Of Desires Dilemmas And Divinity

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Desire, Violence, and Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction

Author : Gary M. Ciuba
Publisher : LSU Press
ISBN 13 : 0807138657
Total Pages : 484 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Desire, Violence, and Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction by : Gary M. Ciuba

Download or read book Desire, Violence, and Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction written by Gary M. Ciuba and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2011-02-04 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking study, Gary M. Ciuba examines how four of the South's most probing writers of twentieth-century fiction -- Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, and Walker Percy -- expose the roots of violence in southern culture. Ciuba draws on the paradigm of mimetic violence developed by cultural and literary critic René Girard, who maintains that individual human nature is shaped by the desire to imitate a model. Mimetic desire may lead in turn to rivalry, cruelty, and ultimately community-sanctioned -- and sometimes ritually sanctified -- victimization of those deemed outcasts. Ciuba offers an impressively broad intellectual discussion that gives universal cultural meaning to the southern experience of desire, violence, and divinity with which these four authors wrestled and out of which they wrote. In a comprehensive analysis of Porter's semiautobiographical Miranda stories, Ciuba focuses on the prescribed role of women that Miranda imitates and ultimately escapes. O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away reveals three characters whose scandalous animosity caused by religious rivalry leads to the unbearable stumbling block of violence. McCarthy's protagonist in Child of God, Lester Ballard, appears as the culmination of a long tradition of the sacred violence of southern religion, twisted into his own bloody faith. And Percy's The Thanatos Syndrome brings Ciuba's discussion back to the victim, in Tom Moore's renunciation of a society in which scapegoating threatens to become the foundation of a new social regime. From nostalgia for the old order to visions of a utopian tomorrow, these authors have imagined the interrelationship of desire, antagonism, and religion throughout southern history. Ciuba's insights offer new ways of reading Porter, O'Connor, McCarthy, and Percy as well as their contemporaries who inhabited the same culture of violence -- violence desired, dreaded, denied, and deified.

The Itinerary Of Desire In C.s. Lewis

Author : Francesco Tosi
Publisher : Babelcube Inc
ISBN 13 : 1667447793
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (674 download)

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Book Synopsis The Itinerary Of Desire In C.s. Lewis by : Francesco Tosi

Download or read book The Itinerary Of Desire In C.s. Lewis written by Francesco Tosi and published by Babelcube Inc. This book was released on 2023-01-03 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Detailed and enlightening study of the role of desire or "Joy" in the theological and philosophical works of C.S. Lewis.

The Dilemma of Modernity

Author : Lawrence E. Cahoone
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780887065491
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (654 download)

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Book Synopsis The Dilemma of Modernity by : Lawrence E. Cahoone

Download or read book The Dilemma of Modernity written by Lawrence E. Cahoone and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of modern culture along subjectivist lines has led to an analogue of psychological narcissism--to philosophical narcissism--in the culture. The intrinsic value of human cultural activity has been lost, and the intellectual foundation of the modern world-view has been destroyed. Cahoone carefully develops the idea of subjectivity and narcissism using psychological theory, the dialectical theory of the Frankfurt school, and historians. The core of his interpretive argument is developed through careful analysis of Descartes and Kant as well as of Husserl and Heidegger. Cahoone maintains a carefully controlled continuity between the analysis of philosophic positions and what they reveal about culture. In the conclusion, he moves toward a recreation of culture in non-subjectivist naturalism. Insights are drawn from Freud, Fairbairne, Winnicott, Kohut, Sennett, Lasch, Horkheimer, Adorno, Dewey, Cassirer, Kundera, and Buchler.

Feminist Philosophy of Religion

Author : Pamela Sue Anderson
Publisher : Psychology Press
ISBN 13 : 9780415257503
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (575 download)

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Book Synopsis Feminist Philosophy of Religion by : Pamela Sue Anderson

Download or read book Feminist Philosophy of Religion written by Pamela Sue Anderson and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Feminist Philosophy of Religion: Critical Readings brings together key new writings in this growing field.

The God Dilemma

Author : V. C. Thomas
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 13 : 1441551735
Total Pages : 405 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (415 download)

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Book Synopsis The God Dilemma by : V. C. Thomas

Download or read book The God Dilemma written by V. C. Thomas and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2009-08 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's modern technology and scientific knowledge contradicts all religious dogma created in ancient times by ignorant and superstitious people who had just learned to write. Modern science can test the strength of one's faith and it can make him a skeptic, causing him to discard the religious beliefs of his family for generations past. Deep religious experiences (or self-induced delusions) can be explained by physical, psychological, biological and medical sciences today. "Evil" or "Sin" is the result of social and mental conditions and can be corrected with education and medication today and without the help of an imaginary "God". To quote Mark Twain "Faith is to believe in what you know for sure is not true". The GOD Dilemma is an unscientific investigation to justify believing in religion today and in particular the Christian faith. It argues that scientific and logical discussions about religion and the existence of God are futile; however, we cannot stop thinking about it. Humans are (maybe) born with a faith in God's existence and with a conscience that tells them which is morally and ethically right and which is not. Author Thomas used to believe in religion, God, and Christianity through his teenage years, but even if he learned to ignore it during his 50 adult years, he never consciously discarded his Christian faith. He now shares his investigations and attempts to believe in Jesus Christ once again, despite today's knowledge of the universe and evolution and by ignoring the sanctimonious behavior of fundamentalist US Christians. In the international scene, Thomas believes that the US wars since WWII cannot be justified by the life and the teachings of Jesus Christ. There is an underlying moral claim by fundamentalist Christian Americans that its actions are justified by Jesus and Christianity. The new phenomenon called "Christian Zionism" which requires the removal of Palestinians from their homeland to create and expand Israel to enable the second coming of Christ, categorically contradicts the teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels. Zionism is based on the Old Testament Bible (OTB) and Revelations in the New Testament both of which are scientifically ridiculous. The OTB is also historically questionable (about a God interacting with his only chosen people in Middle East) and morally criminal (God sponsored and assisted armed robbery and genocide to create Israel ancient and modern) by today's legal and ethical standards. Why has the life and teachings of Jesus Christ not produced universal love and non-violence among Christians? Why are American Christians the most active supporters of (or not speaking out against) the wars, bombing and destruction by the USA since WWII? Are Ashkenazi European Jews really the descendants of Semitic slaves from Egypt? What were the reasons for anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in "Christian" Europe of the past? Why is the European Union and the US punishing the Palestinians for the Holocaust crimes in Europe? Can God's orders in the Bible be legally used by the United Nations to recreate Israel again in the 20th century after 3000 years by getting rid of Palestinians? The book seeks to inform and provoke critical thinking of the readers through this investigation into religion and God and, in particular, the violent, intolerant and self-righteous behavior of Christians for centuries past and even in today's enlightened age using the source of the Christian religion the Bible.

The ‘Ism’ Dilemma

Author : George I. Bailey
Publisher : WestBow Press
ISBN 13 : 1664202064
Total Pages : 972 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (642 download)

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Book Synopsis The ‘Ism’ Dilemma by : George I. Bailey

Download or read book The ‘Ism’ Dilemma written by George I. Bailey and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2020-11-09 with total page 972 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My wife and I have been born again saved Christians for over 20 years. We do have a non-denominational church home and we study The Holy Bible together regularly at home. We have a blended family with 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. I have worked for 20 years in electric operations and transportation. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and am currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Christian Apologetics. The book is primarily about relationship issues that result from illegitimate people groupings in modern day society. The book has an overwhelming focus on the spiritual impact on people, when pride based problems are not properly addressed with a biblical relationship with Jesus Christ. I have personally struggled with many of the people grouping issues discussed in this book; pride has been one such stumbling block for me. Creating this book has in part been a personal journey for me, helping me to heal some of the wounds inflicted upon me by others, as well as heal wounds I’ve caused others. It is my sincere hope and prayer that your journey through this book will heal you and your loved ones, as it has done for me and my family. With God’s help, Christians and Non-Christians alike can all benefit from the experiences, tools, and methods in this book by improving themselves spiritually, and by improving the quality of their relationships with others

Sex, God, and the Conservative Church

Author : Tina Schermer Sellers
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317199812
Total Pages : 203 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (171 download)

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Book Synopsis Sex, God, and the Conservative Church by : Tina Schermer Sellers

Download or read book Sex, God, and the Conservative Church written by Tina Schermer Sellers and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-04-21 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sex, God, and the Conservative Church guides psychotherapy and sexology clinicians on how to treat clients who grew up in a conservative faith—mired in sexual shame and dysfunction—and who desire to both heal and hold on to their faith orientation. The author first walks clinicians and readers through a critique of Western culture and the conservative Christian Church, and their effects on intimate partnerships and sexual lives. The book provides clinicians a way to understand the faulty sexual ethic of the early church, while revealing the hidden mystical sex and body positive understanding of sexuality of the Hebrew people. The book also includes chapters on strategies for a new sexual ethic, on clinical steps to heal religious sexual shame, and on specific sex therapy interventions clinicians can use directly in their practice. Finally, it offers a four step model for healing religious sexual shame and actual touch and non-touch exercises to bring healing and intimacy into a person's life.

Hermeneutical Approaches in Psychology of Religion

Author : Jacob A. Belzen
Publisher : Rodopi
ISBN 13 : 9789042000414
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Hermeneutical Approaches in Psychology of Religion by : Jacob A. Belzen

Download or read book Hermeneutical Approaches in Psychology of Religion written by Jacob A. Belzen and published by Rodopi. This book was released on 1997 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ISBN 9042000333 (paperback) NLG 45.00 This volume presents hermeneutical psychological studies on religion which rely on both classical and contemporary approaches. Dealing with topics like mysticism, religious symbols, life stories and mental health, contributions to the volume draw on a variety of perspectives. through genealogy and psychoanalysis.

Anselm of Canterbury and the Desire for the Word

Author : Eileen C. Sweeney
Publisher : CUA Press
ISBN 13 : 0813219582
Total Pages : 425 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis Anselm of Canterbury and the Desire for the Word by : Eileen C. Sweeney

Download or read book Anselm of Canterbury and the Desire for the Word written by Eileen C. Sweeney and published by CUA Press. This book was released on 2012-04 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sweeney's study offers a comprehensive picture of Anselm's thought and its development, from the early, intimate, monastically based meditations to the later, public, proto-scholastic disputations

Exploring Mormon Thought

Author : Blake T. Ostler
Publisher : Greg Kofford Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 543 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Exploring Mormon Thought by : Blake T. Ostler

Download or read book Exploring Mormon Thought written by Blake T. Ostler and published by Greg Kofford Books. This book was released on 2001-10-01 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this first volume Blake T. Ostler explores Christian and Mormon notions about God. Written for both Mormons and non-Mormons interested in the relationship between Mormonism and classical theism, his path-breaking Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God is a critique of classical theism regarding some of the central concepts that have formed the Christian understanding of God. He deals with questions of traditional philosophical theology including free will and foreknowledge, the nature of God and Christology. The approach to these questions is from the analytic philosophical tradition and includes detailed arguments relating to the coherence of Christian belief, scripture and practice. However he recognizes that religious faith is far more a product of intimacy with the divine than of ultimacy of reason, more a product of relationships than of logical necessities. He provides an overview of the most influential Christian notions of deity, exploring themes and resources within this discourse that might be helpful to Latter-day Saint explorations. Also highlighted are various perspectives within Mormonism itself including a detailed analysis of Joseph Smith's Lectures on Faith and discussion of the thought of Orson and Parley Pratt, B. H. Roberts and John Widstoe. Earlier Mormon thought is demonstrated to have included a concept of God as a being in process. He suggests areas in which Mormon approaches to questions about free agency and God's omnipotence might suggest resolutions to some of the difficult issues that have troubled theologians and philosophers for centuries. For the first time ever Ostler formulates a systematic Mormon Christology.

Ravished by Beauty

Author : Belden C. Lane
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199831688
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis Ravished by Beauty by : Belden C. Lane

Download or read book Ravished by Beauty written by Belden C. Lane and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-21 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this novel exploration of Reformed spirituality, Belden C. Lane uncovers a "green theology" that celebrates a community of jubilant creatures of all languages and species. Lane reveals an ecologically sensitive Calvin who spoke of himself as ''ravished'' by the earth's beauty. He speaks of Puritans who fostered a ''lusty'' spirituality in which Christ figured as a lover who encouraged meditation on the wonders of creation. He presents a Jonathan Edwards who urged a sensuous ''enjoyment'' of God's beauty as the only real way of knowing God. Lane argues for the ''double irony'' of Reformed spirituality, showing that Calvinists who often seem prudish and proper are in fact a people of passionate desire. Similarly, Reformed Christians who appear totally focused on divine transcendence turn out at times to be closet nature mystics, exulting in God's glory everywhere. Lane also demonstrates, however, that a spirituality of desire can be derailed, ending in sexual excess and pantheism. Ecologically, holy longing can be redirected from a contemplation of God's splendor in the earth's beauty to a craving for land itself, resulting in disastrous misuse of its resources. Between the major chapters of the book are engaging personal essays drawn from the author's own love of nature as a Reformed Christian, and providing a thoughtful discussion of contemporary issues of species diversity and the honoring of an earth community.

Divinity and State

Author : David Womersley
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0191501565
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

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Book Synopsis Divinity and State by : David Womersley

Download or read book Divinity and State written by David Womersley and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-02-18 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1589 the Privy Council encouraged the Archbishop of Canterbury to take steps to control the theatres, which had offended authority by putting on plays which addressed 'certen matters of Divinytie and of State unfitt to be suffred'. How had questions of divinity and state become entangled? The Reformation had invested the English Crown with supremacy over the Church, and religious belief had thus been transformed into a political statement. In the plentiful chronicle literature of the sixteenth-century, questions of monarchical legitimacy and religious orthodoxy became intertwined as a consequence of that demand for a usable national past created by the high political developments of the 1530s. Divinity and State explores the consequences of these events in the English historiography and historical drama of the sixteenth century. It is divided into four parts. In the first, the impact of reformed religion on narratives of the national past is measured and described. Part II examines how the entanglement of the national past and reformed religion was reflected in historical drama from Bale to the early years of James I, and focuses on two paradigmatic characters: the sanctified monarch and the martyred subject. Part III considers Shakespeare's history plays in the light of the preceding discussion, and finds that Shakespeare's career as a historical dramatist shows him eventually re-shaping the history play with great audacity. Part IV corroborates this reading of Shakespeare's later history plays by reference to the dramatic ripostes they provoked.

A Body of Practical Divinity ... With a Supplement of Several Sermons, on Various Texts of Scripture: the Art of Divine Contentment: and Christ's Various Fullness. [With a Portrait.]

Download A Body of Practical Divinity ... With a Supplement of Several Sermons, on Various Texts of Scripture: the Art of Divine Contentment: and Christ's Various Fullness. [With a Portrait.] PDF Online Free

Author : Thomas WATSON (Rector of St. Stephen's, Walbrook.)
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 664 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis A Body of Practical Divinity ... With a Supplement of Several Sermons, on Various Texts of Scripture: the Art of Divine Contentment: and Christ's Various Fullness. [With a Portrait.] by : Thomas WATSON (Rector of St. Stephen's, Walbrook.)

Download or read book A Body of Practical Divinity ... With a Supplement of Several Sermons, on Various Texts of Scripture: the Art of Divine Contentment: and Christ's Various Fullness. [With a Portrait.] written by Thomas WATSON (Rector of St. Stephen's, Walbrook.) and published by . This book was released on 1831 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Dilemma

Author : Albert Cutie
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101475293
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Dilemma by : Albert Cutie

Download or read book Dilemma written by Albert Cutie and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-01-04 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: He was a Roman Catholic priest whose love affair became headline news. Now, he shares his explosive story-in his own words... In this deeply personal and controversial memoir, Father Albert Cutié tells about the devastating struggle between upholding his sacred promises as a priest and falling in love. Already conflicted with growing ideological differences with the Church, Cutié was forced to abruptly change his life the day that he was photographed on the beach, embracing the woman he would later call his wife. Once a poster boy of the Roman Catholic Church-loved and admired by millions-Cutié found that he was not happy and able to live as a celibate priest, especially having to defend the number of positions he was no longer in agreement with. For years he kept his relationship a secret, while he soul searched and prayed for answers. The love that he deemed a blessing was bringing him closer to God, but further from the Church. In Dilemma, Cutié tells about breaking that promise, reigniting the very heated debate over mandatory celibacy for Catholic priests, beginning a new way of life and discovering a new way of serving God.

Awakening Divinity

Author : Vejai Randy Etwaroo
Publisher : Vejai Randy Etwaroo
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Awakening Divinity by : Vejai Randy Etwaroo

Download or read book Awakening Divinity written by Vejai Randy Etwaroo and published by Vejai Randy Etwaroo. This book was released on with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Awakеning Divinity:" Unlеashing Thе Powеr Of Hinduism" takеs you on a transformativе journеy through thе dеpths of Hinduism's profound tеachings, rituals, philosophy, and cultural hеritagе. Explorе thе 25 captivating chaptеrs that dеlvе into еvеry facеt of this anciеnt tradition, from thе sacrеd scripturеs and philosophical systеms to thе divеrsе practicеs, social issuеs, arts, sciеncеs, and thеir rеlеvancе in thе modеrn world. Dеlvе into thе wisdom of thе Vеdas, Upanishads, and othеr anciеnt tеxts that form thе foundation of Hindu philosophy. Uncovеr thе sеcrеts of thе Trimurti, thе divinе trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and discovеr thеir significancе in thе cosmic ordеr. Explorе thе powеrful prеsеncе of goddеssеs and othеr dеitiеs in Hinduism and thеir еmbodimеnt of various aspеcts of divinity. Immеrsе yoursеlf in thе captivating storiеs of thе Ramayana and Mahabharata, and uncovеr thе symbolism and tеachings еmbеddеd within thеsе еpic talеs. Discovеr thе rich symbolism and tеachings found in othеr mythological storiеs that havе shapеd thе Hindu worldviеw for cеnturiеs. Witnеss thе rolе of rituals, fеstivals, and lifе-cyclе cеrеmoniеs in Hinduism and undеrstand thеir significancе in spiritual practicе and pеrsonal transformation. Expеriеncе thе powеr of yoga and mеditation as pathways to sеlf-rеalization and innеr awakеning. Gain insight into thе major fеstivals that cеlеbratе thе divеrsity and spiritual еssеncе of Hinduism. Explorе thе social, cultural, and еnvironmеntal dimеnsions of Hinduism, including thе castе systеm, womеn's еmpowеrmеnt, and thе rеligion's influеncе on art, litеraturе, music, and architеcturе. Witnеss thе intеgration of Hinduism with tеchnology in thе digital agе and its impact on spiritual practicе, еducation, and global outrеach. Engagе with thе profound philosophical systеms of Hinduism, from Advaita Vеdanta's non-dualistic pеrspеctivе to thе dualism of Samkhya. Gain an undеrstanding of karma and rеincarnation and thеir implications for pеrsonal rеsponsibility and spiritual еvolution. Witnеss thе dynamic intеrplay bеtwееn Hinduism and othеr major rеligions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and еxplorе thе principlеs of intеrfaith dialoguе and harmony. Discovеr thе significancе of dеvotion (bhakti) as a spiritual path and lеarn about thе tеachings of prominеnt bhakti saints throughout history. Gain insights into thе challеngеs and opportunitiеs that Hinduism faces in thе modеrn world, from adapting to technological advancеmеnts to addrеssing social issues and promoting sustainability. Explorе thе еnduring rеlеvancе of Hindu philosophy in providing guidancе, еthical principlеs, and a holistic worldviеw in a rapidly changing society. Awakеning Divinity: "Unlеashing Thе Powеr Of Hinduism" is a comprеhеnsivе еxploration that cеlеbratеs thе timеlеss wisdom, spiritual dеpth, and cultural richnеss of Hinduism. Whеthеr you arе a sееkеr on a spiritual journеy, a scholar of rеligion, or simply curious about thе profound tеachings of Hinduism, this book will immеrsе you in a transformativе еxpеriеncе that unlocks thе powеr of divinity within you.

Hermes' Dilemma and Hamlet's Desire

Author : Vincent Crapanzano
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674389816
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (898 download)

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Book Synopsis Hermes' Dilemma and Hamlet's Desire by : Vincent Crapanzano

Download or read book Hermes' Dilemma and Hamlet's Desire written by Vincent Crapanzano and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In essays that question how the human sciences, particularly anthropology and psychoanalysis, articulate their fields of study, Crapanzano addresses nothing less than the enormous problem of defining the self in both its individual and collective projections.

Augustine's Manichaean Dilemma, Volume 1

Author : Jason David BeDuhn
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN 13 : 0812207424
Total Pages : 411 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (122 download)

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Book Synopsis Augustine's Manichaean Dilemma, Volume 1 by : Jason David BeDuhn

Download or read book Augustine's Manichaean Dilemma, Volume 1 written by Jason David BeDuhn and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2012-01-31 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Augustine of Hippo is history's best-known Christian convert. The very concept of conversio owes its dissemination to Augustine's Confessions, and yet, as Jason BeDuhn notes, conversion in Augustine is not the sudden, dramatic, and complete transformation of self we likely remember it to be. Rather, in the Confessions Augustine depicts conversion as a lifelong process, a series of self-discoveries and self-departures. The tale of Augustine is one of conversion, apostasy, and conversion again. In this first volume of Augustine's Manichaean Dilemma, BeDuhn reconstructs Augustine's decade-long adherence to Manichaeism, apostasy from it, and subsequent conversion to Nicene Christianity. Based on his own testimony and contemporaneous sources from and about Manichaeism, the book situates many features of Augustine's young adulthood within his commitment to the sect, while pointing out ways he failed to understand or put into practice key parts of the Manichaean system. It explores Augustine's dissatisfaction with the practice-oriented faith promoted by the Manichaean leader Faustus and the circumstances of heightened intolerance, anti-Manichaean legislation, and pressures for social conformity surrounding his apostasy. Seeking a historically circumscribed account of Augustine's subsequent conversion to Nicene Christianity, BeDuhn challenges entrenched conceptions of conversion derived in part from Augustine's later idealized account of his own spiritual development. He closely examines Augustine's evolving self-presentation in the year before and following his baptism and argues that the new identity to which he committed himself bore few of the hallmarks of the orthodoxy with which he is historically identified. Both a historical study of the specific case of Augustine and a theoretical reconsideration of the conditions under which conversion occurs, this book explores the role religion has in providing the materials and tools through which self-formation and reformation occurs.