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Invention of Tradition and Syncretism in Contemporary Religions
by Stefania Palmisano Nicola PannofinoThis book explores manifestations of creativity in the religious domain. Specifically, the contributions focus on the nexus of the sacred and the creative, and the mechanisms of syncretism and (re)invention of tradition by which this manifestations occur. The text is divided into two sections. In the first, empirical cases of spirituality characterized by syncretistic processes are highlighted; in the second, examples which can be traced back to forms of the (re)invention of tradition are examined. The authors document possible forms of adaptations and religious enculturation. In the second, the authors demonstrate that spiritual traditions, whether ancient or historically fictitious, are suitable for reframing in the context of critical interpretative frameworks related to cultural expectations which challenge them and call their continuity into question.
The Invention of World Religions
by Tomoko MasuzawaThe idea of "world religions" expresses a vague commitment to multiculturalism. Not merely a descriptive concept, "world religions" is actually a particular ethos, a pluralist ideology, a logic of classification, and a form of knowledge that has shaped the study of religion and infiltrated ordinary language. In this ambitious study, Tomoko Masuzawa examines the emergence of "world religions" in modern European thought. Devoting particular attention to the relation between the comparative study of language and the nascent science of religion, she demonstrates how new classifications of language and race caused Buddhism and Islam to gain special significance, as these religions came to be seen in opposing terms-Aryan on one hand and Semitic on the other. Masuzawa also explores the complex relation of "world religions" to Protestant theology, from the hierarchical ordering of religions typical of the Christian supremacists of the nineteenth century to the aspirations of early twentieth-century theologian Ernst Troeltsch, who embraced the pluralist logic of "world religions" and by so doing sought to reclaim the universalist destiny of European modernity.
The Inventions of God (Made in His Image)
by Dave ConnisThis delightfully illustrated picture book tells the story of inventor extraordinaire Eva—and the God who created her to be a lot like Him.Little Eva is a budding engineer who loves to invent machines, toys, and robots that bring her joy. But where does her curiosity, creativity, and pizzazz come from? Meet God. He loves to invent, too, and delights in His creations, especially Eva. God and Eva are A LOT alike because God made Eva to be just like Him.Eva loves her inventions, but maybe not their earlier versions. God loves Eva, every version of her, and He wants her to know just how much. Parents and children alike will relish the playful illustrations and the gentle reminder that the image of God is alive in each of us.
Inversiones con futuro
by Edwin SantiagoLa economía celestial es la más rentable a corto y largo plazo, por lo tanto, te animo a que te transformes en un «inversionista del reino». Debes saber que en el cielo hay un banco donde puedes acumular tesoros y obtener la rentabilidad más importante que jamás hayas tenido, porque las cuentas del reino están envueltas de fe. ¡Conoce las características de un inversionista del cielo y transfórmate en uno!
Investigación sobre Jesús: ¿Quién era el hombre que cambió el mundo?
by Corrado Augias Mauro PesceUna investigación para esclarecer el Jesús histórico a la luz de los nuevos hallazgos. La figura de Jesús de Nazaret ha sido, desde el mismo momento de su muerte hace dos mil años, centro de interés y fuente de inspiración de todo tipo de disciplinas que van desde la filosofía, la ciencia, la religión, la política o la historia hasta la literatura o el cine. A lo largo de los siglos han proliferado numerosas leyendas sobre Jesús y alguna que otra invención muestra de la curiosidad, del ansia de saber. Porque ¿quién era en realidad el hombre de carne y hueso que recorrió la tierra de Israel hablando con los locos, curando a los enfermos y lanzando un mensaje de esperanza hasta morir en un patíbulo infame antes de que el manto de la teología lo cubriera ocultando la figura histórica? En los últimos cincuenta años, análisis filológicos e investigaciones arqueológicas han ampliado la posibilidad de acercarse a la verdadera personalidad del hombre llamado Jesús. Muchas cuestiones hasta ahora irresolubles se acercan a una respuesta en esta Investigación sobre Jesús, donde Augias y Pesce buscan acercarse al hombre y desvelar qué es real y qué es mito, respondiendo a las preguntas que se formulan tanto cristianos como no cristianos.
Investigación sobre Jesús
by Mauro Pesce Corrado AugiasLa figura de Jesús de Nazaret ha sido, desde el mismo momento de su muerte hace dos mil años, centro de interés y fuente de inspiración de todo tipo de disciplinas que van desde la filosofía, la ciencia, la religión, la política o la historia hasta la literatura o el cine. A lo largo de los siglos han proliferado numerosas leyendas sobre Jesús y alguna que otra invención muestra de la curiosidad, del ansia de saber. Porque ¿quién era en realidad el hombre de carne y hueso que recorrió la tierra de Israel hablando con los locos, curando a los enfermos y lanzando un mensaje de esperanza hasta morir en un patíbulo infame antes de que el manto de la teología lo cubriera ocultando la figura histórica?En los últimos cincuenta años, análisis filológicos e investigaciones arqueológicas han ampliado la posibilidad de acercarse a la verdadera personalidad del hombre llamado Jesús. Muchas cuestiones hasta ahora irresolubles se acercan a una respuesta en esta Investigación sobre Jesús, donde Augias y Pesce buscan acercarse al hombre y desvelar qué es real y qué es mito, respondiendo a las preguntas que se formulan tanto cristianos como no cristianos.
Investigación sobre María
by Corrado Augias¿Quién es María? <P><P>La verdadera historia de la joven que se convirtió en mito Entre las diferentes figuras celestiales, divinas y semidivinas santificadas por las religiones mundiales María es, sin lugar a dudas, la más compleja, tierna y conmovedora. Una muchacha judía que recibió la visita del ángel, que se comprometió y se casó con un hombre que no era el padre de su hijo, virgen y madre de Dios, símbolo de la gracia y Mater dolorosa, que sufre el terrible destino de ver morir a la criatura que ha engendrado, poco citada en los evangelios y poco menos que ausente en los Hechos de los apóstoles y en las Cartas de Pablo, objeto de un culto inigualable, concebida sin pecado original y que ascendió al cielo: comprender a María significa penetrar en el corazón de la fe católica. <P><P>En Investigación sobre María, Corrado Augias dialoga con un gran estudioso de mística y de historia de las religiones, Marco Vannini, para profundizar en la historia y en el mito de la Virgen, tocando todos los aspectos que sitúan a María en el centro de la experiencia cultural y religiosa de nuestra civilización: las fuentes (de los evangelios canónicos a los apócrifos), las hipótesis sobre su biografía, la relación con la situación de las mujeres en la Palestina de hace dos mil años, con las demás mujeres de la Biblia y con la mitología de la Gran Madre, el nacimiento de los dogmas y el desarrollo del culto, los milagros y las apariciones, la presencia constante de la Virgen en la cultura y en el arte. <P><P> El resultado es un volumen sin precedentes que, en tono narrativo, responde a las preguntas cruciales de los creyentes y de los no creyentes, indaga las bases mismas de nuestra cultura y mentalidad, y compone el relato de una extraordinaria historia humana.
Investigating God's World (4th Edition)
by Gregory Rickard Julie Rickard Stephen Mcalister Matilda NordtvedtThe book investigates the things that you see every day and to know the laws that these objects of nature obey and how they all fit together in God's creation.
Investigating Prayer
by Ian OlverThis book relates the experience of researching, planning, and conducting a scientific study into intercessory prayer (prayer for others). The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether the impact of prayer could be measured in a formal study, based on the large number of anecdotal reports of efficacy. The study was a prospectively randomized double-blind trial that added prayer by an established Christian prayer group to conventional therapy for cancer. The unique design feature was that the primary endpoint was a change in a validated scale of spiritual well-being. The patients were informed that they were participating in a study about spiritual well-being and quality of life but remained blinded to the intervention. The initial observation from the baseline data was that spiritual well-being made a unique contribution to quality of life. The final outcome of the study was that there was a statistically significant difference in spiritual well-being favoring the prayer group. The background includes a fascinating review of the medical literature on the topic, which contains positive and negative studies that each attracts a vigorous debate about methodology, endpoints, and whether metaphysical phenomena can or should be studied using scientific methodology. The complementary and alternative medicine literature is also equivocal as to whether prayer, arguably the most common complementary medical therapy, should be included in the range of interventions grouped under that heading. In addition to reporting the background and results of the study, the book explores the reactions of a range of individuals to the trial, all of which help reflect on the nature of prayer.
Investigating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: A New Transdisciplinary Approach (Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies)
by Andrew LokeThis book provides an original and comprehensive assessment of the hypotheses concerning the origin of resurrection Christology. It fills a gap in the literature by addressing these issues using a transdisciplinary approach involving historical-critical study of the New Testament, theology, analytic philosophy, psychology and comparative religion. Using a novel analytic framework, this book demonstrates that a logically exhaustive list of hypotheses concerning the claims of Jesus’ post-mortem appearances and the outcome of Jesus’ body can be formulated. It addresses these hypotheses in detail, including sophisticated combinations of hallucination hypothesis with cognitive dissonance; memory distortion; and confirmation bias. Addressing writings from both within and outside of Christianity, it also demonstrates how a comparative religion approach might further illuminate the origins of Christianity. This is a thorough study of arguably the key event in the formation of the Christian faith. As such, it will be of keen interest to theologians, New Testament scholars, philosophers, and scholars of religious studies.
Investigating the Supernatural: From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metapsychics in France, 1853–1931
by Sofie Lachapelle“A convincing account of science’s flirtation with the marginal and the marvelous” from the author of Conjuring Science (Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences).Séances were wildly popular in France between 1850 and 1930, when members of the general public and scholars alike turned to the wondrous as a means of understanding and explaining the world. Sofie Lachapelle explores how five distinct groups attempted to use and legitimize séances: spiritists, who tried to create a new “science” concerned with the spiritual realm and the afterlife; occultists, who hoped to connect ancient revelations with contemporary science; physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists, who developed a pathology of supernatural experiences; psychical researchers, who drew on the unexplained experiences of the public to create a new field of research; and metapsychists, who attempted to develop a new science of yet-to-be understood natural forces.An enlightening and entertaining narrative that includes colorful people like “Allan Kardec”—a pseudonymous former mathematics teacher from Lyon who wrote successful works on the science of the séance and what happened after death—Investigating the Supernatural reveals the rich and vibrant diversity of unorthodox beliefs and practices that existed at the borders of the French scientific culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.“What is science? . . . In her engaging book, Sophie Lachapelle probes for an answer by looking at the liminal realm between science and superstition and the attempt to render the supernatural explicable in naturalistic terms.” —Isis“A welcome addition to the growing literature on spiritism, occultism and physical research in modern France.” —French History
Investing In Islamic Funds
by Noripah KamsoA guide to Islamic investment opportunities from the CEO of the world's leading Islamic finance bankOffering an insider's perspective on a rapidly growing sector of the financial industry, Investing in Islamic Funds details the basic principles of Islamic investing for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It explains how Islamic equity and fixed-income products differ from traditional funds, and how they deliver excellent results while still conforming to Sharia principles. Using hard data from the last six years, the book also reveals how Islamic funds have offered predictable, reliable returns in volatile markets and turbulent financial times. For institutional investors as well as sophisticated individual investors, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the subject and surveys the full range of products available. Additionally, the book will arm financial services professionals with the knowledge they need to explain this new investment opportunity to clients.One of the few books available that offers comprehensive data on the performance of Islamic funds in addition to the underlying theory that governs themWritten by the CEO of CIMB-Principal Islamic Asset Management, the world's leading Islamic finance bankFeatures charts, case studies, comparative analysis, and a tabular data formatDebunks the misconceptions traditional investors may have about the profitability Islamic fundsFor professional and institutional investors, as well as private investors looking for new opportunities, Investing in Islamic Funds offers a much-needed primer on this fast-growing market.
Invincible Wisdom: Quotations from the Scriptures, Saints, and Sages of All Times and Places
by William StoddartThe guiding idea of this book has been to gather together sayings, maxims, and aphorisms, which, in some respect or other are of profound and permanent spiritual value. Moreover, the net has been cast wide, with the result that the selected items are extremely variegated; for, in the present age, protective dividing walls have crumbled; the whole world has become our parish, and our gaze must now be universal. The quotations here presented were collected during the course of a lifetime. Each quotation was hand-picked for a particular purpose, and anything deemed superfluous was excluded. Wise and useful quotations are of course endless, but a selection is what it is and, far from being arbitrary, this anthology, taken as a whole, amounts to a succinct, but powerful, affirmation of "the True, the Good, and the Beautiful". This is its purpose-and may it bear fruit.
Invisible Acts of Power: The Divine Energy of a Giving Heart
by Caroline MyssFor more than two decades, internationally renowned pioneer in energy medicine Caroline Myss has been studying how people use their personal power. Through her special brand of spiritual insight and intuition, her popular workshops, and her bestselling books, Myss has helped hundreds of thousands of people meet the lifelong challenge of managing their spiritual energy and improving their lives. Now, in this inspiring new book, Myss expands her message about power in an entirely new spiritual direction. With characteristic originality, she explains how we become channels for divine grace and a conduit for miracles through kind, compassionate, generous actions, or, as she calls them, invisible acts of power. When we act compassionately, without a private agenda or expectation of credit or reward, God works invisibly, anonymously through us. And as we move from visible acts, such as giving a friend a helping hand, to invisible acts, such as prayer and healing, we undergo a profound journey of personal empowerment. The myriad simple but profound ways that people connect to create small miracles, gain a greater sense of spirituality, and transform their own -- and others' -- lives in an instant will inspire you to your own invisible acts of power...and attract them to you.
The Invisible Alliance: Psyche and Spirit in Feminist Therapy
by Ellyn KaschakExplore the relationship between psychology and spirituality from a feminist perspective!From the editor: “There are forces in the universe about which we know nothing and can learn nothing through empiricism and material means. Such forces can be invoked in the process of therapy to assist in healing, to deepen experience, and to free us from the confining limits of the human mind. This is a book about the spiritual within each of us and about spirituality as it extends beyond any of us to embrace all of us. It deals with inspiration and passion, sorrow and loss, meaning and depth. It focuses upon the relationship between matters of spirit and of psychology, leading to new treatments within the parameters of psychotherapy that extend its vision far beyond the treatment of affliction.”The Invisible Alliance: Psyche and Spirit in Feminist Therapy provides you with a comprehensive review of multiculturalism and its relationship with feminism and spirituality and explores: ways to incorporate Jewish principles and beliefs into feminist therapy the application of religious sources of passion and perspective to parenting and working with children ways to combine Christian and Wiccan philosophies in therapy a provocative approach for integrating Christian biblical teachings into feminist therapy for survivors of sexual abuse ways that Buddhist ideas can enrich the understanding of the self and identity a case study of ancient healing traditions used by Latinas criteria for therapists to use in deciding whether to work with clients dealing with spiritual/religious issues or refer them to someone more appropriate a way to use the power of ritual to heal and give more meaning to important life transitions
The Invisible Arab: The Promise and Peril of the Arab Revolutions
by Marwan BisharaThe Invisible Arabtraces the roots of the revolutions in the Arab world. Marwan Bishara, chief policy analyst of Al Jazeera English and the anchor of the program "Empire”, combines on-the-ground reporting, extensive research and scholarship, and political commentary in this book on the complex influences that made the revolutions possible. Bishara argues that the inclusive, pluralistic nationalism that motivated the revolutions are indispensable to their long-term success. The Invisible Arabis a voyage in time from the Arab world’s 'liberation generation’ through the 'defeated' and 'lost generations', arriving at today’s 'miracle generation'. Bishara unpacks how this new generation, long seen as a demographic bomb, has proved to be the agent of progress, unity and freedom. It has in turn used social networks to mobilize for social justice. Bishara discusses how Israel, oil, terrorism and radical Islam have affected the interior identity of the region as well as Western projections upon it. Protection of Israel, Western imperial ambition, a thirst for oil, and fear of radicalism have caused many Western regimes and media to characterize Arab countries and people as unreceptive to democracy or progress. These ideas are as one-dimensional as they are foolhardy. Bishara argues that the Arab revolutions present a great window of opportunity for reinventing and improving Arab ties with the rest of the world- notably the West-on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest. The revolutions will be judged by how they realize freedom and justice, and how they can pave the way for reconciling and accommodating nationalism and Islam with democracy. Bishara argues that these pillars-liberty and justice reconciled with religion and nationalism, form the bedrock that will allow stability and progress to flourish in the Arab world and beyond.
The Invisible Bestseller: Searching for the Bible in America
by Kenneth A. BriggsA personal and journalistic inquiry into the Bible's disappearance from American life In The Invisible Bestseller veteran religion writer Kenneth Briggs asks how the Bible remains the best-selling book of all time, while fewer Americans than ever can correctly articulate what it says, much less how it might offer guidance for their lives. How can a book — one that's found in courthouses, libraries, and millions of households across the land — be everywhere and nowhere at the same time? In his quest to make sense of the Bible's relative dis-appearance from public life, Briggs leads readers on a rollicking exploration that includes visits to Family Christian Stores, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the kitchen tables of everyday families. He offers insight on the Bible's current position in American public life and suggests where it may be headed next.
The Invisible Bond: How to Break Free from Your Sexual Past
by Barbara WilsonGet Untied from Your Past Sex is like glue. Super human glue. Inside marriage, God designed it to be a bond that is powerful and unifying. Outside of marriage, the bonds of sex can be devastating. Long after the lover is gone, the bond we've created stays with us, negatively impacting our lives and future relationships. Now, through an impressive combination of Scripture and scientific research, Barbara Wilson shows how God designed us to be uniquely bonded through sex. But even more so, she concentrates on the tangible hope that is yours. This book will equip you not only to break those bonds, but to embrace a new, abandoned, wise, and thankful heart. You've had sex. But now sex has you. It's a past that haunts the present. Sabotaged relationships, low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, an empty spiritual life. Sex will bind you up and tie you down. Why? It's just sex. But "just sex" means your body, soul, mind, and spirit have become one with another. Released from a past of her own, Barbara Wilson now combines scientific research with Scripture to offer striking new insights about what sexual bonding is, why it is harmful, and how to move freely into your future. Complete with a study guide for group or personal use, The Invisible Bond is your hands-on tool for changing not your past...but your life. "Barb's honesty and vulnerability will inspire you to let God do in your life what He has done in hers, mine, and millions of other lives. He has set us free from self-defeating guilt and shame, helped us embrace our sexuality rather than fear it, and taught us how to enjoy genuinely healthy, intimate relationships. If that sounds appealing to you, then you hold the right book in your hands." Shannon Ethridge Bestselling author of the Every Woman's Battle series Story Behind the BookAs abstinence director and educator for a Sacramento pregnancy center, Barbara Wilson talks to wounded and bleeding hearts every day. They've lost the war on sexual purity and the daily consequences are their reality. All they want is hope--hope that they can be free from the pain and shame that their past drags into their present and future. This book reveals the negative impact of sexual bonding and offers steps to freedom from past sexual and emotional bonds. But even more, it offers new direction for the free heart, and how to embrace an abandoned, overflowing life!From the Trade Paperback edition.
Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery (Truth To Power Ser.)
by Harrison MooneyA narrative that amplifies a voice rarely heard—that of the child at the centre of a transracial adoption—and a searing account of being raised by religious fundamentalistsHarrison Mooney was born to a West African mother and adopted as an infant by a white evangelical family. Growing up as a Black child, Harry’s racial identity is mocked and derided, while at the same time he is made to participate in the fervour of his family’s revivalist church. Confused and crushed by fundamentalist dogma and consistently abused for his colour, Harry must transition from child to young adult while navigating and surviving zealotry, paranoia and prejudice.After years of internalized anti-Blackness, Harry begins to redefine his terms and reconsider his history. His journey from white cult to Black consciousness culminates in a moving reunion with his biological mother, who waited twenty-five years for the chance to tell her son the truth: she wanted to keep him.This powerful memoir considers the controversial practice of transracial adoption from the perspective of families that are torn apart and children who are stripped of their culture, all in order to fill evangelical communities’ demand for babies. Throughout this most timely tale of race, religion and displacement, Harrison Mooney’s wry, evocative prose renders his deeply personal tale of identity accessible and light, giving us a Black coming-of-age narrative set in a world with little love for Black children.
Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery (Truth to Power)
by Harrison MooneyAn unforgettable coming-of-age memoir about a Black boy adopted into a white, Christian fundamentalist familyPerfect for fans of Educated, Punch Me Up to the Gods, and Surviving the White Gaze&“An affecting portrait of life inside the twin prisons of racism and unbending orthodoxy.&” --Kirkus ReviewsA powerful, experiential journey from white cult to Black consciousness: Harrison Mooney&’s riveting story of self-discovery lifts the curtain on the trauma of transracial adoption and the internalized antiblackness at the heart of the white evangelical Christian movement.Inspired by Ralph Ellison&’s Invisible Man the same way Ta-Nehisi Coates&’s Between the World and Me was inspired by James Baldwin, Harrison Mooney&’s debut memoir will captivate readers with his powerful gift for storytelling, his keen eye for insight and observation, and his wry sense of humor.As an adopted and homeschooled Black boy with ADHD at white fundamentalist Christian churches and tent revivals, Mooney was raised amid a swirl of conflicting and confusing messages and beliefs. Within that radical and racist right-wing bubble along the U.S. border in Canada's Bible Belt, Harrison was desperate to belong and to be "visible" to those around him.But before ultimately finding his own path, Harrison must first come to understand that the forces at work in his life were not supernatural, but the same trauma and systemic violence that has terrorized Black families for generations. Reconnecting with his birth mother--and understanding her journey--leads Harrison to a new connection with himself: the eyes looking down were my true mother&’s eyes, and the face was my true mother&’s face, and for the first time in my life, I saw that I was beautiful.
The Invisible Bridge (Vintage Contemporaries Ser.)
by Julie OrringerParis, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he promised to deliver. But when he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter's recipient, he becomes privy to a secret that will alter the course of his--and his family's--history. From the small Hungarian town of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the despair of Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in labor camps, The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a family shattered and remade in history's darkest hour.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare
by Ram CnaanPopular calls to transform our current welfare system and supplant it with effective and inexpensive faith-based providers are gaining political support and engendering heated debate about the separation of church and state. Yet we lack concrete information from which to anticipate how such initiatives might actually work if adopted. Despite the assumption that congregations can help many needy people in our society, it remains to be seen how extensive they wish their involvement to be, or if they have the necessary tools to become significant providers in the social service arena. Moreover, how will such practices, which will move faith-based organizations towards professionalization, ultimately affect the spirit of volunteerism now prevalent in America's religious institutions? We lack sufficient knowledge about congregational life and its ability to play a key role in social service provision. The Invisible Caring Hand attempts to fill that void. Based on in-depth interviews with clergy and lay leaders in 251 congregations nationwide, it reveals the many ways in which congregations are already working, beneath the radar, to care for people in need. This ground-breaking volume will provide much-sought empirical data to social scientists, religious studies scholars, and those involved in the debates over the role of faith-based organizations in faith-based services, as well as to clergy and congregation members themselves.
Invisible City: A Novel (Rebekah Roberts Novels #1)
by Julia Dahl“An absolutely crackling, unputdownable mystery told by a narrator with one big, booming voice. I loved it.” —Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Gone GirlOne of The Boston Globe’s Best Books of the YearIn her riveting debut, journalist Julia Dahl—a finalist for the Edgar and Mary Higgins Clark Awards—introduces a compelling new character in search of the truth about a murder and an understanding of her own heritage Just months after Rebekah Roberts was born, her mother, an Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, abandoned her Christian boyfriend and newborn baby to return to her religion. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from her since. Now a recent college graduate, Rebekah has moved to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a big-city reporter. But she’s also drawn to the idea of being closer to her mother, who might still be living in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.Then Rebekah is called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman. Rebekah’s shocked to learn that, because of the NYPD’s habit of kowtowing to the powerful ultra-Orthodox community, not only will the woman be buried without an autopsy, her killer may get away with murder. Rebekah can’t let the story end there. But getting to the truth won’t be easy—even as she immerses herself in the cloistered world where her mother grew up, it’s clear that she’s not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to keep from an outsider.“Fast-paced, suspenseful . . . rises above the crime-novel genre in its unusual psychological, spiritual and sociological dimensions, entering a world unfamiliar to most people.” —The Washington Post
Invisible Companions: Encounters with Imaginary Friends, Gods, Ancestors, and Angels (Spiritual Phenomena)
by J. Bradley WiggerFrom the US to Nepal, author J. Bradley Wigger travels five countries on three continents to hear children describe their invisible friends—one-hundred-year-old robins and blue dogs, dinosaurs and teapots, pretend families and shape-shifting aliens—companions springing from the deep well of childhood imagination. Drawing on these interviews, as well as a new wave of developmental research, he finds a fluid and flexible quality to the imaginative mind that is central to learning, co-operation, and paradoxically, to real-world rationality. Yet Wigger steps beyond psychological territory to explore the religious significance of the kind of mind that develops relationships with invisible beings. Alongside Cinderella the blue dog, Quack-Quack the duck, and Dino the dinosaur are angels, ancestors, spirits, and gods. What he uncovers is a profound capacity in the religious imagination to see through the surface of reality to more than meets the eye. Punctuated throughout by children's colorful drawings of their see-through interlocutors, the book is highly engaging and alternately endearing, moving, and humorous. Not just for parents or for those who work with children, Invisible Companions will appeal to anyone interested in our mind's creative and spiritual possibilities.
The Invisible Friend (Viking Quest Series #3)
by Lois Walfrid JohnsonOnce again Bree finds the courage to win in a story that builds on the first two books of the Viking Quest series. In this novel, Bree arrives in Norway and is sent to work as a slave for the family of Mikkel, her Viking captor. She struggles to adjust, feeling worthless and disrespected, and wondering why God wants her in Norway. Her prayers are answered when she is given the opportunity to teach Mikkel's grandparents to read using an illuminated Bible stolen from an Irish monastery.