Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Simply Christ!
  • "For to me to live is Christ..."
  • Christ is All We Need!
  • Cream of the Crop
  • One of the best Christian books I've ever read
Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things
Watchman Nee
Manufacturer: Christian Fellowship Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935008144

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Simply Christ!.......2007-08-28

Nee writes, "Every spiritual thing outside of Christ is dead."

There are not many authors throughout church history who have been able to touch the centrality and supremacy of Christ like T. Austin Sparks and Watchman Nee. Their writings are apparently floating to the surface of modern religious Christianity... and they are choking out the empty dead adages and 12 step "purpose-driven" life plans. These simple Christ-centered messages are helping believers everywhere to see the simplistic nature of our faith.

In "Christ: The Sum of All Spiritual Things," Nee says that many Christians come to the Christ of the Scriptures for salvation and then they are bombarded with "things!" Nee sumbits that Christ does not give salvation... HE IS SALVATION. Christ does not give us love, joy, peace, patience, etc... HE GIVES HIMSELF. We do not receive things from the Lord, we receive himself!

Too often Christians view Christ as the one who gives us the stuff or the "things" we need to succeed and to live victoriously. Nee claims that this proves we miss Christianity altogether in our prayers for "gifts" as if they were something separate from the Person of Christ.
He writes, "Christianity is not reward, neither is it what Christ gives to me. Christianity is none other than Christ himself."

The Person of Christ is what we really seek. Things only leave us empty. Nee says that many today speak of "truth" and "life"... "without necessarily speaking of Christ." This book is about us understanding that Christ is truth and life. Christ is the gift and the giver! We must stop running after the accumulation of worthless religious "things" and find our satisfaction in the Person of Christ.

As always, Nee makes a good deal of the work of the cross of Christ in our lives. It is the cross that is the "foolishness" or "the power" to the one professing Christ. The true follower of Jesus will pass through death (the cross) to receive life (Jesus). True discipleship is determined through one's desire for the Person of Christ instead of the "things" that this man called Jesus can give.

I also recommend reading:

The Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks)

5 out of 5 stars "For to me to live is Christ...".......2007-04-27

I am so thankful that the Lord led me to this wonderful book at the beginning of my Christian life. It focused me away from so many things to the see that Christ Himself is the goal, not other things.

4 out of 5 stars Christ is All We Need!.......2004-03-17

Nee has written a thought-provoking book that will challenge the reader to consider the sufficiency of Christ in all things.

Nee emphasizes that Christ is our life, truth, and power. Nee also mentions that the Christian is to let go of all self-sufficiency and instead let Christ be our sufficiency.

Another important point Nee mentions is the futility of achieving human unity apart from Calvary - a rebuke to the world's system of doing things.

All in all, an excellent read that will challenge your thinking. Read and be encouraged!

5 out of 5 stars Cream of the Crop.......2003-01-10

If you're just gettting into Watchman Nee I'd suggest ordering this and not going much further. Much of his other work I'd rather use as a doorstop but this is Nee at his Christ-centered best. The most outstanding thing about that book is that almost no practical application is given. He gives the reader the Lord Jesus Christ risen and alive and trusts that the life presented will do what it needs to do. Its an amazing little gem. Forget what I first said, go ahead and order 5 or 10 copies because you'll soon be giving them to your family and friends. They'll soon be asking about the smile on your face.

5 out of 5 stars One of the best Christian books I've ever read.......2001-06-26

This is an awesome book, because it is all about how Christ is everything we need. His grace is completely sufficient, and our works are irrelevant. We don't need to ask for holiness or goodness or anything, because through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Christ is everything for us. The focus is on His greatness, not on trying to refurbish us. This book is the antidote to all those shallow, burdensome Christian self-help books!
The Dim Sum of All Things
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Entertaining and harmless
  • Horrible and hypocritical
  • I'm bummed that I bought the sequel and this book at the same time
  • Twinkies unite!
  • HILARIOUS!
The Dim Sum of All Things
Kim Wong Keltner
Manufacturer: Avon A
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060560754
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Book Description

Have you ever wondered:

Then you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll realize this book is better than a Broadway production of Cats when you read scenes that include:

And all the while Lindsey is falling in lust with the "white devil" in her politically correct office. But will Grandma's stinky Chinese ointments send him running? Or will Lindsey realize that the path to true love lies somewhere between the dim sum and the pepperoni pizza?

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Entertaining and harmless.......2007-06-03

I enjoyed reading this book, and liked it. It was a quick, breezy read, I liked some of the characters, and many of the situations they found themselves in were humourous and entertaining. But as a white male (I know, probably not the intended audience for the novel), I kept feeling the need to defend myself against Lindsey's allegations that all whites who show interest in anything asian are out to find themselves a little "Chinese Sex Slave". Wether or not Keltner intended to have Lindsey's closet (and, albeit largely harmless) racism towards caucasions be a naive personality trait is up for grabs, but Lindsey was just downright awful in many of her generalizations towards the socalled "Hoarder of All Things Asian" (I feel bad for anyone named Don or Steve who happened to read the book). The ultimate cullmination of her ignorance is when she accuses Michael of not understanding what it's like to be raised different and called names based on race, ignoring the fact that it is said in the novel that he grew up in Honolulu (At least partially, and to any white people who have done that, you have dealt with your share of racism).

But aside from this large personality "flaw", I would say (and it may have entirely been part of the character, I'm sure many Asian-American do in fact feel that way, although I can't speak for them), Lindsey seemed a nice, but shallow protaganist. I didn't read start reading this book because I expected some incredibly insightful view into the world of human nature, I read it because it looked like it would be interested, and it was. It was a harmless book, there's little in the terms of deeper meaning here, but it is very well written and it goes by quickly. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for some relaxing reading that won't require too much concentration.

1 out of 5 stars Horrible and hypocritical.......2006-10-20

This book seems like a series of complaints. The main character complains about some Asian-Americans are too "Asian" or "not Asian enough". It is as if she can't find a happy medium to live in. A guy she goes on a date with is into fast cars and karaoke, which is supposedly too "Asian". But a guy who can't use chopsticks well enough isn't "Asian" enough.

The author seems to like to add name brands of clothing into the soryline as well. I don't think the public really cares that the character is wearing something Kenneth Cole or Gap. Is she trying to promote something that I'm not aware of?

Perhaps because I am also Asian-American, and can't understand why someone would write a book of complaints about being Asian-American. Maybe it is because I don't entounter these problems on a daily basis like the character.

2 out of 5 stars I'm bummed that I bought the sequel and this book at the same time.......2006-07-15

This was a nice, fast read and kept me awake during my commute but in NO way should be compared to Amy Tan.

I found the cliches and overly descriptive scenarios very dull and annoying. Seemed to me that the author was trying too hard (as if overboard description makes for good writing).

The character of Lindsey was shallow and ran away from anything remotely unsafe. She annoyed me also.

I found the characters of Pau Pau and Michael were most endearing, though.

I bought both "The Dim Sum of All Things" and "Buddha Baby" at the same time. "Buddha Baby" was very similar to "Dim Sum" and annoyed me for the exact same reasons.

3 out of 5 stars Twinkies unite!.......2006-07-04

There was no doubt from the moment that I read the first page that this was going to be a description of my life. Keltner does capture the flavor of the ABC but there is also a lot of hostility in this book towards the "American/caucasian folks" for their little stereotypical behaviors. However, there are some very funny passages especially, the stinky medicinals that her grandmother keeps trying to smear on her (Oh, I remember those stinky goo moments as well.) and the smelly, bizarre concoctions often served at restaurants. So true. I think it could be enlightening and amusing for a summer beach read so I will give it a "thumbs up." But yes, as others have commented, the sexual innuendos are just a little too coy and maybe could just be left out altogether. I did like the "hoarder of all things asian" concept. That really made me laugh! I would recommend it to ABC's, ABK's and Twinkies as well as people interested in a view into our world.

5 out of 5 stars HILARIOUS!.......2006-01-24

This book is one of my favorites. It made me laugh out loud. The characters are so real and you can totally relate to them, especially if you've got some kind of asian descence. I would recommend this book to anyone. READ IT! BUY IT! WHATEVER! ITS HILARIOUS
The Sum of Things (Starcruiser Shenandoah)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Sum of Things (Starcruiser Shenandoah)
    Roland J. Green
    Manufacturer: Roc
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0451450809
    The Sum of Things
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Sum of Things
      Olivia Manning
      Manufacturer: Scribner
      ProductGroup: Book
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      Starcruiser Shenandoah Set of 4 (Squadron Alert, Division of the Spoils,The Sum of Things, Vain Command)
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        Starcruiser Shenandoah Set of 4 (Squadron Alert, Division of the Spoils,The Sum of Things, Vain Command)
        Roland J. Green
        Manufacturer: ROC
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        The Sum Of Things
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          The Sum Of Things
          Olivia Manning
          Manufacturer: Penguin Books
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          Sum of Things
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            Franci Younghusband
            Manufacturer: JOHN MURRAY (ENGLAND)
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            The Sum of Things
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              The Sum of Things
              David Wilson
              Manufacturer: Spellmount Publishers Ltd
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              The Sum of Things
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                Olivia Manning
                Manufacturer: Atheneum
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                ASIN: B000S6SDBO
                This mighty sum of things;: Wordsworth's theme of benevolent necessity
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                  This mighty sum of things;: Wordsworth's theme of benevolent necessity
                  Thomas J Rountree
                  Manufacturer: University of Alabama Press
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                  The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                  Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                  • A Guru for the 21st Century
                  • Something that will keep us pondering for a long time
                  • Harris dares to imagine no religion
                  • About the same as fellow atheists Dawkins and Hitchens but a tad more reasonable
                  • The End of Bad Arguments? Unfortunately Not
                  The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                  Sam Harris
                  Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

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                  ASIN: 0393327655

                  Amazon.com

                  Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message.

                  Interestingly, Harris is not just focused on debunking religious faith, though he makes his compelling arguments with verve and intellectual clarity. The End of Faith is also a bit of a philosophical Swiss Army knife. Once he has presented his arguments on why, in an age of Weapons of Mass Destruction, belief is now a hazard of great proportions, he focuses on proposing alternate approaches to the mysteries of life. Harris recognizes the truth of the human condition, that we fear death, and we often crave "something more" we cannot easily define, and which is not met by accumulating more material possessions. But by attempting to provide the cure for the ills it defines, the book bites off a bit more than it can comfortably chew in its modest page count (however the rich Bibliography provides more than enough background for an intrigued reader to follow up for months on any particular strand of the author' musings.)

                  Harris' heart is not as much in the latter chapters, though, but in presenting his main premise. Simply stated, any belief system that speaks with assurance about the hereafter has the potential to place far less value on the here and now. And thus the corollary -- when death is simply a door translating us from one existence to another, it loses its sting and finality. Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in their own hands. If thoughts along the same line haunt you, this is your book.--Ed Dobeas

                  Book Description

                  An impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith.

                  This important and timely book delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world. Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes-heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of weapons of mass destruction, we can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion—an accommodation that only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach to solving the problems of this world.

                  Natalie Angier wrote in the New York Times: "The End of Faith articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated….Harris writes what a sizable number of us think, but few are willing to say."

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars A Guru for the 21st Century.......2007-10-08

                  Morally speaking, are Bronze-Age myths as good as it gets?

                  Sam Harris doesn't think so and he argues brilliantly for a
                  new religious paradigm to shepherd us through the 21st Century.

                  Like a Spanish Inquisitor Harris ruthlessly examines the shaky philosophical justification for Abrahamic theism and finds it wanting.

                  But Harris doesn't just convince us that there really is no Santa Claus, he offers us a new way forward. He proves conclusively that science and reason do not necessarily have to be divorced from spiritual inquiry and revelation.

                  Some of his detractors have said that Harris is angry at God, but
                  that of course assumes a fact not in evidence (the existence of God).

                  After hearing him speak at Aspen Colorado,
                  'angry' is not quite the adjective that comes to mind.
                  http://svayam8.blogspot.com/2007/07/sam-harris-at-aspen-ideas-festival.html

                  As hard as it may be for theists to accept, many disbelievers really are being intellectually honest.

                  Sam Harris is one of those. He isn't angry, he's just right.
                  Thank you Sam for being a beacon of reason in a dangerously
                  darkened world.

                  Letter to a Christian Nation

                  4 out of 5 stars Something that will keep us pondering for a long time.......2007-10-07

                  Well, this book is one of those that you come across with an argument so solid that you cannot stop pondering about its ideas. Mr. Harris has laid down a set of ideas that for a long time will haunt us, and the generations to come. Mr. Harris exposition of his thesis is simply monumental. His lurid writing style and his exquisite manners have brought forth a fundamental issue.

                  Mr. Harris as in the moving The Kingdom have presented us a sordid reality. Either we continue with religions and destroy humanity or we dispose of religion and avoid genocide. Muslims wants us dead and we do not want Islamic doctrines in our life. Further, more 9-11 have presented us with the issue of Abrahamic Religions and their stupidity. Because of them we lost 500 years, The Dark Ages and because of them we are losing our freedom and technological progress.

                  Some rabble-rouser long ago hid truth from us. [...] God created man. [...] men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men! Gospel of Philip 71:34; 72:1-4 Nag Hammadi Texts

                  Fanaticism and Fundamentalism of the religious realm have ruin freedom and life itself! Both should be eliminated and replaced by logical processes, which will warrant freedom, progress, technological development, world peace and happiness to every single human being. Religious moral varies from religion to religion. Logical morality does not need to vary! 1+1=2 in USA and in China too! Morals should be in the same manner.

                  Mr. Harris has begun a movement that will be here long after he parts. It is a movement of personal right to live a life as one please and not as a few wants you to live. It is also a movement toward World Peace!

                  I do recommend this book to everyone!

                  5 out of 5 stars Harris dares to imagine no religion.......2007-09-26

                  This book is so much fun to read I read it twice. Harris writes with passion, erudition, and razor-sharp wit. His book has forced so-called religious moderates to begin taking responsibility for the zealots they unintentionally shelter, and he has demonstrated that a world with powerfully destructive technologies, such as ours, can no longer afford the luxury of basing policy on tribal superstitions and on supernatural claims that cannot possibly be substantiated with evidence. Highly recommended.

                  3 out of 5 stars About the same as fellow atheists Dawkins and Hitchens but a tad more reasonable.......2007-09-22

                  Sam Harris like Hitchens and Dawkins is a master at setting up religious straw-men and then knocking them down. It is more fun and sells more books than taking on the real thing. Then it becomes balanced and boring. The author looks at the great evils in the world, the cause of which many others have attributed to nationalism, capitalism, lack of "lebensraum" etc. and claims that religion was the real cause. "Knowingly or not Nazis were agents of religion."... "Stalin and Mao killed millions because "communism was little more than a political religion." Why are the millions killed by Paul Pot not mentioned was he not trying to please God like Stalin, Mao and Hitler? Looking at Webster's definition of religion it is clear that these three ruthless dictators were not great religious leaders.
                  The author is using words incorrectly to make false accusations. A "political religion" is not religion if it does not profess a belief in an after life and God. But the author ignores that fact, because he is out to pin as many bad things on the word "religion" as possible..
                  Unlike Hitchens Sam Harris is an atheist who does see bigger differences among religions. He thinks Islam, for example, is especially bad ("cult of death").
                  I did not know that Noam Chomsky was any kind of religious thinker but the author takes a swipe at Noam by stating that Chomsky's view of moral equivalence is a big mistake." It is not clear how that fits in with his attacks on religion, but he gets the third star for that anyway.


                  2 out of 5 stars The End of Bad Arguments? Unfortunately Not.......2007-09-19

                  Sam Harris's "The End of Faith" is an assault upon religion, blind faith, and fundamentalist violence. However, clear thinking Christians have little to fear from Harris's social critique.

                  The majority of the book is an exposition of the evils, real or imagined, produced by religion. Harris discusses current atrocities, including September 11 and suicide bombings in Israel, as well as past atrocities, including the Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials. This leads to the natural question- if Harris (an atheist) is so critical of religious horrors, how can he explain the atheistic regimes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, which collectively were responsible for millions of deaths? Harris claims that, while they may not have been explicitly religious, these evil regimes were the result of poor thinking. He states in his afterword-

                  "While some of the most despicable political movements in human history have been explicitly irreligious, they were not especially rational. The public pronouncements of these regimes have been mere litanies of delusion- about race, economics, national identity, the march of history, or the moral dangers of intellectualism." [231]

                  Thus, we see that The End of Faith does not really support atheism or oppose religion, it simply supports reason and opposes blind faith. Otherwise, his critique of religion is completely arbitrary, as he admits in this quoted passage that the real enemy is not simply religious faith, but irrationality itself. Thus, Harris needs to demonstrate that Christianity inherently necessitates irrational faith if he wishes to demonstrate that it should be rejected. Throughout the book, Harris merely assumes that so-called "fundamentalist" Christians can only exist through blind faith, but his assumption is both unproven and incorrect. Despite railing on about the supposed irrationality of religion, Harris never once deals with any of the arguments offered by Christians either historically or in the present day. There is no critique of the Cosmological Argument, no consideration of the evidence for the empty tomb, no critique of biblical passages or doctrines. Harris simply assumes that Christianity requires blind faith, argues that blind faith is both stupid and dangerous, and declares victory. The problem is that he has never shown that Christianity requires blind faith.

                  The other problem with Harris's approach is a common one- he assumes that the misdeeds of religious followers invalidates the religion itself.

                  Thus, the majority of Harris's book is simply not relevant for intelligent Christians. Surprisingly, however, there is some value in The End of Faith. For example, he discusses morality and makes a good case for charitable giving, and discusses politics and law, and makes a good case for the legalization of (some) drugs as a matter of public policy. However, as a critique of religion in general, and Christianity in particular, "The End of Faith" fails quite miserably.
                  The End of Faith (Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)
                  Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                  • To reviewer D. McMillin
                  The End of Faith (Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)

                  Manufacturer: W. W. Norton and Company
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
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                  ASIN: 0739453793

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars To reviewer D. McMillin.......2006-09-30

                  Dear M. McMillin, your defense of faith gives no evidence of you having read the book you reviewed. It seems to me, that your only goal was to place a bad feedback, not an evaluation of the content.
                  Lichtenberg, a german writer of the 18th century, once observed: "It is really a miracle, that people prefer to kill for their faith than living according to it.
                  Sam Harris points out that most religions contain dogmas of intolerance and hatred towards others (siding commandments of love for others). This is the reason he feels, religious faith is ethically inadequate.
                  At one point he remarks, that faith is the resource (when reason fails) to keep stuck on certain ideas. Or in other words: When our reason tells us, something cannot or should not be, we use faith to avoid an update of our attitude.
                  As I feel, you used your faith to avoid understand the book.
                  The devil made me do it.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review) : An article from: Cross Currents
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    The devil made me do it.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review) : An article from: Cross Currents
                    Peter Heinegg
                    Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Digital

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                    ASIN: B000E0LGFY
                    Release Date: 2005-12-21

                    Book Description

                    This digital document is an article from Cross Currents, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1003 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                    Citation Details
                    Title: The devil made me do it.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review)
                    Author: Peter Heinegg
                    Publication: Cross Currents (Newsletter)
                    Date: September 22, 2005
                    Publisher: Thomson Gale
                    Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Page: 424(2)

                    Article Type: Book Review

                    Distributed by Thomson Gale
                    The End of Faith.(book by Sam Harris)(Book Review): An article from: The Humanist
                    Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
                    • Dualist dogmatism
                    The End of Faith.(book by Sam Harris)(Book Review): An article from: The Humanist
                    David A. Niose
                    Manufacturer: American Humanist Association
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Digital

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                    ASIN: B000A0HJ68
                    Release Date: 2006-07-14

                    Book Description

                    This digital document is an article from The Humanist, published by American Humanist Association on May 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2064 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                    Citation Details
                    Title: The End of Faith.(book by Sam Harris)(Book Review)
                    Author: David A. Niose
                    Publication: The Humanist (Refereed)
                    Date: May 1, 2005
                    Publisher: American Humanist Association
                    Volume: 65 Issue: 3 Page: 43(3)

                    Article Type: Book Review

                    Distributed by Thomson Gale

                    Customer Reviews:

                    1 out of 5 stars Dualist dogmatism.......2005-07-11

                    What a sore disappointment! The title is appealing. I thought I was going to be reading a thoughtful analysis of terrorism. Instead, this is a work of overweening reductionist arrogance.

                    Here I am, a rationalist with undergraduate work in science and graduate degrees in philosophy and Medieval studies. My inclination is to be skeptical of all claims, religious or secular, beyond the observable and measurable. Blind faith seems unwise, and I'm just as skeptical of dogmatic atheism as of dogmatic religion. I'm also a political activist suspicious of fundamentalism and all other brands of dualist thinking. While I've read extensively in Eastern mysticism and years ago practiced Kundalini Yoga, I drifted away from it and prefer the Western Neoplatonist tradition, which to Americans is embodied in the poetry of Walt Whitman, and Process Philosophy. Now you know my biases.

                    The title of the book is highly misleading. Harris's reasoning does not follow the methodologies of Western logic from the time of Ockham to our day, but uses finger-pointing and character assassination, and sometimes verges on hysteria. Strangely, this muddy work has received plaudits from many that should know better, including the president of Union Theological Seminary. However, an enthusiastic review by Alan Dershowitz (who, like Harris, has condoned the use of torture) should be enough to put off genuinely skeptical readers.

                    Harris remains curiously blind to his own tautologies, and especially to his extreme dualism. He is a dualist agnostic or perhaps dualist atheist, seeing the world in the form of either-or choices. I have many friends who are agnostics and atheists, have belonged to various skeptical organizations, and didn't disagree with everything Harris wrote (I'm scared of G.W. Bush and his religious nut crowd, too), but Harris is like some other agnostic writers I've read who consider themselves to be rational. He uses an exceptionally narrow definition of "rationality." Evidently he does not understand that we usually perceive reality as a COMBINATION of a priori "pure" reason, a posteriori experiment and observation (empiricism), and a dose of inspiration--which religious people call revelation.

                    I especially objected to his sneering. He enjoys putting down great figures of the past, who could hardly be expected to agree with everything that a 21st century grad student believes. Few would claim that pacifism is the ideal solution to all oppression, and I seriously doubt that Gandhi would have achieved anything in Hitler's Germany but his own martyrdom, but when Harris tosses nonviolence into the same "dogmatic" camp as terrorism, my reaction was to mutter "Ridiculous!"

                    Nor does he seem to understand that the subjective, fallible, highly imperfect, ill-informed and irrational human mind is a major cause of terrorism--that we are NOT rational animals, but rationalizing ones. This is where I part company with many agnostics who still consider humans perfectible. Unfortunately, most can and will perform the grossest of evils as long as an excuse for it can be provided. A "holy" excuse isn't required, just any kind of rationalization--plus ignorance. Recall those experiments in social psychology in which subjects kept on "torturing" others (whom they believed to be fellow-subjects) with electric shocks because Science in the person of a senior experimental scientist legitimized the experiment?

                    Finally--the author is not well informed about genuine liberal religion. Although he continually sneers at it he does not discuss it except in superficial generalizations. He excludes liberal religion as hopelessly benighted, in part because it is "irrational." He claims it relies on blind faith--not HIS brand of blind faith, of course! The index--and so far as I could see the entire book, although I must confess that after a while I began skimming it--contains not one reference to Unitarianiam, Universalism, Process Philosophy, or any of the leading figures of liberal religions that make every possible effort to avoid both blind faith and dogmatic reductionism. Not that "faith" is to be despised as Harris does. I am not a follower of Francis of Assisi, yet I admire him and his life and example have had, over the centuries, positive effects on ethics. Harris's snide dismissal of him was crude and insulting--as if Francis could have prevented certain unsavory activities of his order after his death! He entirely overlooks their positive achievements, like their egalitarian preaching that helped to inspire social rebellions all over Europe--like the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England that tripled the net earning power of the lower classes from the end of the 14th century through most of the 15th.

                    As for mysticism, I'll stick with the pragmatic, humane, Western Neoplatonist tradtion. The mysticism of the East, while providing insights, relies too much on the concept of maya and on pantheist and panpsychist concepts of deity, which erode ethics and make practical changes in society, including relief of suffering, seem futile. No thanks. Give me my Medieval friend Juliane of Norwich, with her sense of humor, loving tolerance, and disbelief in hell.

                    This book can be summed up in one word: "crank." I'll file this one in my library with Velikovsky, the BOOKS OF CHARLES FORT and Ignatius Donnelly's ATLANTIS.

                    It's not worth your time. Instead, read or reread the old classic, Eric Hoffer's THE TRUE BELIEVER, and a fine recent book that--refraining from insults and hysteria--better understands the terrorist connection to religion (and fanaticism), Charles Kimball's WHEN RELIGION BECOMES EVIL.
                    The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Briefly Noted)(Book Review): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Briefly Noted)(Book Review): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
                      Richard Kirk
                      Manufacturer: Institute on Religion and Public Life
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Digital

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                      ASIN: B00081VMVW
                      Release Date: 2005-06-01

                      Book Description

                      This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 8780 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                      Citation Details
                      Title: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Briefly Noted)(Book Review)
                      Author: Richard Kirk
                      Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
                      Date: January 1, 2005
                      Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
                      Issue: 149 Page: 54(1)

                      Article Type: Book Review

                      Distributed by Thomson Gale
                      (Global) village atheist.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review) : An article from: Commonweal
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                        (Global) village atheist.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review) : An article from: Commonweal
                        John Haldane
                        Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Digital

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                        ASIN: B000FNVKMY
                        Release Date: 2006-05-10

                        Book Description

                        This digital document is an article from Commonweal, published by Thomson Gale on November 4, 2005. The length of the article is 1243 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                        Citation Details
                        Title: (Global) village atheist.(The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)(Book Review)
                        Author: John Haldane
                        Publication: Commonweal (Magazine/Journal)
                        Date: November 4, 2005
                        Publisher: Thomson Gale
                        Volume: 132 Issue: 19 Page: 24(2)

                        Article Type: Book Review

                        Distributed by Thomson Gale
                        Ode to intolerance; Robert Hambourger reviews the End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Book review) : An article from: Harvard International Review
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Ode to intolerance; Robert Hambourger reviews the End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Book review) : An article from: Harvard International Review
                          Robert Hambourger
                          Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Digital

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                          ASIN: B000F9T11U
                          Release Date: 2006-04-04

                          Book Description

                          This digital document is an article from Harvard International Review, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1459 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                          Citation Details
                          Title: Ode to intolerance; Robert Hambourger reviews the End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason.(Book review)
                          Author: Robert Hambourger
                          Publication: Harvard International Review (Magazine/Journal)
                          Date: January 1, 2006
                          Publisher: Thomson Gale
                          Volume: 27 Issue: 4 Page: 78(2)

                          Article Type: Book review

                          Distributed by Thomson Gale
                          The End Of Faith Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            The End Of Faith Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                            Harris Sam
                            Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Hardcover
                            ASIN: B000UEENX6
                            THE END OF FAITH:  Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                            Average customer rating: Not rated
                              THE END OF FAITH: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
                              Sam Harris
                              Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
                              ProductGroup: Book
                              Binding: Paperback
                              ASIN: B000VW65M4
                              The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason
                              Average customer rating: Not rated
                                The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason
                                Sam Harris
                                Manufacturer: W. W. Norton and Company
                                ProductGroup: Book
                                Binding: Paperback
                                ASIN: B000NVMI6A

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