'Abd al-Jabbar ibn Hamdis (1055-1133) survives as the best-known figure from four centuries of Arab-Islamic civilisation on the island of Sicily. There he grew up in a society enriched by a century of cultural development but whose unity was threatened by competing warlords. After the Normans invaded, he followed many other Muslims in emigrating, first to North Africa and then to Seville, where he began his career as a court poet. Although he achieved fame and success in his time, Ibn Hamdis was forced to bear witness to sectarian strife among the Muslims of both Sicily and Spain, and the gradual success of the Christian reconquest, including the decline of his beloved homeland. Through his verse, William Granara examines his life and times.

All of western religion springs from the veneration of a bi-gender entity, known to the ancient world as the Gynomorph. The first western god was both male and female. The worship of hermaphroditic gods like the Gynomorph surfaces in ancient pagan cults as well as early Christianity. In Hermaphrodites, Gynomorphs and Jesus readers meet female gods with penises and discover how they impacted the development of western culture. Veneration of the Gynomorph is the basis for modern western law courts. The founders of democracy worshiped similar female divinities who possessed penises. Ritual sodomy as a means of celebrating hermaphroditic gods directly promoted the birth of western democracy. In fact, ancient priestesses responsible for guiding the worship of hermaphroditic goddesses laid the very foundations for democracy, science and philosophy. Snake venoms used in cultic sex rituals were immensely popular in both Greece and Rome. In addition, abortion-inducing drugs promoted the first scientific investigations. Classical civilization relied heavily upon the use of cannabis, opiates, and hallucinogens, which were mixed with sexual stimulants. Hermaphrodites, Gynomorphs and Jesus reveals how the oldest western pharmaceuticals were sex drugs used in religious initiations in celebration of the Gynomorph.

We are living in an age of climate and ecological emergency. Buddhist teacher and Nonviolent Communication trainer Shantigarbha suggests practical ways to make a difference. With personal stories, examples and guided reflections you will learn to work with doubt, overwhelm, grief and anger; engage with the science of the climate debates; free yourself to align with life; and act with courage, humour and generosity.

#1 New Release in Miracles and New Thought Make Your Greatest Wish Come TrueReaders of The Miracle Morning, The Untethered Soul and The Universe Has Your Back will love Wishwork. What is your greatest wish? Do you want a new job? An influx of new clients? Zero credit card debt? A strong, healthy body? A passionate, exciting marriage? More free-time to relax in your backyard with a glass of Rose? You don't need a miracle to make your wish a reality. With Wishwork, you will visualize your #1 wish, write it down, focus on it, and take action for 21 days in a row to make your wish come true. Work for your wish: Alexa Fischer (TV and film actor, entrepreneur, and founder of Wishbeads, a fast-growing jewelry company) is your guide on this 21-day journey. You'll complete simple daily action steps and record your experiences, feeling your positivity and optimism grow with each passing day. Wishwork gently reminds readers that wishes don't just magically come true without any effort whatsoever-you've got to put in some work! Wishwork will motivate you to get off the couch, turn off Netflix, get moving, cultivate a positive mindset, and make your #1 wish come true-while keeping the process fun and uplifting, not daunting. Life's too short to wait on the universe to grant your wishes. Alexa will walk you through three simple but lifechanging steps to grant them yourself: Make a wish Do the work Watch it come true

Fire blazes from heaven, and a stone altar erupts in flame. So begins a spiritual awakening, the kindling of a revival fire still burning today. Beginning with Elijah and God's tremendous one-day revival of Israel, Wesley Duewel tells stories of revivals spanning the globe from America to China to Africa, all brought by obedience and heartfelt prayer. He illustrates how God has used revival fire through the centuries to revive the church and reveal the glorious presence of the Holy Spirit.

The 1400-year-old schism between Sunnis and Shi'is is currently reflected in the destructive struggle for hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran - with no apparent end in sight. But how did this conflict begin, and why is it now the focus of so much attention? In this definitive account, John McHugo charts the history of Islam from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day. He describes the conflicts that raged over the succession to the Prophet, how Sunnism and Shi'ism evolved as different sects during the Abbasid caliphate, and how the rivalry between the empires of the Sunni Ottomans and Shi'i Safavids ensured that the split would continue into the modern age. In recent decades, this centuries-old divide has acquired a new toxicity resulting in violence across the Arab and Muslim world.

This book introduces Thomas Aquinas's moral, economic, and political thought, differentiating between philosophy (justice) and theology (charity) within each of the three branches of Aquinas's theory of human living. It shows how Aquinas's thought offers an integrated vision for Christian participation in the world, equipping readers to apply their faith to the complex moral, economic, and political problems of contemporary society. Written in an accessible style by an experienced educator, the book is well-suited for use in a variety of undergraduate courses and provides a foundation for understanding Catholic social teaching.

A radical vision for a society transformed by the teachings and spirit of Jesus. Do you feel powerless to change the injustice at every level of society? Are you tired of answers that ignore the root causes of human suffering? This selection of writings by Eberhard Arnold, who left a career and the established church in order to live out the gospel, calls us to a completely different way. Be warned: Arnold doesn't approach discipleship as the route to some benign religious fulfillment, but as a revolution-a transformation that begins within and spreads outward to encompass every aspect of life. Arnold writes in the same tradition of radical obedience to the gospel as his contemporaries Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

THE TOUCHING TRUE STORY THAT WON THE HEARTS OF MILLIONS OF READERS AROUND THE WORLD!

Anna was only four years old when Fynn found her on London's fog-shrouded docks. He took her back to his mother's home, and from that first moment, their times together were filled with delight and discovery. Anna had an astonishing ability to ask--and to answer--life's largest questions. Her total openness and honesty amazed all who knew her. She seemed to understand with uncanny certainty the purpose of being, the essence of feeling, the beauty of love. You see, Anna had a very special friendship with Mister God. . . .

In a culture that includes sex in everything from advertising to climbing the corporate ladder, it's easy to feel fuzzy about the true purpose and place of sexuality. In this book philosopher and ethicist Caroline J. Simon identifies six "lenses" through which people understand sex and sexuality: covenantal, procreative, expressive, romantic, power and "plain sex." Guided by a virtue ethic, she applies those lenses to a variety of sexual scenarios, from flirtation and desire to marital sexuality, helping us to see what filters we run issues of sexuality through and how, properly ordered and weighted, they can help us achieve sexual integrity. Here is a book for anyone interested in developing a holistic, biblical sexual ethic that brings into focus the bewildering array of cultural sexual presentations we're surrounded by every day.

Daily Inspirational Prayers and Meditations for Self-Reflection and Gratitude New Beginnings is a spiritual guidebook for changing your life featuring meditations, affirmations, prayers, and blessings for each day of the year. Pray every day. In her latest gem, bestselling author Becca Anderson offers inspirational words for each day of the year to those exploring new horizons or rebooting their directions in life. New Beginnings is a must-have for those seeking both guidance and companionship as they move in new, positive directions. Find a new spiritual way. Having the ability to draw inward and speculate is a fundamental skill if one wishes to grow and achieve an unlimited number of goals. If you are looking for a change in your life or seeking a new path with a vision of starting afresh, New Beginnings just might be the perfect book for you. Join Becca Anderson, a woman's studies scholar, and the author of the bestselling The Book of Awesome Women, as she shares daily meditations, affirmations, prayers, and blessings. Anderson draws from a diverse pool of religions, practices, and spiritualties to bring you the perfect message for each day of the year. Use New Beginnings as a powerful instrument for self-reflection and gratitude: Gain clarity into your purpose in life Maintain hope about the future Develop a better sense of self Build mental energy and momentum Improve your attitude and mindset If you enjoyed spiritual guidebooks like Live in Grace, Walk in Love, Unshakeable, or Prayers for Difficult Times Women's Edition, then New Beginnings will help bring a greater sense of peace, inner peace, and peace of mind.

Few debates divide the contemporary church more than the issue of call. The question of who can be called to preach segregates denominations, divides people within churches, and undermines its public witness. Yet, curiously little homiletic attention has been paid to the issue of call. Because the practice of call has not been subjected to critical inquiry, it has taken on power. Power lies hidden in the crevices of the question of who can be called to preach; power lies in the institutional narrative and approved stories of call; power lies in the discordant debates, equally in the stifling silence. Claiming the Call to Preach critically examines the dominant historical narrative that overtly or covertly has exercised its power to keep women from preaching. Donna Giver-Johnston here recovers the histories of four notable female preaching pioneers who affected change in the religious landscape of nineteenth-century America: Jarena Lee, Frances Willard, Louisa Woosley, and Florence Spearing Randolph. These women, diverse in religion, race, class, and culture each told their story of call in distinctive ways that articulated strong and effective rhetorical arguments for ecclesiastical sanction to give them a place in the pulpit. Recovering their rhetorical witness helps to fill in the gaps in the history of preaching in America, contribute to research and pedagogies in the field of homiletics, and provide today's women-and all candidates for ministry-with different theological models and narrative strategies by which to effectively interpret and claim their calls to preach. These women who spoke truth to power help us reimagine a church today that no longer questions the legitimacy of one's call to preach, but endorses previously silenced voices, and is therefore strengthened by women's voices from the pulpit.

There is more to meditation than simply sitting quietly and emptying our mind. When we look within and practice contemplative meditation, we will be able to connect to a higher world, and receive inspirations and guidance to live a better life. This book introduces various types of meditation, including calming meditation, purposeful meditation, reading meditation, reflective meditation, and meditation to communicate with heaven. Through reading and practicing meditation in this book, we can experience the miracle of meditation, which is to start living a life of peace, happiness, and success. With how-tos and answers to common questions about meditation, this simple but profound book will awaken your soul and encourage you to start living a more mindful, positive, and fulfilled life.

Dr Darrel Ray, psychologist and lifelong student of religion, discusses religious infection from the inside out. How does guilt play into religious infection? Why is sexual control so important to so many religions? What causes the anxiety and neuroticism around death and dying? How does religion inject itself into so many areas of life, culture, and politics? The author explores this and much more in his book The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture. This second-generation book takes the reader several steps beyond previous offerings and into the realm of the personal and emotional mechanisms that affect anyone who lives in a culture steeped in religion. Examples are used that anyone can relate to and the author gives real-world guidance in how to deal with and respond to people who are religious in our families, and among our friends and co-workers.

In recent decades, Malaysia has been profoundly changed both by forces of globalization, modernization and industrialization and by a strong Islamization process. Some would argue that the situation of Malay women has worsened but such a conclusion is challenged by this study of the everyday religious practice of pious women within Kuala Lumpur's affluent, Malay middle class. Here, women play an active part in the Islamization process not only by heightened personal religiosity but also by organizing and participating in public programmes of religious education. By organizing new forms of collective ritual and assuming new public roles as religious teachers, these religiously educated women are transforming the traditionally male-dominated gendered space of the mosque and breaking men's monopoly over positions of religious authority. Exploring this situation, the book challenges preconceptions of the nature of Islamization as well as current theories of female agency and power.This title challenges preconceptions of the nature of Islamization. It counters common representations of Muslim women as victims. It is a refreshing contribution to discussions on women's religious agency that challenges current theories of female agency and power.

Margaret Mac Curtain - feminist, educator, activist, Dominican nun - has, since the 1960s, been an influential and respected commentator on Irish society. In this book of essays - the sister collection to her acclaimed Ariadne's Thread: Writing Women into Irish History (Arlen House, 2008) - she engages, in her uniquely insightful and frequently challenging way, with feminism, culture, Irish history and politics, mathematics, activism, spirituality and theology, education and women's history, in essays written from the 1960s to the 2010s. In a writing style that makes the complicated accessible and elevates the local to the international, these essays shine a spotlight on both the individual and collective experiences of women and men in Irish society over many centuries.

Life is full of endless noise - from your phone, the buzz of people, traffic and television. You are also subject to internal noise - worries, fears, negative emotions and racing thoughts. Fuelling stress and anxiety, this overload is harmful to your mental and physical health, distracting you from living a fulfilling, purposeful and peaceful life. Drawing on the practices, beliefs and teachings of Buddhism, this book explains the causes of the 'noise', looking at your relationship with people, money and technology. It reveals the benefits of turning your consciousness inwards and with a new awareness teaches you how to quieten your mind. Offering powerful insights, simple tips and helpful advice, A Quiet Mind is the key to achieving ease, finding balance and calm in a chaotic world.