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SACRED PAIN

Name: SACRED PAIN
Author: Ariel Glucklich
ISBN: 0-19-513254-8

HURTING THE BODY FOR THE SAKE OF THE SOUL

by Ariel Glucklich ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001

Glucklich’s thesis is not easy to accept, and his presentation of it is, for the general reader, made more difficult by his...

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A scholarly examination of the effect of ritual pain on human consciousness and identity.

Glucklich (The Sense of Adharma, not reviewed, etc.), associate professor of theology at Georgetown, was prompted to explore the subject when an atheist friend and chronic pain sufferer ridiculed rituals of self-inflicted pain, asking “Why would anyone in his right mind do this?” Pain can be a good thing, Glucklich responds, transforming one’s identity and strengthening one’s bond with God. Sacred pain, he explains, can transform destructive suffering into a positive religious-psychological experience: under the stress of pain, it seems, the central nervous system reacts in a way that reduces the individual’s sense of self, opening the path to new perceptions. Glucklich looks at how pain has been described and evaluated in religious literature around the world, discussing it within the context of rituals of possession and exorcism, rites of passage and initiation, and the tortures and executions of the Inquisition. (A word of warning: Some of these passages are decidedly unpleasant to read.) Our understanding of the constructive value of pain, he argues, has been hampered by the medicalization of pain. With the invention of anesthesia in the 19th century, pain came to be viewed as a medical problem and, as its neurological mechanisms have become better understood, its spiritual and religious aspects have been overlooked. Glucklich calls for a broadening of the perception of pain as a mere biomedical phenomenon to the view that it can be “a medicine, a test, a rite of passage, or an alchemical agent of inner transformation.”

Glucklich’s thesis is not easy to accept, and his presentation of it is, for the general reader, made more difficult by his frequent use of the special terminology of neuropsychology, psychoanalytic theory, philosophy, and theology.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-19-513254-8

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is â€œHow We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.