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Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
by V. S. NaipaulIslam is an Arab religion, and it makes imperial Arabizing demands on its converts. In this way it is more than a private faith, and it can become a neurosis. What has this Arab Islam done to the histories of these converted countries? How do the converted peoples, non-Arabs, view their past -- and their future? In a follow-up to "Among the Believers", his classic account of his travels through these countries, V. S. Naipaul returns after seventeen years to find out how and what the converted preach. In Indonesia he finds a pastoral people who have lost their history through a confluence of Islam and technology. In Iran he discovers a religious tyranny as oppressive as the secular one of the Shah, and he meets people weary of the religious rules that govern every aspect of their lives. Pakistan -- in a tragic realization of a Muslim re-creation fantasy -- inherited blood feuds, rotting palaces, antique cruelty; then President Zia installed religious terror with $100 million of Saudi money. In Malaysia, the Muslim Youth organization is alive and growing, and the people are mentally, physically, and geographically torn between two worlds, struggling to live the impossible dream of a true faith born out of a spiritual vacancy. A startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon, "Beyond Belief" confirms the author's reputation as a masterly observer, a "finder-out" of stories, as well as a magnificent teller of them.
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
by V. S. NaipaulBeyond Belief is a book about one of the more important and unsettling issues of our time: the effects of the Islamic conversion of Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia. It is not a book of opinion. It is - in the Naipaul way - a very rich and human book, full of people and stories.Islam is an Arab religion, and it makes imperial Arabizing demands on its converts. In this way it is more than a private faith, and it can become a neurosis. What has this Arab Islam done to the histories of these converted countries? How do the converted peoples, non-Arabs, view their past - and their future? In a follow-up to Among the Believers, his classic account of his travels through these countries, V. S. Naipaul returns after seventeen years to find out how and what the converted preach.In Indonesia he finds a pastoral people who have lost their history through a confluence of Islam and technology. In Iran he discovers a religious tyranny as oppressive as the secular one of the Shah, and he meets people weary of the religious rules that govern every aspect of their lives. Pakistan - in a tragic realization of a Muslim re-creation fantasy - inherited blood feuds, rotting palaces, antique cruelty; then President Zia installed religious terror with $100 million of Saudi money. In Malaysia, the Muslim Youth organization is alive and growing, and the people are mentally, physically, and geographically torn between two worlds, struggling to live the impossible dream of a true faith born out of a spiritual vacancy.A startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon, Beyond Belief confirms the author's reputation as a masterly observer, a "finder-out" of stories, as well as a magnificent teller of them.
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples (Vintage International)
by V. S. Naipaul"Brilliant. . . . A powerfully observed, stylistically elegant exploration." --The New York TimesA New York Times Notable Book of the Year"The book's strength lies in Naipaul's extraordinary ability as a storyteller to draw striking portraits of a cross section of individuals."--The Boston GlobeFourteen years after the publication of his landmark travel narrative Among the Believers, V. S. Naipaul returned to the four non-Arab Islamic countries he reported on so vividly at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini's triumph in Iran. Beyond Belief is the result of his five-month journey in 1995 through Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia--lands where descendants of Muslim converts live at odds with indigenous traditions, and where dreams of Islamic purity clash with economic and political realities.In extended conversations with a vast number of people--a rare survivor of the martyr brigades of the Iran-Iraq war, a young intellectual training as a Marxist guerilla in Baluchistan, an impoverished elderly couple in Teheran whose dusty Baccarat chandeliers preserve the memory of vanished wealth, and countless others--V. S. Naipaul deliberately effaces himself to let the voices of his subjects come through. Yet the result is a collection of stories that has the author's unmistakable stamp. With its incisive observation and brilliant cultural analysis, Beyond Belief is a startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon."Highly accomplished. . . . Another display of Naipaul's remarkable talent." --The Independent (London)
Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
by Lisa Pulitzer Jenna Miscavige HillJenna Miscavige Hill was born into the Church of Scientology and grew up strictly adhering to its beliefs and practices. But aged twenty-two she made a daring break. Now, for the first time, this insider pierces the veil of secrecy that has shrouded Scientology - a religion that has been the subject of fierce debate and speculation worldwide. Beyond Belief is a definitive look at the beliefs and rituals of the religion, using the author's unique relationship to the Church's first-in-command - David Miscavige - as an unprecedented window into the religion, its draw, its practices, its leadership, its followers and its secrets. From her disturbing childhood to the organisation's celebrity culture, Jenna shares true stories that are beyond the wildest imagination.
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
by Elaine PagelsIn Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy. Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the "secret" Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical. As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the "rogue" voices of Christianity encourage and sustain "the recognition of the light within us all."From the Trade Paperback edition.Jesus' secret teaching, and finds its closest affinities with kabbalah) with the canonic texts to show how Christian leaders chose to include some gospels and exclude others from the collection we have come to know as the New Testament. To stabilize the emerging Christian church in times of devastating persecution, the church fathers constructed the canon, creed, and hierarchy-and, in the process, suppressed many of its spiritual resources. Drawing on new scholarship-her own, and that of an international group of scholars-that has come to light since the publication in 1979 of The Gnostic Gospels, Pagels shows that what matters about Christianity involves much more than any one set of beliefs. Traditions embodied in Judaism and Christianity can powerfully affect us in heart, mind, and spirit, inspire visions of a new society based on practicing justice and love, even heal and transform us.Provocative, beautifully written, and moving, Beyond Belief, the most personal of Pagels's books to date, shows how "the impulse to seek God overflows the narrow banks of a single tradition." Pagels writes, "What I have come to love in the wealth and diversity of our religious traditions-and the communities that sustain them-is that they offer the testimony of innumerable people to spiritual discovery, encouraging us, in Jesus' words, to 'seek, and you shall find.'"
Beyond Belief: The Secret Lives of Women in Extreme Religions
by Susan Tive Cami OstmanBeyond Belief addresses what happens when women of extreme religions decide to walk away. Editors Susan Tive (a former Orthodox Jew) and Cami Ostman (a de-converted fundamentalist born-again Christian) have compiled a collection of powerful personal stories written by women of varying ages, races, and religious backgrounds who share one commonality: they’ve all experienced and rejected extreme religions. Covering a wide range of religious communities—including Evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Calvinist, Moonie, and Jehovah’s Witness—and containing contributions from authors like Julia Scheeres (Jesus Land), the stories in Beyond Belief reveal how these women became involved, what their lives were like, and why they came to the decision to eventually abandon their faiths. The authors shed a bright light on the rigid expectations and misogyny so often built into religious orthodoxy, yet they also explain the lure—why so many women are attracted to these lifestyles, what they find that’s beautiful about living a religious life, and why leaving can be not only very difficult but also bittersweet.
Beyond Betrayal: The Priest Sex Abuse Crisis, the Voice of the Faithful, and the Process of Collective Identity
by Patricia Ewick Marc W. SteinbergIn 2002, the national spotlight fell on Boston’s archdiocese, where decades of rampant sexual misconduct from priests—and the church’s systematic cover-ups—were exposed by reporters from the Boston Globe. The sordid and tragic stories of abuse and secrecy led many to leave the church outright and others to rekindle their faith and deny any suggestions of institutional wrongdoing. But a number of Catholics vowed to find a middle ground between these two extremes: keeping their faith while simultaneously working to change the church for the better. Beyond Betrayal charts a nationwide identity shift through the story of one chapter of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an organization founded in the scandal’s aftermath. VOTF had three goals: helping survivors of abuse; supporting priests who were either innocent or took risky public stands against the wrongdoers; and pursuing a broad set of structural changes in the church. Patricia Ewick and Marc W. Steinberg follow two years in the life of one of the longest-lived and most active chapters of VOTF, whose thwarted early efforts at ecclesiastical reform led them to realize that before they could change the Catholic Church, they had to change themselves. The shaping of their collective identity is at the heart of Beyond Betrayal, an ethnographic portrait of how one group reimagined their place within an institutional order and forged new ideas of faith in the wake of widespread distrust.
Beyond Bizarre: Frightening Facts and Blood-Curdling True Tales
by Varla VenturaThe author of The Book of the Bizarre returns with a new compendium of freaky facts, terrifying trivia, and true stories that are stranger than fiction. In Beyond Bizarre, Varla Ventura presents an all-new batch of nightmarish tales that teem queasy diseases and paranormal encounters—not to mention the outrageous, outlandish, and the simply strange. Arranged into thirteen chilling chapters like Haunted Hollywood, Tales from the Cryptids, Bride of the Bizarre, and It&’s Enough to Make You Hurl, Beyond Bizarre tackles everything from female pirates and creepy candy stripers to psychic predictions, virgin shark births and much, much more. A word of warning: this book is not for the faint of heart!
Beyond Blessed: God's Perfect Plan to Overcome All Financial Stress
by Dave Ramsey Robert MorrisReach your financial goals and reduce the stress in your life with this book of biblical principles by the New York Times bestselling author of The Blessed Life.Who doesn't want to eliminate financial stress? Who doesn't want to get out of debt, reach their financial goals, experience the joy that God intends for us, and be free to bless others with their resources?In The Blessed Life, Pastor Robert Morris teaches that generosity is a key component to being in God's favor. Now, in BEYOND BLESSED, he shares the importance of being a good steward, not only with your finances, but with every part of your life. Pastor Morris will motivate you to become a better manager of your money, and provide practical lessons on taking your finances to the next level. Through Biblical principles, personal stories, and incredible testimonies, you will learn how to be a good steward, and that when you properly manage your finances, blessings will pour into all areas of your life. Here is a guide to increasing and going further with what God has given you, and living beyond blessed.
Beyond Borders: Indo-Sasanian Trade and Its Central Indian Connections (Circa CE 300–700) (Palgrave Studies in Ancient Economies)
by Ashish KumarThis book examines the economic history of ancient South Asia by situating the Malwa region of Central India within Afro-Eurasian trade networks to illuminate the role of traders in the political, religious and economic processes connected with the Indo-Sasanian trade in the period of five centuries, circa CE 300-700.The book challenges the long-held centrality of the Roman factor in the South Asian economy by locating the Indo-Sasanian interactions in long distance economic networks with trade as a central feature. It considers the role and influence of traders as an understudied group affecting the contribution of the Indian economy to the world system. Amidst rapidly changing political landscapes, traders of Indian and Sasanian origins are studied as conscious political beings, who formed ties with varieties of polities and religious communities to secure their commercial interests. In addition, their commercial interactions with their Sogdian (Central Asia) and Aksumite (East Africa) counterparts are analyzed. The book also considers the nature of trade routes and the specific connections between mercantile and religious networks, including patterns of construction of religious shrines and temples along trade routes. Integrating epigraphic, numismatic, literary and archaeological evidence, this book moves away from a marginal treatment of the Indo-Sasanian trade in Indian history, and demonstrates how regional economic history must address a plurality of causes, actors, and processes in its assessment of the regional economy. The book will be of interest to students and academics of Indian economic history, as well as the ancient economies of South Asia more broadly.
Beyond Boundaries Participant's Guide: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships
by John TownsendPainful relationships violate trust and close hearts. But God designed us to experience freedom and love, and to live this way we need to take risks. After six books on boundaries, bestselling author Dr. John Townsend realized that, though people who experienced tough relationships may put up an emotional wall to protect themselves, they often have no idea how to reconnect with the person who has violated their trust or forge a fresh connection with someone new. In Beyond Boundaries, Townsend offers a simple path to regain the intimacy and fulfilling closeness that every human needs. How do you know you’re ready to trust again … and what does it take to be ready? In this six-session, video-based study, Townsend takes participants beyond the pain of the past to re-enter a life of intimate relationships. Beyond Boundaries walks through the process of healing broken trust in a relationship or beginning a new relationship in a healthy way. Starting over is possible. You can find the intimacy that you long for, and you can do it in a way that honors God.
Beyond Boundaries: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships
by John Townsend Dr Henry CloudHow do you know you’re ready to trust again … and what does it take to be ready? Painful relationships violate our trust, causing us to close our hearts. But to experience the freedom and love God designed us for, we eventually have to take another risk. In this breakthrough book, bestselling author Dr. John Townsend takes you beyond the pain of the past to discover how to re-enter a life of intimate relationships. Whether you’re trying to restore a current relationship or begin a new one, Townsend gives practical tools for establishing trust and finding the intimacy you long for. Beyond Boundaries will help you reinstate closeness with someone who broke your trust; discern when true change has occurred; reestablish appropriate connections in strained relationships; create a safe environment that helps you trust; and restore former relationships to a healthy dynamic. You can move past relational pain to trust again. Beyond Boundaries will show you how.
Beyond Boundaries: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships
by John TownsendTownsend helps you discover when and how to trust again after you've set appropriate boundaries, how to connect deeply without being hurt, and how to safely grow your most intimate relationships.
Beyond Brainwashing: Perspectives on Cultic Violence (Elements in Religion and Violence)
by Rebecca MooreThis analysis reviews the state of the question regarding theories of cultic violence. It introduces definitions and vocabulary and presents relevant historical examples of religious violence. It then discusses the 1960s and 1970s, the period immediately before the Jonestown tragedy. Considerations of the post-Jonestown (1978), and then post-Waco (1993) literature follow. After 9/11 (2001), some of the themes identified in previous decades reappear. The book concludes by examining the current problem of repression and harassment directed at religious believers. Legal discrimination by governments, as well as persecution of religious minorities by non-state actors, has challenged earlier fears about cultic violence.
Beyond Brave: 60 Days of Journaling Devotions for Young Women
by ZondervanBeyond Brave, a beautifully designed 60-day journaling devotional, will encourage each young woman to discover the unique way God has made you courageous. Every day will include a Bible verse, an easy-to-read and compelling devotion, and a simple step that will help strengthen and grow your brave.This devotional will lead you on an empowering journey through topics such as our identity as daughters of God, overcoming fears, facing doubt, matching anxiety with resilient faith, body image, peer pressure, building strong relationships, and helping others. With each day, you will be inspired by biblical and modern stories of heroic women of faith, such as the wisdom of Huldah the prophet, the courage of Harriet Tubman, the passion of Priscilla, the strength of Rosa Parks, the kindness of Dorcas, the compassion of Amy Carmichael, the bold generosity of Mother Teresa, and many others.This emboldening journey will remind you of your God-given call to stand strong in who God made you to be, to speak up for those who don&’t have a voice, and ultimately, to discover confident strength found in the fierce love of God.Beyond Brave:includes 60 days of devotionsfeatures 60 journaling prompts and ample writing spaceincludes Inspiring stories of Biblical women
Beyond Broken Dreams: A Scriptural Pathway to New Life
by Karen BerryWritten with compassion and tenderness, "This is a book about loss and broken dreams. It is a book about the journey to healing and new life. It is a book for anyone who has ever felt the pain of dying in any of the many ways we are called upon to die throughout life's journey."
Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right and Wrong
by Steve WilkensIdeas have consequences. And sometimes those ideas can be squeezed into slogans, slapped on bumper stickers and tweeted into cyberspace. These compact messages coming at us from all directions often compress in a few words entire ethical systems. It turns out that there's a lot more to the ideas behind these slogans--ideas that need to be sorted out before we make important moral decisions as individuals or as societies. In this revised and expanded edition of Steve Wilkens's widely-used text, the author has updated his introductions to basic ethical systems:cultural relativismethical egoismutilitarianismbehaviorismsituation ethicsKantian ethicsvirtue ethicsnatural law ethicsdivine command theoryHe has also added two new chapters:evolutionary ethicsnarrative ethicsWith clarity and wit Wilkens unpacks the complicated ideas behind the slogans and offers Christian evaluations of each.
Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right and Wrong
by Steve WilkensIdeas have consequences. And sometimes those ideas can be squeezed in to slogans, slapped on bumper stickers and tweeted into cyberspace. These compact messages coming at us from all directions often compress in a few words entire ethical systems. It turns out that there's a lot more to the ideas behind these slogans--ideas that need to be sorted out before we make important moral decisions as individuals or as societies. In this revised and expanded edition of Steve Wilkens's widely-used text, the author has updated his introductions to basic ethical systems: cultural relativism ethical egoism utilitarianism behaviorism situation ethics Kantian ethics virtue ethics natural law ethics divine command theory He has also added two new chapters: evolutionary ethics narrative ethics With clarity and wit Wilkens unpacks the complicated ideas behind the slogans and offers Christian evaluations of each.
Beyond Calvin: The Intellectual, Political and Cultural World of Europe’s Reformed Churches, c. 1540–1620 (European History In Perspective Ser.)
by Graeme MurdockAn international community of Reformed churches emerged during the sixteenth century. Although attempts were made by Calvinists to reach agreement over key beliefs, and to establish uniformity in patterns of worship and church government, there were continuing divisions over some ideas and differences between local practices of moral discipline and religious life. However, Reformed intellectuals developed common ideas about rights of resistance against tyrants, communities prayed, fasted and donated money to aid brethren in distress, and many Calvinists across the Continent developed a strong sense of collective identity. Beyond Calvin considers the Reformed churches of Europe in an international and comparative context from around 1540 to 1620. Graeme Murdock: - discusses how Calvinism operated as an international movement by looking at links between Reformed churches, communities and states - explains what Reformed churches across the Continent stood for - focuses on how Calvinists sought to purify the practice of Christian religion, and to renew European politics, society and culture - examines both the strengths and limits of the international Reformed community
Beyond Catholicism
by Fabrizio De Donno Simon GilsonThe essays within Beyond Catholicism trace the interconnections of belief, heresy, and mysticism in Italian culture from the Middle Ages to today. In particular, they explore how religious discourse has unfolded within Italian culture in the context of shifting paradigms of rationality, authority, time, good and evil, and human collectivities.
Beyond Championships Teen Edition: A Playbook for Winning at Life
by Lebron James Chris Morrow Dru Joyce IIIn Beyond Championships Teen Edition, Coach Dru Joyce lays out the steps teens can follow to become winners on and off the court. Much more than a sports book, Beyond Championships Teen Edition is a blueprint for anyone looking to make better choices and reach their full potential. The book speaks to athletes aspiring to emulate LeBron’s success, as well as anyone who feels either uninspired or unable to change the direction of their lives. In less than ten years, Coach Dru went from someone resigned to a dull-yet-stable existence to one of the highest profile basketball coaches in the country, despite having virtually no background in the sport. It was an incredible transformation, the type most people only dream of, but one Coach Dru proved can become a reality with the right combination of faith and hard work. Beyond Championships Teen Edition focuses on the nine principles Coach Dru promotes to his players and tries to live his own life. While these principles act as the foundation on which Coach Dru has built so many successful basketball teams, their universality ensures that they can be applied to any situation.
Beyond Championships: A Playbook for Winning at Life
by Lebron James Chris Morrow Dru Joyce IIAs the coach of one of high school basketball’s greatest programs, Coach Dru Joyce has been mentor and motivator to some of the nation’s best young players, including basketball legend LeBron James. Despite having virtually no experience in the sport, in less than ten years Dru went from a no-name fan to one of the highest profile basketball coaches in the country. With insight and grit earned from his years on and off the court, Coach Dru shares for the first time the secrets to his teams’ success and his own coaching achievements. Far more than a sports book, Beyond Championships is a blueprint for anyone looking to make better choices, reach their full potential, and become winners in all areas of life. As Dru outlines the nine principles that he promotes to his players and tries to live in his own life as well, you’ll discover that the solid foundation on which he built so many successful basketball programs can be applied to almost any situation. As you assess your chosen path in life and look for ways to embark on a more inspiring and rewarding journey, Coach Dru offers an accessible and relatable roadmap for personal evolution.
Beyond Chrismukkah: The Christian-Jewish Interfaith Family in the United States
by Samira K. MehtaThe rate of interfaith marriage in the United States has risen so radically since the sixties that it is difficult to recall how taboo the practice once was. How is this development understood and regarded by Americans generally, and what does it tell us about the nation's religious life? Drawing on ethnographic and historical sources, Samira K. Mehta provides a fascinating analysis of wives, husbands, children, and their extended families in interfaith homes; religious leaders; and the social and cultural milieu surrounding mixed marriages among Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. Mehta's eye-opening look at the portrayal of interfaith families across American culture since the mid-twentieth century ranges from popular TV shows, holiday cards, and humorous guides to "Chrismukkah" to children's books, young adult fiction, and religious and secular advice manuals. Mehta argues that the emergence of multiculturalism helped generate new terms by which interfaith families felt empowered to shape their lived religious practices in ways and degrees previously unknown. They began to intertwine their religious identities without compromising their social standing. This rich portrait of families living diverse religions together at home advances the understanding of how religion functions in American society today.
Beyond Christian Hip Hop: A Move Towards Christians and Hip Hop (Routledge Studies in Hip Hop and Religion)
by Erika D. Gault Travis HarrisChristians and Christianity have been central to Hip Hop since its inception. This book explores the intersection of Christians and Hip Hop and the multiple outcomes of this intersection. It lays out the ways in which Christians and Hip Hop overlap and diverge. The intersection of Christians and Hip Hop brings together African diasporic cultures, lives, memories and worldviews. Moving beyond the focus on rappers and so-called "Christian Hip Hop," each chapter explores three major themes of the book: identifying Hip Hop, irreconcilable Christianity, and boundaries.There is a self-identified Christian Hip Hop (CHH) community that has received some scholarly attention. At the same time, scholars have analyzed Christianity and Hip Hop without focusing on the self-identified community. This book brings these various conversations together and show, through these three themes, the complexities of the intersection of Christians and Hip Hop. Hip Hop is more than rap music, it is an African diasporic phenomenon. These three themes elucidate the many characteristics of the intersection between Christians and Hip Hop and our reasoning for going beyond "Christian Hip Hop." This collection is a multi-faceted view of how religious belief plays a role in Hip Hoppas' lives and community. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of Religion and Hip Hop, Hip Hop, African Diasporas, Religion and the Arts, Religion and Race and Black Theology as well as Religious Studies more generally.
Beyond Christianity: African Americans in a New Thought Church (Religion, Race, and Ethnicity)
by Darnise C. MartinBeyond Christianity draws on rich ethnographic work in a Religious Science church in Oakland, California, to illuminate the ways a group of African Americans has adapted a religion typically thought of as white to fit their needs and circumstances.This predominantly African American congregation is an anomalous phenomenon for both Religious Science and African American religious studies. It stands at the intersection of New Thought doctrine, characterized by personal empowerment teachings,and a culturally familiar liturgical style reminiscent of Black Pentecostals and Black Spiritualists. This group challenges oversimplified concepts of the Black church experience and broadens the concept of Black religion outside the boundaries of Christianity—raising questions about what it means to be an African American congregation, and about the nature of blackness itself. Beyond Christianity adds a new dimension to the scholarship on Black religion.