Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil is a translation of selections from two of Ibn Qayyim's books Key to the Blissful Abode and Remedy for Those who Question on Matters Concerning Divine Decree, Predestination, Wisdom and Causality. As with all his other writings, Ibn al-Qayyim's foremost goal is to establish the wisdom of God, the primacy of the Qur'an and Sunna, and the congruity between reason and revelation. In the present selections, Ibn al-Qayyim focuses on the application of the wisdom of God to the existence of evil.Ibn al-Qayyim first discusses twenty-six wise purposes behind God creating humanity and settling them on Earth. His perspective is that whatever exists in this world is either purely or preponderantly good, or indirectly leads to a greater good. Ibn Qayyim then explores how the presence of evil allows the manifestation of many of God's Beautiful Names, glorious attributes and compassionate actions. While for humanity, the existence of the evil provides the righteous with opportunities to strive against it; for Paradise can only be reached by 'traversing a bridge of hardships and tribulations'.The discussions of the existence of evil is followed by thirty wise purposes and secrets in God allowing people to sin. Prominent among them are that God loves repentance and loves to manifest His Attributes of forgiveness and mercy. Here, Ibn al-Qayyim also debates at length whether the punishment of Hellfire will be eternal or whether it will come to an end. He favours the the latter position in accordance with the Qur'anic verse 107 of the Chapter Hud and because of God's mercy.

This book provides new data and perspectives on the development of 'world religion' in post-colonial societies through an analysis of the development of 'Hinduism' in various parts of Indonesia from the early 20th century to the present. This development has been largely driven by the religious and cultural policy of the Indonesian central government, although the process began during the colonial period as an indigenous response to the introduction of modernity.

Why is there a world? Does it reflect the presence of God in any way? Did the world spontaneously come into existence or is there a creator? How will it end? Does God Exist? Do religions give a coherent view of His existence and nature? Can we enter into relation with Him? Robert Crawford tries to answer these and other questions by arguing that religion and science complement one another and, while they use different sources and methods, insights can be gleaned from both concerning our nature, the world, and God. Major attention is given to Christianity because modern science arose in that context but the discussion includes the teachings of five other religions in the hope that we can also learn from them.

Foreword by:
A. J. Stockwell

Contemporary philosopher William Desmond has many companions in thought, and one of the most important of these is Augustine. In lucid prose that draws on the riches of a vibrant philosophical-theological tradition, Renee Kohler-Ryan explores Desmond's metaxological philosophy. She elaborates on how Desmond's philosophical work in discovering how humans are constantly "between" remains in conversation with a tradition of thinkers that includes Plato, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Shakespeare. This book concentrates especially on how Desmond both draws upon and develops some of the central insights in Augustine. At the same time, it brings together philosophy, theology, and literature into a rich engagement of ideas that impact the way humans think and live. Whether considering how our elemental wonder at creation brings us closer to God, or how our most intimate revelations about being human happen in the interior space of prayer, reading Desmond with Augustine illuminates a porous and interdisciplinary space of inquiry. Companions in the Between is a unique contribution to the growing body of scholarship on William Desmond's thought. It opens with a foreword from Desmond. Its pages will entice any reader who wants to know more about how contemporary philosophy can contest a space where philosophers are formulaically expected to shy away from divine transcendence.

Two hundred years since Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav's demise, his philosophical writings and literary creation remain lively and provocative materials in both Jewish culture and the New-Age movement. Key elements of Rabbi Nachman's magic and magnetic force are illuminated in this research, which presents Bratslavian mysticism as a unique link in the history of Jewish mysticism. The mystical worldview is the axis of this book, but its branches stretch out to key issues in the Bratslavian world such as belief and imagination, dreams and the land of Israel, melodies and song.

Drawing on cultural studies scholar Kuan-Hsing Chen's threefold notion of decolonization, deimperialization, and de-cold-war, this book provides analyses of the interrelated issues concerning the relationship between Christianity and the United States' imperialist militarism in the Asia Pacific. Contributors explore the effects of US imperialist militarism on the formation of Asian and Asian American collective subjectivity and inter/intra subjectivity. The book investigates the ways in which Christianity (broadly defined), in its own complexity, has been complicit in maintaining and reinforcing US imperialist military agendas in both national and international contexts. Conversely, the volume also discusses the various sites and instances where Christianity has managed to serve as a force of resistance against US imperialist militarism.

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems- both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

This is Volume VII of sixteen of the Oriental series looking at Buddhism. Initially published in 1930, this study discusses the doctrines of the author of the Pali book 'Milindapafiha' and the Milinda-Questions and their and the author's place in Buddhism.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

A book specially written to help YOU give up busyness in just one hour and get your life back! Following the success of his previous book, Beyond Busyness: Time Wisdom for Ministry, Dr Stephen Cherry has distilled the essence of Time Wisdom into this bite-sized book, essential for anyone seeking to restore some balance in their busy life. Why give up busyness? You might just find you get more done...Busyness has become a disease. The developed world is suffering from an epidemic of major proportions, and the disease at the heart of it is busyness. We are addicted to doing one thing after another with as little down-time as possible. This is a sickness, a spiritual sickness. Why is busyness so bad? * It distorts your perception * It makes you feel self-important * It makes you rude * It's an excuse for impatience * It's an excuse for not getting things done * It's addictive * It burns you out * It's lazy - chronic busyness occurs when you have not asked the important questions or decided on your priorities Learn Time Wisdom in an hour and get your life back! About the Author Stephen Cherry is a Canon of Durham Cathedral and is responsible for the ongoing development of ministers in the Diocese of Durham, and author of Healing Agony and the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2011 Lent Book, Barefoot Disciple. Stephen has degrees in Psychology and Theology, and a PhD on the theology and practice of forgiveness.

This book guides scholars and teachers of theology and religion through a process of self-reflection that leads to intentional, transformative teaching, dialogue, and reform in theological education and religious studies.

All arts and sciences, in their own way, ultimately try to come to grips with reality. What sets philosophy, theology and religion apart is that they grapple with ultimate reality. Over the decades spanned by John Hick's life, in the course of this grappling (reminiscent of Jacob's nocturnal encounter with the angel) philosophy became analytic, theology dialogical and religion comparative along one line of development. In these essays, written in honour of Professor Hick, leading world scholars in these fields share their most recent insights. They are, so to speak, postcards from the cutting edge.

For as long as men and women have pondered the mysteries of their existence, they have answered their own questions with stories of gods and goddesses. This reference text lists all the known gods throughout recorded history. Alphabetically arranged entries provide the name of each deity, the tribe or culture that worshipped the deity, and the god's origins and functions are explained.