travel through Sinai, the desert, St. Catherines Monastary, the people he meets along the way.  The people he meets I feel add so much to the book.  There are many different views on what this land represents and Feiler seems to have found people with different views but at days end everyone seems to be on the same page.  I throughly enjoyed this book and I find my self picking it up and re-reading different section.

One of the sections I found most interesting is on page 404, Feiler meets a man who is both a pastor and archaeologist.  This man's view is the Bible has divine activity behind it but does not believe every detail is true (it can't be) but the details are not important but the lessons it teach are important.  The family he meets in Jordan (with the land rover), that man's point of view very interesting.  Who would not love to visit this part of the world, Petra, Mount Sinai, etc.  Many referneces are made to TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and his love of the desert but you can't possess it, Lawrence had to leave so did Feiler.  The book has made me do further research other things, time lines, people mentioned, etc. Very interesting book for people who enjoy religion and that part of the world.
1475221
The man is a non-believer.  I am sorry that he does not believe in the Bible or the Christ contained within, but do not deceive others, please.
1454329
I'm not quite convinced that Jesus was "More Than A Carpenter," and after reading this book, I feel that I am even further away from god than I was at the beginning. As I read the first chapter in this book I was already in disbelief, however, I continued reading it so that I couldn't cancel out the possibility that it might be helpful. I felt that Josh McDowell contradicted himself one to many times in this novel pushing me further away from belief. I decided to read this novel thinking it would bring me closer to god being that I believe that religion is important because without faith people go corrupt. McDowell states that he asked all these people certain questions and yet they are conveniently unable to respond back to them. When I was reading I thought to myself how easily I could have responded back to his interrogations. An example was when McDowell stated "How do you test other historical masterpieces (such as the bible) regarding their authenticity?" Along with that question he argued how can one prove that Martin Luther King JR. and George Washington were real? I would argue the point that Martin Luther King JR. and George Washington didn't do anything that another human couldn't have done, however, Jesus supposedly came back from the dead in which no other human has done before. McDowell also didn't contemplate the fact that some people consider the bible as a literary masterpiece rather than a historical one. The only part of this book I found helpful was the last chapter because rather than trying to back up his beliefs with facts he backed them up with his experiences which makes more sense to me. I truly feel that McDowell purposely wrote this book to make people lose faith, bringing himself closer to god. I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone who is trying to become a Christian or a person who already is one.
3077469
The book is an interesting read from the perspective that it was written in 1906, and the author envisions a society where Christianity, and particularly Catholicism is outlawed.  Though the environment is extremely anti-Christian, the philosophy of those opposed to Christianity is illustrated, and that illustration is timely to today's society.  The oppression of faith, by non-believers, and then even by those who lose their faith, has  a certain modern day ring to it.  A worthy read, even recommended by Pope Francis.
617931
There are two (or three) parallel stories about seeking the immanent presence of the Divine through love.  The principal narrative is by Marina and concerns her relationship with Neil.  She seeks God in love, and for a time seems to have have found Him.  The parallel search for Divine presence is by Quintana, a Catholic priest.  He seeks Jesus among the poor and downtrodden, but he is torn by spiritual crisis because he is unable to find Him there.  Neil is a familiar figure to readers of existential novels: he is unable to make a real commitment.  As Quintana says in a voice over, God can forgive those who err, but with those who cannot commit to anything, God can do nothing.  This is a film that is extraordinarily beautiful but also very difficult to watch.  The experience of the film is not diminished by knowing the plot or by being aware of its artistic devices.  First, Malick uses the sun to suggest Truth, as in divine Truth (think of Plato's metaphor of the cave and the sun).  It peeks out on the horizon and enters inside intensely.  One prisoner cannot sit in the light of the sun.  Second, there are lengthy shots of nature that are meant to suggest, again, Divine presence.  Neil works as some sort of environmental engineer, possibly for an oil company.  But he seems to cover up environmental problems, rather than expose them, just as he is unable to see or, perhaps, even to search for Divine presence.  Third, the profusion of languages (French, Spanish and Italian) serves to highlight the disconnectedness of the characters from each other.  Fourth, still another character, Jane, has a relationship with Neil, but she has the idea that only an eternal commitment can make the relationship real (again, think Plato, but this time the forms).  She serves as a kind of foil for Marina.  Marina is the only one who can see that Truth and Love exist only in the moment.  Hence, she alone is able to embrace the Divine presence in the world through love and joy, however fleeting.  Malick omits explanations, and he leaves it to his viewers to appreciate the metaphysics.  Most will not see it.  Those who do--I think I have it right--will be more impressed with the ambition of making a film about Divine presence than they will with the final product.
1055487
While the author is a compelling writer he chooses to not base The Circle Maker on the Word of God!  The whole book is based on a Jewish myth which Paul makes clear in Titus 1:13-14 is not to be done.  The author places Honi on par with men the Bible tells us God used.  He even relates Honi to Jesus!  What this all does is teaches "a new way to pray" that the Word of God never espouses and is against Biblical teaching on prayer.  This is dangerous, heretical teaching.  I pray you don't make bold ultimatums with God but instead let the Lord's prayer and the prayers found in the Word of God be your model.
4472311
This book, based on actual historical documents, sets its roots in the untold life of Saint Isa, uncovered within a Hemis Monastery in India by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Notovich, aka Nicholas Notovitch, in 1887. These documents, according to Notovich, link together all religious beliefs, and parallels the life of Isa (`Isa' being the Arabic name of Jesus in Islam - referred to as Issa in the Western world) to that of Buddha, Mohammed and Siddhartha. In 1890, Notovich wrote a translation, and published his findings as The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. Condemned and silenced for heresy, Notovich's discovery vanished shortly thereafter.

While the Bible tells us about the beginning and end of the life of Jesus, it is conspicuously silent about his middle years. The missing texts memorialize the journey taken by Jesus during those Biblical `silent' years, and is documented, with undisputed clarity, by the Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

The Breath of God centers around a graduate student who travels to the Himalayas in search of the sacred texts. What he uncovers is a conspiracy of zealots who will stop at nothing to protect these documents and the knowledge that will change how we view religion. I believe Small's story is loosely based on the life of Notovich (though never stated) and his discovery of the missing Gospel. Is the Gospel true? Depends on whom you ask. As is the case with all theological matters, nothing is ever what it seems.

Small's telling of this story seems to mimic that of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, but, in my opinion, falls short of Brown's genius. Having said this, however, The Breath of God is very well researched and is an excellent jumping-off point from which to get into the thick of it with regard to the histories of Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammed and Siddhartha. I'm actually looking forward to reading Jeffrey Small's second book, The Jericho Deception, which is in the same theological vein as this one.

https://blacknightblues.wordpress.com/
1896396
The Divine Comedy" was written in Toscan by the Florentinian Dante Aligheri 700 years ago and is one of the most important texts ever written. Dante Aligheri is, along with Miguel de Cervantes, Willian Shakespeare and the Portuguese Luis de Cames, one of the most important writers of History, but we have to remember that Dante Alligheri was born some 250 years before each one of the latter.
"The Divine Comedy" was first published in the beginning of the 14th century and narrates a vision Dante Alligheri had of his visit to Hell (Dante's Inferno), the Purgatory and to the Heavens (Paradiso), where he is guided by the Latin poet Virgil and later on by his muse, Beatrice, deceased some years before. His narrative is full of devout catholic sentiments and he spares no expenses in narrating the torments perpetrated in Hell, described in details, where each ring or level is reserved for each different earthly infraction that the penitent has commited when alive. The company of Virgil, a permanent resident of the first hell ring, the Limbo, is a magistral coup by Dante Aligheri and adds lustre to the text.
 Virgil leads Dante too through the Purgatory, where, contrary with what happens in the Inferno where there is no salvation, the souls are suffering with a view to a future life in Heaven. Dante is the first and only human being that put his feet into this after life regions, and things get increasingly intense and sometimes dangerous to him. Also to be noted is the disposition of Dante to here and there sting his earthly political opponents, which were not few, banning them to hellish confines.
 The final visit to the supreme heavenly region, where he meets Beatrice, is suffused with catholic symbology, fully explained by Dante, who embroiders the descriptions with all the richness of his language. You end the book asking for more, and sensing intensively the powerful richness of Dante's vocabulary. I hope you enjoy the Divine COmedy as much as I did. Good reading.
2925203
This book relates about twelve accounts of people who were converted from unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord. It was written by an English evangelist who also visited the States on many occasions, and who died around the early seventies.

Tom Rees and his wife founded Hildenborough Hall in Kent, England. Hildenborough was a Christian conference centre which was certainly still going in the early eighties. Tom's biography, written by his wife, Jean Rees, is entitled: His Name Was Tom.

This is not a record of people who went forward in massive stadium meetings, nor is it a list of statistics showing what percentage of converts remained after he left town. It isn't even a record of brain surgeons and celebrities who got saved - as if to say: "If VIPs can get saved, shouldn't you at least think about it?" No, this is the story of ordinary men and women, who, though related to Tom's work up and down the country, discovered Jesus in a variety of ways and in very different situations.

The book highlights the fact that when the evangelist has done what little he can do, salvation is really an individual transacting face to face with the living, glorious and exalted Lord Christ.

I wish this was still in print. It is yet another example of documentary proof that even in an age of unbelief and apostasy, God is yet at work saving souls. That is why this book bears such a wonderful title.
979800
Not Biblically sound. God did not create the Earth to be His home. Very JW.