Reviews (22)

Fabulous!
This is an excellent book for anyone who wishes to know the truth about cults and false religion.Well-researched and well-written, the authors let the founders of the various cults speak for themselves, carefully documenting each quote in copious end notes. Each group's view of the basic doctrines of Christianity are outlined, showing their astonishing similarity in rejecting the deity of Christ and pushing salvation by works. Best of all, the Doctrinal Appendix gives the biblical references for each Christian doctrine. Especially helpful is the table of proofs that Jesus is God with dozens of Old and New Testament references.Other reviews of this book should be read with care. When the light of Truth shines forth, darkness is made uncomfortable.

Yeah right
Out of ALL the religions, Unitarian Universalist,is the only religion/sect/denomination of reason and reality,while feeding your inner spirit-which is why anyone of any belief (or non-belief) can go to the church.They don't even tell you what/how to believe (unlike most religions/denominations).I can see why a fundamentalist wouldn't want anyone to be one though...visit famousuus.com to see all the intelligent people who were/are unitarians,including Paul Newman,Ray Bradbury,Sir Isaac Newton,Emily Dickinson,Susan B. Anthony,Charles Dickens,Ralph Waldo Emerson,etc..

Inaccurate, biased
I learn from another website, that there's a Libel Litigation on this book. I wonder if they're responsible for what they wrote. http://www.contendingforthefaith.org/index.html ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apologetics    2. Christian sects    3. Comparative Religion    4. Cults    5. Reference    6. Religion    7. Religion - Commentaries / Reference   

Reviews (22)

Discover the Power Within
Intelligent, practical, makes Christianity make sense again.
Discover the Power Within You : A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within
Awesome transaction.Thanks.

www.valderbeebeshow.com
Reading Discover the Power Within You, did not change my life.It changed me!
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Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Self Help    3. Spiritual    4. General    5. New Age (Self Help)    6. Religion    7. Unitarian Universalism    8. Unity School of Christianity a    9. Unity School of Christianity authors    10. Advice on careers & achieving success    11. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (15)

"Must Read"
this book is an excellent intro to UU thought; anyone who is open-minded and liberal should read it

Good introduction to the UU church, will not answer deep theological questions
This book is what its title says it is: an introduction to Unitarian Universalism. It combines a brief history of the denomination (which, in one respect, goes back centuries, but in another goes back to the 1961 merger of the Unitarian and Universalist denominations, whereupon the Unitarian Universalist Association ceased to be a "liberal Christian" denomination and became the "non-creedal religion" it is today) with an overview of UU principles, mixed with the author's personal reminiscences.
Great introduction to UUism.
I highly recommend this book to all people who are curious about Unitarian Universalism.It covers history, beliefs and makes you feel welcome no matter where you stand.Well written and very informative, whether you just want to know who the UUs are or believe you are one, READ THIS BOOK! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - History - Protestant    2. Christianity - Protestanism    3. Christianity - Theology - General    4. Doctrines    5. Religion    6. Religion - Theology    7. Theology    8. Unitarian Universalist churche    9. Unitarian Universalist churches    10. Unitarianism    11. Religion / General    12. Religion: general   

Reviews (3)

An Extraordinary Exhibition of Showbills
If you ever have a chance for a collector to show his collection, you run the risk of being terribly bored.Unless you yourself collect stamps, coins, thimbles, Hummel figurines, or Corvettes, you are unlikely to sympathize with the delight the collector takes in his hoard.Ricky Jay is a fascinating man; he is a master magician, a historian of show business (especially of novelty acts), and an actor in David Mamet's movies.He collects something few others do: showbills for the jugglers, magicians, animal acts, ventriloquists, and other eccentric and novelty performances through almost four centuries. Don't worry, it is far from boring.Around eighty of his specimens are on display in a large format book, _Extraordinary Exhibitions: The Wonderful Remains of an Enormous Head, the Whimsiphusicon & Death to the Savage Unitarians_ (Quantuck Lane Press).The broadsides are funny and beautiful, and Jay's learned and enthusiastic commentary about each one is on the page facing each specimen.It is all thoroughly entertaining, and like any show advertising, the posters make you wonder if the acts are really as described.There is so much verbal and graphic hyperbole on display here that a bit of incredulity is only sensible, but still: who, if confronted by an announcement for Signor Cappelli and his Learned Cats, with assurances that after he introduces his cats to the audience, they will "beat a drum, turn a spit, grind knives, strike upon an anvil, roast coffee, ring bells, set a piece of Machinery in motion to grind rice in the Italian manner with many other astonishing exercises", who, I say, would let incredulity overcome a wish to get a peek at the show?
Extraordinary Exhibitions - A wonderful book!
This is a wonderful book by a truly genius author.Also, make sure you put Ricky Jay's other books on your list.He has a great mind and his books are phenomenal!
This latest Jay offering is a must-buy
Ricky Jay is a national treasure.He's the head curator of a continuing collection of the curious, marginal, sometimes macabre but always compelling congregation of entertainers who have slipped through the trapdoor of time's stage.His newest masterpiece, Extraordinary Exhibitions, is a catalogue of broadsides heralding some of the strangest performers that ever graced an auditorium or a sidewalk.You'll meet Pietro Stadelmann, a seventeenth century armless dulcimer player.As well as the nameless 27 year-old Angolan "Famous African Hermaphrodite".And a South American trio whose huge excrescences extruding from their chins gave them their stage moniker "The Monstrous Craws".You can sit at the feet of Joice Heth, the 161 year-old former nursemaid of Little Georgie Washington, the marvelous showman P. T. Barnum's first client.There's singing mice, educated fleas and a Rabbi whose demonstrations of his prodigious memory were endorsed by the Pope himself.To paraphrase the immortal Charles Fort, you'll see a procession of the damned of showbiz.And thanks to the wonderful Mr. Jay, they'll walk (and bark, tumble, juggle, catch bullets, arm wrestle, rope dance and eat stones) again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advertising fliers    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Circus    5. Jay, Ricky    6. Performing Arts    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Popular Culture    9. Private collections    10. Antiques & Collectibles / Popular Culture    11. Exhibition catalogues and specific collections    12. Social history   

Reviews (2)

a way with words
I was privileged enough to spend a few hours listening to Meg Barnhouse speak and sing when she visited Wisconsin, and I could not have been more impressed. She does amazing things with words and I was delighted with her stories....and I kept reaching for a pen to write down quotes!For all of us who don't live in an area where we can pick up her radio broadcast, do yourself a favor and read Meg Barnhouse. You will find yourself quoting her, too!

I have no objectivity
I think she's a genius. I'm a friend of hers and wrote one of the blurbs on the back of the book. She is a person of substance and love and peace and freedom. Buy three copies and give two away! Email me at patjobe@chesnet.net and we'll talk about it. This is important! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Inspirational - General    2. Religion    3. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    4. Religion - Prayer & Spirituality    5. Spiritual life    6. Spirituality - General    7. Unitarian Universalist Associa    8. Unitarian Universalist Association    9. Religion: general    10. Spirituality   

Reviews (7)

Profound-- and Profoundly Depressing
This is among the best, and also among the most distressing and depressing books I have ever read on what's wrong with America today. Probably because the author is a minister, he somehow manages to maintain some degree of optimism in the face of his own devastating analyses, but I find his pale faith to be cold comfort in the face of what he describes: a country that has ALREADY been taken over by Christo-fascists intent on ramming their religion and morality down everyone else's throats.
Man Cannot Serve Two Masters
Choose to serve God or your man-made social revolution. This "preacher" has already made his decision.

Much Needed - A Reality Check
Loehr provides clarity in a time when confusion and dupilicty seem to be the weapons of choice by those that are presently waging war on our
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Subjects:  1. Capitalism    2. Fascism    3. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Religion - Worship - Preaching    7. Religion and politics    8. Religion, Politics & State    9. Religious aspects    10. Sermons    11. Sermons - General    12. Unitarian Universalism    13. United States   

Reviews (2)

Count Me In
Like the author, I'm now a hopeful dogmatic universalist. Hopeful because we hope it's true. Dogmatic because the doctrine is biblically supported.
Information on the Book
OK - I wrote this book. I am afraid that I had to give it a star rating so I picked 5 just to get your attention. You can now ignore it. Here is the blurb from the back FYI.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity - Evangelism    2. Philosophy    3. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    4. Unitarian Universalism   

Reviews (2)

An Exercise in Moderation
Spiritual memoirs tend to follow the same plot line.It's the boy meets girl story with God substituted for the girl.There's nothing wrong with the formula, the author's job is to make it fresh and interesting.Dan Wakefield doesn't get the job done.The structure of "Returning" is linear, the pace is ponderous, and the insights only moderately interesting.In fact, the entire book is an exercise in moderation, written by a moderate talent, who, on the evidence presented, has lived a moderate life.It's no wonder Bill Moyer's, a paragon of moderation, liked this book.There are parts of this book where the author could have revealed more. The account of his nervous breakdown is scary, but all too brief, and on too many occasions - bouts of adolescent [activity], unsuccessful psychoanalysis, addiction to alcohol - Mr. Wakefield seems like a kid in a confessional.He rushes through his sins in order to be unburdened, but also undiscovered.It doesn't work.If we give the penitent the benefit of our attention, he should give us the benefit of a compelling story.

Spiritual comet
I started reading this book while Comet Hale-Bopp was at its brightest.I quickly came to understand that journalist/novelist Dan Wakefield's journey was the spiritual version of a comet.He begins with a fairly typical midwest Christianity, then moves to agnosticism, then moves to atheism, then moves to attending a Unitarian church, within which he moves back into Christianity.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century American Prose    2. 20th century    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Religion    9. Religious    10. Spirituality - General    11. Sports - General    12. Unitarian Universalists    13. Unitarianism    14. United States    15. United States - Northeast - New England (General)    16. Wakefield, Dan    17. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Reviews (1)

For Anyone Who Prays in Interfaith Settings
Because of the vast theological diversity within their congregations, Unitarian Universalists have become masters of inclusive prayer.Retired Unitarian Universalist minister L. Annie Foerster gathers that wisdom in For Praying Out Loud.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Ritual & Practice    2. English    3. Pastoral prayers    4. Prayer-books and devotions    5. Prayerbooks - General    6. Religion    7. Religion - Church Music    8. Unitarian Universalism    9. Unitarian Universalist Associa    10. Unitarian Universalist Association    11. Unitarianism    12. Worship   

Reviews (4)

Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History
If you are intrested in reading about different points of view and different faith systems this book is an intresting read. It gives the reader an intresting alternate view of Christianity and the thoughts about the trinity belief. A very engaging book to excercise your mind and open it to new points of view.

Competently crafted history of the UU denomination, with emphasis on Unitarianism
On the first page of this book, author David Bumbaugh explains that the UU denomination is peculiar in that it is bound together by a shared history, rather than a shared theology or set of doctrines. He then spends the next 200 pages outlining the histories of the two foundational denominations, the Unitarians and Universalists, from their beginnings in formative Christian discourse to their merger in 1961 to the new challenges facing the secular humanism that has dominated UU since the mid-20th century.
An Excellent History of Unitarian Universalism
This relatively short book provides an amazingly in-depth overview of Unitarian and Universalist history.Spending more time on Unitarian history, famous Universalists and their backgrounds are also discussed.This book is unusual in that it is not divided by chapters, and there are typos scattered throughout the text.One that I found particulary humorous was where Ballou's birth year was given as 1771, but then a paragraph later it states he may have held universalist views as early as 1773.Remarkable childhood, if it were true!
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Subjects:  1. Christianity - Denominations    2. Christianity - History - General    3. Christianity - History - Protestant    4. History    5. Religion    6. Religion - Church History    7. Unitarian Universalist churches    8. Unitarianism   

Reviews (1)

A Grand Synthesis of Philosophical and Religious Ideas
The central claim of Richard Grigg's "To Re-Enchant the World: A Philosophy of Unitarian Universalism" is to show "...that contemporary Unitarian Universalism, with its unique ability to bring together a plethora of different spiritualities within a single community, is a particularly powerful site for the re-enchantment of the world, for the rebirth of the sacred." (p.13)
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Subjects:  1. Religion    2. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    3. Spirituality - General    4. Spirituality   

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. Christianity - History - General    4. Christianity - Protestanism    5. Church history    6. History    7. Protestantism    8. Religion    9. Religion - Church History    10. Unitarian Universalism    11. United States    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. Universalism    14. Universalist churches    15. History of religion    16. Religion & Theology | History of Christianity | American    17. Religion / Protestantism    18. USA    19. Unitarians    20. c 1700 to c 1800    21. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. Religion    2. Unitarian Universalism   

Reviews (3)

How to revolutionize your church's small groups program
This book is a terrific "how to" guide for creating and nurturing small church groups that will in turn nurture their members.If you have questions about why small groups have not worked in your church, or started well, but couldn't maintain their momentum, this is the book for you. None better
As someone involved in small group ministry, I have found this book indispensible.It incorporates the experiences of many who have been working in the vineyards and lays out in a clear and concise way how to organize and maintain small group ministry in a religious community. Great book!

Small Group Ministry the UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST way
If you are thinking about integrating small group ministry into the life of your congregation, this book is a must have. This volume is a wonderful survey of small group ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association as of its printing. It describes the many ways congregations "do" small groups as well as points out key elements of all groups. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Pastoral Ministry    2. Church group work    3. Membership    4. Religion    5. Religion - Ministry & Pastoral Resources    6. Religious aspects    7. Small groups    8. Unitarian Universalism    9. Unitarian Universalist Associa    10. Unitarian Universalist Association    11. Unitarianism   

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - Feminine    2. Congresses    3. Doctrines    4. Multiculturalism    5. Racism    6. Religion    7. Religious aspects    8. Theology    9. Unitarian Universalist Associa    10. Unitarian Universalist Association   

Reviews (3)

Great place to begin.
This book is a great place to begin if you want to change up or even begin your spiritual practice(s).I highly recommend this book for newbies and those who are pros in the area of spiritual practice because it shows you first hand accounts written in their own words, of people who used/use these ideas.
Don't Pass on This Book
A wonderful collection of ideas to help you implement spirituality into your life.There are several chapters that provide ideas on how one might include spirituality into daily living.Not every idea is going to appeal to every person, but there is enough variety and depth that everyone should come away with helpful ideas.This book is especially appropriate for persons who are willing to consider other avenues to spiritual living besides only Christianity.

Practical and Wise Advice
Everyday Spiritual Practice is for anybody who wants to deepen their spirituality, but isn't entirely sure how. Each chapter focuses on a particular spiritual practice (meditation, prayer, fasting, forexample)offering an inroduction to the practice. Some things not typicallyunderstood as spiritual disciplines are included here, such as marriage,gardening, and cooking, giving the reader valuable insights into dailymindfulness. The recommended reading list provides further direction forseekers. Ptactical and wise, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian life    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Religion    4. Religion - Christian Life    5. Religion - Christian Living    6. Spiritual formation    7. Spiritual life    8. Unitarian Universalist authors   

Reviews (2)

Wonderful!
The committee that put together this hymnal did a wonderful job!There is a wide variety of hymns from various cultures and faith traditions.At the end of the hymnal there are several hundred inspirational readings: again the selections are from various faith traditions and cultures.This hymnal is as close to "scripture" as one might find in Unitarian Universalism and it does its job well in representing the religious movement.

HOw can one truly rate and review a hymnal?
Just as one may return to the Bible to find meaningful passages to guide us through difficult times, so too does this book include songs, poems, and readings related to life and death. It is a wonderful collection oftraditional and modern. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hymns    2. Hymns, English    3. Unitarian Universalist Associa    4. Unitarian Universalist Association    5. Unitarian Universalist churche    6. Unitarian Universalist churches    7. United States   

Subjects:  1. Religion / History    2. Religion / Unitarian Universalism    3. History    4. Unitarian Universalist churches    5. Unitarianism    6. Unitarians    7. Western   

Reviews (1)

A decent historical look at UU
I'll keep this review short and sweet, because there's not much to say, really. /The Unitarians and Universalists/ offers a comprehensive look at the history of Unitarianism and Universalism, and their mixing in recent times. However, the book is rather dry and offers very little "food for thought." It's mostly names, dates, and movements. The writing is uninspired and not very compelling.
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Subjects:  1. Christian Denominations And Sects    2. Christianity - Denominations    3. Comparative Religion    4. History    5. Liberalism (Religion)    6. Religion    7. Unassigned Title    8. Unitarianism    9. United States    10. Universalists    11. Christianity    12. Religion / Comparative Religion   

Reviews (1)

The CSPAN approach to Unitarian History
This is my favorite book for Unitarian history (before 1975). Instead of relying on some "expert" to interpret what Unitarian of years past meant - Parke provides you with the source texts themselves thatbrought about the developement of our religious movement.My onlyreservations about this book is that I don't feel it covers the last halfof our century very well. However that could be because Unitarianism wasbecoming Unitarian-Universalism during that time... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Protestanism    2. Religion - Denominations - Religions