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Spirituality and Religion September 2020
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| Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It's Not Taking Over Our Country by Sumbul Ali-KaramaliWhat it's about: clearing up common misconceptions about shariah, with an accessible tour through the basic precepts and the role it plays in modern Muslim life.
Read it for: the author's incisive observations, which are delivered in an engaging and compassionate tone.
Did you know? In English, the literal translation of the word "shariah" is "the way." |
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| Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured... by Kristin Kobes Du MezWhat it is: a thought-provoking and well-researched history of evangelicalism in America, from the charismatic tradition that emerged in the early 1900s to the modern Religious Right.
Why you should read it: Besides its connection to our current social and political dynamics, inside are intriguing arguments about the role of gender in the development of the evangelical movement. |
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| The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers... by Miles HarveyIntroducing: Lawyer and committed atheist James Strang, who disappeared from his small New York town in 1843 only to reemerge as part of the fledgling Latter-Day Saint movement, eventually declaring himself Joseph Smith's successor.
Read it for: the surprising moments of dark humor that come from the truly farcical nature of parts of Strang's story, including forgery, piracy, and creating a private kingdom for himself on an island in Lake Michigan. |
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| When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly... by Jim McCloskeyWhat it is: the inspiring memoir of Presbyterian minister Jim McCloskey, who was inspired to found the inmate advocacy nonprofit Centurion Ministries after serving as chaplain at a New Jersey state prison.
You might also like: other memoirs at the intersection of faith and the prison system, such as After Life by Alice Marie Johnson or River of Fire by Sister Helen Prejean. |
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Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Enlightenment
by Robert Wright
What it's about: The best-selling author of The Evolution of God philosophically explains how the human mind evolved to channel anxiety, depression, anger and greed and how a healthy practice of Buddhist meditation can promote clarity and alleviate suffering.
Reviewers say: "A cogent and approachable argument for a personal meditation practice based on secular Buddhist principles." (Kirkus)
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What Makes You Not A Buddhist
by Jamyang Khyentse
What it's about: Head of the Dzongsar Monastery and Dzongsar College, the Tibetan Buddhist leader explains that people are not Buddhists if they believe that there is some essential substance or concept that is permanent; that some emotions are purely pleasurable; that certain things exist inherently; or that enlightenment exists within the spheres of time, space, and power.
Reviewers say: "There is much food for thought in this short book for Buddhist students and for anyone interested in the ongoing adaptation of traditional Eastern wisdom into postmodern Western settings." (Publisher's Weekly)
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| Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself by Mark EpsteinWhat it's about: the combined positive effects of Buddhist teachings and psychotherapy techniques on an individual's struggles with self-doubt and unrealized potential.
Topics include: managing the ego, coping with destabilizing life events, and the importance of taking advice but drawing your own conclusions from it.
About the author: Mark Epstein is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and has published other books on Buddhism and psychology, such as Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart and The Trauma of Everyday Life. |
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| The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now by Thích Nhất HạnhWhat it is: an inspiring and thought-provoking guide to mindful living from one of the world's foremost Buddhist figures, peace activist and monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
Why you should read it: With new books about mindfulness published every day that increasingly remove meditation from its traditional context, The Art of Living is refreshingly grounded in Buddhist thought and practice. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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