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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > General
This major work comprises a comprehensive study of Eastern and
Western esoteric streams and the occult powers that stand behind
them. In Part 1 Prokofieff discusses the spiritual movement of Agni
Yoga, presented to the world by Helena Roerich and her husband, the
painter Nicholas Roerich. Part 2 focuses on the teachings developed
by Alice Bailey, whilst Part 3 considers the relationship between
Eastern and Western spiritual masters and the occult streams they
represent. The first two Parts of the book give descriptions of
both the Roerichs' and Alice Bailey's philosophy, based on their
own perspective, together with anthroposophical commentaries that
give an understanding of these two streams in the light of modern
Christian esotericism. As Prokofieff points out, both the Roerichs
and Bailey were convinced that the occult teachers who inspired
them were the same as those referred to by the founder of
Theosophy, Helena Blavatsky. Part 3 deals directly with the mystery
of the Eastern teachers, or mahatmas, and their relationship to
Christian esotericism. On the basis of extensive research,
Prokofieff comes to the startling conclusion that the occultists
whom both the Roerichs and Alice Bailey named as their leaders
actually have nothing in common with Blavatsky's Eastern mahatmas.
In Prokofieff's words: 'Hence...one has to do not with the Eastern
mahatmas but with quite different occultists who had illicitly
appropriated their names and then tried - while deliberately
misleading their followers - to attain their highly dubious occult
political aims with the help of the occult movements which had
already been initiated.' Prokofieff argues that this appropriation
led to a distortion of the age-old Eastern philosophies, giving
them an anti-Christian character, and led to phenomena such as
'occult materialism', insidious political goals, and prophecies of
a physically incarnating 'Messiah'. Previously available only in
German as three separate books, with just an early version of Part
1 published in English, this long-awaited translation of
Prokofieff's incisive study offers a fine schooling in discernment,
judgement and spiritual insight.
This is a Cumulative Index to Volumes I-III of "Echoes of the
Orient: The Writings of William Quan Judge".
'Required reading for anyone remotely curious about how they came
to be remotely curious' Observer 'Enthralling' Spectator What is
human consciousness and how is it possible? These questions
fascinate thinking people from poets and painters to physicists,
psychologists, and philosophers. This is Daniel C. Dennett's
brilliant answer, extending perspectives from his earlier work in
surprising directions, exploring the deep interactions of
evolution, brains and human culture. Part philosophical whodunnit,
part bold scientific conjecture, this landmark work enlarges themes
that have sustained Dennett's career at the forefront of
philosophical thought. In his inimitable style, laced with wit and
thought experiments, Dennett shows how culture enables reflection
by installing a profusion of thinking tools, or memes, in our
brains, and how language turbocharges this process. The result: a
mind that can comprehend the questions it poses, has emerged from a
process of cultural evolution. An agenda-setting book for a new
generation of philosophers and thinkers, From Bacteria to Bach and
Back is essential for anyone who hopes to understand human
creativity in all its applications.
In God as Reason: Essays in Philosophical Theology, Vittorio Hoesle
presents a systematic exploration of the relation between theology
and philosophy. In examining the problems and historical precursors
of rational theology, he calls on philosophy, theology, history of
science, and the history of ideas to find an interpretation of
Christianity that is compatible with a genuine commitment to
reason. The essays in the first part of God as Reason deal with
issues of philosophical theology. Hoesle sketches the challenges
that a rationalist theology must face and discusses some of the
central ones, such as the possibility of a teleological
interpretation of nature after Darwin, the theodicy issue, freedom
versus determinism, the mindbody problem, and the relation in
general between religion, theology, and philosophy. In the essays
of the second part, Hoesle studies the historical development of
philosophical approaches to the Bible, the continuity between the
New Testament concept of pneuma and the concept of Geist (spirit)
in German idealism, and the rationalist theologies of Anselm,
Abelard, Llull, and Nicholas of Cusa, whose innovative philosophy
of mathematics is the topic of one of the chapters. The book
concludes with a thorough evaluation of Charles Taylor's theory of
secularization. This ambitious work will interest students and
scholars of philosophical theology and philosophy of religion as
well as historians of ideas and science.
Although Western humanity has conquered the outer world with the
aid of technology and science, death remains an unsolved and
largely unexplored mystery. Rudolf Steiner, as an exceptional seer,
was able to research spiritually the question of what happens to
human consciousness after the physical body passes away. In these
remarkably matter-of-fact lectures, he affirms that life continues
beyond death. Far from being dissipated, the individual's
consciousness awakens to a new reality, beginning a great journey
to the farthest expanses of the cosmos. One's consciousness embarks
on a journey and process of purification and preparation. Steiner
indicates that one of the most important tasks for our present
civilization is to reestablish living connections with those who
have died. He gives suggestions as to how this can be done safely
and describes how the dead can be of help to those on Earth. Life
Beyond Death is an ideal introduction to the spiritual scientific
views of our continuing journey.
In his latest book, William Egginton laments the current debate
over religion in America, in which religious fundamentalists have
set the tone of political discourse-no one can get elected without
advertising a personal relation to God, for example-and prominent
atheists treat religious belief as the root of all evil. Neither of
these positions, Egginton argues, adequately represents the
attitudes of a majority of Americans who, while identifying as
Christians, Jews, and Muslims, do not find fault with those who
support different faiths and philosophies. In fact, Egginton goes
so far as to question whether fundamentalists and atheists truly
oppose each other, united as they are in their commitment to a
"code of codes." In his view, being a religious fundamentalist does
not require adhering to a particular religious creed.
Fundamentalists-and stringent atheists-unconsciously believe that
the methods we use to understand the world are all versions of an
underlying master code. This code of codes represents an ultimate
truth, explaining everything. Surprisingly, perhaps the most
effective weapon against such thinking is religious moderation, a
way of believing that questions the very possibility of a code of
codes as the source of all human knowledge. The moderately
religious, with their inherent skepticism toward a master code, are
best suited to protect science, politics, and other diverse strains
of knowledge from fundamentalist attack, and to promote a worldview
based on the compatibility between religious faith and scientific
method.
A nontheist Quaker scientist describes his views and those of other
Quakers whose efforts over the years have resulted in a religious
option that does not involve the supernatural.
The solstices and equinoxes have been held sacred in many cultures.
This book explains the cosmic and human symbolism associated with
the earth's annual cycling round the sun, and the great initiatory
events which take place at these seasons. Key teachings on buddhas
and avataras, death and initiation, and the two paths of growth for
oneself and for others illumine not only the traditions of mankind,
but also the road which the aspirant daily seeks to tread.
Based on personal knowledge and intimate interviews with his
subject, as well as access to W.J. Stein's archive of letters and
documents, Tautz's biography is a thoroughly-researched and
lovingly-detailed study of an exceptional life. Walter Johannes
Stein (1891-1957) was one of the original pioneers of
anthroposophy. A student of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf
Steiner, Stein met his spiritual teacher whilst studying at Vienna
University. After serving in the First World War, Stein was invited
by Rudolf Steiner to teach History and Literature at the fledgling
Waldorf school in Stuttgart, despite the fact that Stein's
doctorate was in Philosophy and his training in Mathematics and
Physics. Through his efforts to master the new disciplines, and
with the aid of unconventional methods of research, Stein developed
groundbreaking new insights into the story of Parzival and the
mystery of the Holy Grail, which led to his seminal book The Ninth
Century and the Holy Grail. Tautz describes Stein's close
friendship with Eugen Kolisko, his struggles to help establish the
threefold social order, his work as a Goetheanum lecturer, and his
eventual estrangement from the Anthroposophical Society following
Rudolf Steiner's death. After journeys of discovery across Europe,
Stein landed in London in 1933 - a refugee from the Nazi aggression
in Central Europe - where he met his mentor D.N. Dunlop. Dunlop
employed him to help establish the first World Power Conference.
Based in England for the last 24 years of his life, Stein became a
prolific and popular lecturer and the editor of the important
anthroposophical journal The Present Age. Long out-of-print, the
new edition of this important work is a welcome addition to the
growing number of biographies on the founders of anthroposophy.
You may want to reverse what you think about dying. See what some
normal people experienced in their final days.Some of their
experiences were extraordinary and even unexplainable. Life begins
with an orgasm. I bet our Creator will even top this at our
journey's end. You don't believe there is a Creator? That's okay,
no judgement here.We all have a lot of clutter we must come to
grips with as we live our lives. Could our departing be our purpose
in life?
Jesus Cries When You Touch Yourself is a comic monologue written in
tribute to the late George Carlin on the topic of religious
bullshit in America. Influenced by Carlin, Friedrich Nietzsche,
Bill Maher, Monty Python, and the writers of South Park, the author
uses constant mockery and absurdist humor on a tour of ridiculous
beliefs in America. With devastating logic, Jesus, the most beloved
character in all of history, is revealed to be the world's greatest
pedophile. After all, if Jesus is God, then everyday he watches
billions of children take off their clothes and hundreds of
millions of others go poop. Well, the great Poop Inspector would be
a pedophile, if only he wasn't merely our imaginary friend. From an
invisible man in the sky that watches millions of people masturbate
each day, to Jesus ascending into heaven and becoming an astronaut,
to Catholics eating Jesus' penis every Sunday, Jesus Cries When You
Touch Yourself contrasts intense realism with comical religious
absurdity in the most ambitious ridicule of religion ever written.
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