Calabria shows how a golden thread of social- and self-awareness underlies all major religions. Born into a Christian family, Calabria began to explore other religions in his teens, and by his 20s, he’d begun meditating with a yoga master. After much study of comparative religion, he concluded that what differs are not the specific teachings of a religion but the approach individuals take to the religion they have chosen. Exoteric believers, Calabria says, take their scriptures—whether the Bible, Quran, Gita, Avestas, etc.—literally and ignore inconsistencies in the texts. They are the dogmatists and fundamentalists of the world. Mesoteric believers, he says, see that there are similarities across religions and inconsistencies within them, which makes them more open-minded but also more equivocal. Mesoteric believers sound much like stereotypical New Agers (although Calabria doesn’t use the term), taking a bit here and there from diverse traditions. Finally, esoteric believers comprehend the Cosmic Religion, a kind of Platonic ideal of religion that underlies all the major religions. Esoteric believers will generally choose one specific tradition to follow, but, Calabria says, they see through the dogmatism and inconsistencies to practice the three unitary principles that the author calls Love God, Love Neighbor and Love Self. Calabria illustrates these principles through comparisons of Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Sikh, Hindu, Taoist, Judaic and Zoroastrian scriptures and the teachings of several ascended masters (Jesus Christ, Guru Nank, Lao Tzu, Moses, etc.). Calabria seems to be well-read, although it can be disturbing that his main cited resource is Wikipedia and there’s no bibliography of secondary literature. His list of resources at the end of the book consists of links to websites for a variety of Kriya Yoga organizations. Calabria tends to make sweeping statements about world religions but seems to be really talking about only the Judeo-Christian-Muslim nexus and the Indo-Aryan religions—the same group that has been mined for “universal truths” since Madam Blavatsky introduced theosophy in the late 19th century. For readers seeking universal truths, this book is as good a place as any to start, though there’s not much new here.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1479183753
Page Count: 200
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
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 “How 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
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.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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