Women Beyond Belief

Author : Karen L. Garst
Publisher : Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA)
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2016-10-01
Category : Self-Help
ISBN : 9781634310833

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Women Beyond Belief by Karen L. Garst Pdf

Women have made great strides toward equal rights over the past hundred years, especially in the West. But when considering the ongoing fight over reproductive rights and equal pay—and the prevalence of sexual violence and domestic abuse—it is clear that a significant gap still exists. With scripture often cited as justification for the marginalization of women, it is time to acknowledge that one of the final barriers to full equality for women is religion. Much has been written about the great strides humankind has made in knocking down many long-held religious beliefs, whether related to the age of the earth or the origin of the species. But religion's negative impact on women has been less studied and discussed. This book is a step toward changing that. Twenty-two women from a variety of backgrounds and Judeo-Christian traditions share their personal stories about how they came to abandon organized religion, and how they discovered life after moving away from religious and supernatural beliefs. Their words serve both as a celebration of all who have taken similar steps under the weight of thousands of years of religious history—and as a source of inspiration for those individuals, especially women, who have deep doubts about their own belief traditions but who don't yet know how to embrace life without falling back on religion.

Author : Cami Ostman,Susan Tive
Publisher : Seal Press
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2013-04-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781580054423

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Beyond Belief by Cami Ostman,Susan Tive Pdf

"With stories by women from a wide range of religious communities--including Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Calvinist, Moonie, the Unification Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses--the writers in Beyond Belief pull back a heavy curtain to reveal what they love about their lives within these communities, along with the pain that comes from the rigid expectations and diminishment of women so often built into religious orthodoxy."--Back cover.

Author : Cami Ostman,Susan Tive
Publisher : Seal Press
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2013-04-02
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781580054614

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Beyond Belief by Cami Ostman,Susan Tive Pdf

Beyond Belief addresses what happens when women of extreme religions decide to walk away. Editors Susan Tive (a former Orthodox Jew) and Cami Ostman (a de-converted fundamentalist born-again Christian) have compiled a collection of powerful personal stories written by women of varying ages, races, and religious backgrounds who share one commonality: they’ve all experienced and rejected extreme religions. Covering a wide range of religious communities—including Evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Calvinist, Moonie, and Jehovah’s Witness—and containing contributions from authors like Julia Scheeres (Jesus Land), the stories in Beyond Belief reveal how these women became involved, what their lives were like, and why they came to the decision to eventually abandon their faiths. The authors shed a bright light on the rigid expectations and misogyny so often built into religious orthodoxy, yet they also explain the lure—why so many women are attracted to these lifestyles, what they find that’s beautiful about living a religious life, and why leaving can be not only very difficult but also bittersweet.

Author : Jenna Miscavige Hill,Lisa Pulitzer
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 460 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2013-02-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780062248497

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Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill,Lisa Pulitzer Pdf

Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org—the church's highest ministry, speaks of her "disconnection" from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape. Piercing the veil of secrecy that has long shrouded the world of Scientology, this insider reveals unprecedented firsthand knowledge of the religion, its obscure rituals, and its mysterious leader—David Miscavige. From her prolonged separation from her parents as a small child to being indoctrinated to serve the greater good of the Church, from her lack of personal freedoms to the organization's emphasis on celebrity recruitment, Jenna goes behind the scenes of Scientology's oppressive and alienating culture, detailing an environment rooted in control in which the most devoted followers often face the harshest punishments when they fall out of line. Addressing some of the Church's most notorious practices in startling detail, she also describes a childhood of isolation and neglect—a childhood that, painful as it was, prepared her for a tough life in the Church's most devoted order, the Sea Org. Despite this hardship, it is only when her family approaches dissolution and her world begins to unravel that she is finally able to see the patterns of stifling conformity and psychological control that have ruled her life. Faced with a heartbreaking choice, she mounts a courageous escape, but not before being put through the ultimate test of family, faith, and love. At once captivating and disturbing, Beyond Belief is an eye-opening exploration of the limits of religion and the lengths to which one woman went to break free.

Author : Johannes M. Luetz,Patrick D. Nunn
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 391 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2021-04-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783030676025

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Beyond Belief by Johannes M. Luetz,Patrick D. Nunn Pdf

This interdisciplinary book explores the science and spirituality nexus in the Pacific Islands Region and as such makes a critical contribution to sustainable climate change adaptation in Oceania. In addition to presenting case studies, literary analyses, field projects, and empirical research, the book describes faith-engaged approaches through the prism of: • Context: past, present, and future prospects• Theory: concepts, narratives, and theoretical frameworks• Practice: empirical research and praxis-informed case examples• Doctrine: scriptural contributions and perspectives• Engagement: enlisting religious stakeholders and constituencies Comprising peer-reviewed works by scholars, professionals, and practitioners from across Oceania, the book closes a critical gap in the literature and represents a groundbreaking contribution to holistic climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands Region that is scientifically sound, spiritually attuned, locally meaningful, and contextually compelling.

Author : Elaine Pagels
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2004-05-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781400079087

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Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels Pdf

In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy. Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical. As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the “rogue” voices of Christianity encourage and sustain “the recognition of the light within us all.”

Author : Action Bronson,Rachel Wharton
Publisher : Abrams
Page : 447 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2019-03-19
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 9781683354901

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Stoned Beyond Belief by Action Bronson,Rachel Wharton Pdf

The ultimate love letter to the world’s most magical plant—weed—from the rapper, chef, TV star, and bestselling author of F*ck, That’s Delicious. This is an exploration of every corner of the pot galaxy, from highly scientific botanical analyses and the study of pot’s medicinal benefits to a guide to the wild world of weed paraphernalia. It’s also a very personal tribute to a substance Bronson refers to as life changing, horizon-expanding, a conduit for happiness, a connector. Weed is to Action Bronson what the madeleine was to Proust: the door to true consciousness. Organized loosely as 100 entries, including thirty-five recipes, and packed with illustrations and photos, Stoned Beyond Belief is a trippy and munchie-filled experience as well as an entertainingly valuable resource for weed enthusiasts and scholars. Stoned Beyond Belief will delight Action Bronson fans and pot aficionados all across the universe.

Author : Cathy Butler
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2001-03-01
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1563094851

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Beyond Belief! by Cathy Butler Pdf

Author : Cheryl Scruggs
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2022-11
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9798987057506

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Thriving Beyond Belief by Cheryl Scruggs Pdf

Author : Karen L. Garst
Publisher : Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA)
Page : 367 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2018-06-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781634311717

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Women v. Religion by Karen L. Garst Pdf

Throughout history, religion has been used as a tool of female subjugation. Women have been deemed less worthy than men, have been prevented from owning property, and worse—all in the name of a higher power. In recent decades, women have made progress in terms of equal rights with men, at least in Western democracies, but still, why has the United States never had a female president? Why aren't more women heads of Fortune 500 companies? Why do politicians in the West continue to attack women's reproductive rights? As this volume explores, it would be hard to find a bigger culprit than religion when identifying the last cultural barriers to full gender equality. With topics ranging from the subjugation of women in the Bible to the shame and guilt felt by women due to religious teaching, this volume makes clear that only by rejecting the very system that limits their autonomy will women be fully liberated from its malignant influences, not just in codified law but also in cultural practice.

Author : V. S. Naipaul
Publisher : Vintage Canada
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780307401458

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Beyond Belief by V. S. Naipaul Pdf

Beyond Belief is a book about one of the more important and unsettling issues of our time: the effects of the Islamic conversion of Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia. It is not a book of opinion. It is - in the Naipaul way - a very rich and human book, full of people and stories. Islam is an Arab religion, and it makes imperial Arabizing demands on its converts. In this way it is more than a private faith, and it can become a neurosis. What has this Arab Islam done to the histories of these converted countries? How do the converted peoples, non-Arabs, view their past - and their future? In a follow-up to Among the Believers, his classic account of his travels through these countries, V. S. Naipaul returns after seventeen years to find out how and what the converted preach. In Indonesia he finds a pastoral people who have lost their history through a confluence of Islam and technology. In Iran he discovers a religious tyranny as oppressive as the secular one of the Shah, and he meets people weary of the religious rules that govern every aspect of their lives. Pakistan - in a tragic realization of a Muslim re-creation fantasy - inherited blood feuds, rotting palaces, antique cruelty; then President Zia installed religious terror with $100 million of Saudi money. In Malaysia, the Muslim Youth organization is alive and growing, and the people are mentally, physically, and geographically torn between two worlds, struggling to live the impossible dream of a true faith born out of a spiritual vacancy. A startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon, Beyond Belief confirms the author's reputation as a masterly observer, a "finder-out" of stories, as well as a magnificent teller of them.

Author : Daniel C. Dennett
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 464 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2006-02-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781101218860

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Breaking the Spell by Daniel C. Dennett Pdf

The New York Times bestseller – a “crystal-clear, constantly engaging” (Jared Diamond) exploration of the role that religious belief plays in our lives and our interactions For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why—and how—it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma. Not an antireligious screed but an unblinking look beneath the veil of orthodoxy, Breaking the Spell will be read and debated by believers and skeptics alike.

Author : J. Jordan
Publisher : Springer
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2004-08-18
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780230511057

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The Word of a Woman? by J. Jordan Pdf

The notion that women lie about rape is a prevalent belief with pervasive influence. This book is unique in combining police file data with interviews obtained from both rape survivors and detectives in order to critically explore how this belief affects police officers' responses to women who report rape. Examination of this material is located within a broader analysis of the historical and socio-cultural environment, and illustrates how rape investigations continue to be conducted within the context of pervasive beliefs and stereotypes regarding both the nature of rape and the nature of women.

Author : Margaret Placentra Johnston
Publisher : Quest Books
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780835630450

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Faith Beyond Belief by Margaret Placentra Johnston Pdf

Faith Beyond Belief gives a much-needed voice to the “good” people who have left their church but whose spirituality continues to mature. Johnston uses first-person stories as well as known spiritual authorities in describing various stages of religious growth. Some of these real-life accounts are by nonbelievers; others are by those among the growing numbers of the “spiritual but not religious.” All are thoughtful people with too much integrity to live what they consider a lie. The stories of the nonbelievers-including an ex-Catholic, a former Mormon, and a clandestine Muslim apostate who left his community after the attacks of 9/11-show how complete confidence in human reason can lead away from literal religious interpretation. But, while that step is a necessary one on the spiritual path, it is only intermediate. Her second set of stories are of people at the “mystic” level who can tolerate paradox and see truth and reality as multidimensional. Johnston’s book will help doubters to see things in a new light as well as those who are struggling to clarify their own spiritual vision. It also points beyond the atheist/believer controversy wrecking such divisive havoc in our culture today.

Author : Charles Nathan Saatchi
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Advertising
ISBN : 1861543727

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Beyond Belief by Charles Nathan Saatchi Pdf

Beyond Belief: Racist, Sexist, Rude, Crude and Dishonest The Golden Age of Madison Avenue -- Charles Saatchi Charles Saatchi's selection of the advertising created before the industry had a conscience demonstrates the radical change in attitudes to women, race, tobacco, size and drugs and much more. Saatchi guides the reader through its seven controversial sections in his inimitable style. 'Although many of the adverts selected are alarming, they present an important portrait of society in the 1940s and 50s -- and thankfully demonstrate that our world today has taken so many steps forward.' AUTHOR: Charles Saatchi has been one of the moving forces of the modern age, one of the most significant figures in global advertising and one of the most influential collectors of contemporary art, while contradictorily remaining a reclusive, even elusive figure.