During the critical summer months of 1943, Noor Inayat Khan was the only wireless operator transmitting secret messages from Nazi-occupied France to the Special Operations Executive in Britain. As the daughter of an Indian mystic, brought up in a household devoted to peaceful reflection on the outskirts of Paris, Khan did not seem destined for wartime heroism. Yet, faced with the evils of Nazism, she volunteered to help the British; was trained in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance; and returned to France with a new identity. Khan transmitted details crucial to the Allies' success on D-Day, until she was captured and imprisoned by the Gestapo. She attempted two escapes before being sent to Germany. Three months after the Allied invasion of France, she was executed at Dachau. Her last word was "liberte".

Updated and Revised! Includes Glossary of Popular Religious SymbolsWe North Americans live in a remarkably diverse society, and it's increasingly common to be invited to a wedding, funeral or other religious service of a friend, relative or coworker whose faith is different from our own. These can be awkward situations ...What will happen?What do I do? What do I wear? What do I say?What should I avoid doing, wearing, saying?Is it okay to use a video camera?How long will it last? What are their basic beliefs?Will there be a reception? Will there be food?Should I bring a gift? When is it okay to leave?These are just a few of the basic questions answered in How to Be a Perfect Stranger. This easy-to-read guidebook, with an "Everything You Need to Know Before You Go" checklist, helps the well-meaning guest to feel comfortable, participate to the fullest extent possible and avoid violating anyone's religious principles while enriching their own spiritual understanding. For people of all faiths, all backgrounds.African American Methodist Churches Assemblies of God Baha i Faith Baptist Buddhist Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) Churches of Christ Episcopalian and Anglican Hindu Islam Jehovah s Witnesses Jewish . Lutheran Mennonite/Amish Methodist Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Native American/First Nations Orthodox Churches Pentecostal Church of God Presbyterian Quaker (Religious Society of Friends) Reformed Church in America/Canada Roman Catholic Seventh-day Adventist Sikh Unitarian Universalist United Church of Canada United Church of Christ"

During the critical summer months of 1943, Noor Inayat Khan was the only wireless operator transmitting secret messages from Nazi-occupied France to the Special Operations Executive in Britain. As the daughter of an Indian mystic, brought up in a household devoted to peaceful reflection on the outskirts of Paris, Khan did not seem destined for wartime heroism. Yet, faced with the evils of Nazism, she volunteered to help the British; was trained in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance; and returned to France with a new identity. Khan transmitted details crucial to the Allies' success on D-Day, until she was captured and imprisoned by the Gestapo. She attempted two escapes before being sent to Germany. Three months after the Allied invasion of France, she was executed at Dachau. Her last word was "liberte".

Updated and Revised! Includes Glossary of Popular Religious Symbols We North Americans live in a remarkably diverse society, and it's increasingly common to be invited to a wedding, funeral or other religious service of a friend, relative or coworker whose faith is different from our own. These can be awkward situations ... What will happen? What do I do? What do I wear? What do I say? What should I avoid doing, wearing, saying? Is it okay to use a video camera? How long will it last? What are their basic beliefs? Will there be a reception? Will there be food? Should I bring a gift? When is it okay to leave? These are just a few of the basic questions answered in How to Be a Perfect Stranger. This easy-to-read guidebook, with an "Everything You Need to Know Before You Go" checklist, helps the well-meaning guest to feel comfortable, participate to the fullest extent possible and avoid violating anyone's religious principles—while enriching their own spiritual understanding. For people of all faiths, all backgrounds. African American Methodist Churches • Assemblies of God • Bahá’í Faith • Baptist • Buddhist • Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) • Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) • Churches of Christ • Episcopalian and Anglican • Hindu • Islam • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Jewish · Lutheran • Mennonite/Amish • Methodist • Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) • Native American/First Nations • Orthodox Churches • Pentecostal Church of God • Presbyterian • Quaker (Religious Society of Friends) • Reformed Church in America/Canada • Roman Catholic • Seventh-day Adventist • Sikh • Unitarian Universalist • United Church of Canada • United Church of Christ

"A wonderful, important book. "Opening the Doors of Wonder "will go far toward helping us understand one another. This is a much-needed venture in our post-9/11 age."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University
"It may be easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a spiritual seeker to enter a religious tradition with their psyche intact. Magida explores the varied processes of initiation among an eclectic cross-section of notables that include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. His lively portraits of transformation demonstrate both the losses and gains that come with the struggle to find religious meaning within a community. This book promises to stir up powerful memories and reframe the challenge of living faithfully within a world of competing, often conflicting religious claims."--Dr. Christopher M. Leighton, Executive Director of the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies
"Inside this wonderful book, renowned rabbis, zen priests, authors and even comics and cartoonists recall the religious rites of passage that have shaped their lives. Through the humor and pathos of their stories, we are offered a vital, very readable investigation of our society's current spiritual condition. I highly recommend "Opening the Doors of Wonder," In whatever way you can, walk on through."--Wes Nisker, Buddhist meditation teacher, journalist, author of "Essential Crazy Wisdom"
"This fascinating book airs out a multitude of responses to a spiritual topic that we avoid at our peril--the presence (or lack) of rites of passage in modern America. Magida's style is often poetic, and his interviews reveal, oftenin surprising ways, how deeply, and often how invisibly, people of all faiths are influenced by religion's rituals and ceremonies. Moreover, they show how the failure or disappointment of our rites of passage can affect the way we deal with transition for the rest of our lives."--Phil Cousineau, author of "The Art of Pilgrimage "and Once and "Future Myths"

A fascinating true-crime narrative about the first rabbi ever accused of murder and what the case says about the role of clergy in America.

On the evening of November 1, 1994, Rabbi Fred Neulander returned home to find his wife, Carol, facedown on the living room floor, blood everywhere. He called for help, but it was too late. Two trials and eight years later, the founder of the largest reform synagogue in southern New Jersey became the first rabbi ever convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In a gripping examination of the misuses of the pulpit and the self-delusions of power, Arthur J. Magida paints a devastating portrait of a manipulative man who used his position of trust in the temple to attract several mistresses -- and to befriend a lonely recovering alcoholic, whom he convinced to kill his wife "for the good of Israel."

"The Rabbi and the Hit Man" straddles the juncture of faith and trust, and confronts issues of sex, narcissism, arrogance, and adultery. It is the definitive account of a charismatic clergyman who paid the ultimate price for ignoring his own words of wisdom: "We live at any moment with our total past ... What we do will stay with us forever."