May I Hate God? PDF Download

Author: Pierre Wolff
Publisher: Paulist Press
ISBN: 9780809121809
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
"For anyone who is seriously interested in developing a spiritual life, this is an important book. ...one that can open large areas of our soul to the loving touch of God. .....The main question of this book, ..... touches the very center of our spiritual struggle. I would not be surprised if hostility, anger, resentment and hatred proved to be the greatest stumbling blocks to our spiritual growth....... [from back cover]

Author: Bernard Schweizer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199781346
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
While atheists such as Richard Dawkins have now become public figures, there is another and perhaps darker strain of religious rebellion that has remained out of sight--people who hate God. In this revealing book, Bernard Schweizer looks at men and women who do not question God's existence, but deny that He is merciful, competent, or good. Sifting through a wide range of literary and historical works, Schweizer finds that people hate God for a variety of reasons. Some are motivated by social injustice, human suffering, or natural catastrophes that God does not prevent. Some blame God for their personal tragedies. Schweizer concludes that, despite their blasphemous thoughts, these people tend to be creative and moral individuals, and include such literary lights as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman. Schweizer shows that literature is a fertile ground for God haters. Many authors, who dare not voice their negative attitude to God openly, turn to fiction to give vent to it. Indeed, Schweizer provides many new and startling readings of literary masterpieces, highlighting the undercurrent of hatred for God. Moreover, by probing the deeper mainsprings that cause sensible, rational, and moral beings to turn against God, Schweizer offers answers to some of the most vexing questions that beset human relationships with the divine.

Author: Jefferson Bethke
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
ISBN: 1400205409
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

Author: Anna Drezen
Publisher: Potter Style
ISBN: 0553448358
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Most people think hotel employees are effortlessly cheerful, naturally helpful, and genuinely like their work. Most people are wrong. Find out what really goes on in the world of hospitality with this hilarious book full of funny and absurd stories, anecdotes told in dialogue, factoids, and hoax pop quizzes by two veteran concierges who paid their way while working at a combined 50 hotels in and around Times Square. They are very pleased to help you learn: · The Truth About Bed Bugs · The Mythology of “Loyalty Programs” · The 411 on Hotel Residents · And so much more Filled with photographs and infographics, How May We Hate You? is both romp and commentary on the hospitality industry and life behind the nametag.

Author: Penn Jillette
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451610378
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The outspoken half of magic duo Penn & Teller presents an atheist reinterpretation of the Ten Commandments, discussing why doubt, skepticism, and wonder should be celebrated and offering humorous stories from his own experiences.

Author: Michael Jarrell
Publisher: PCG Legacy
ISBN: 9781936417278
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
Ever been burned by Church? Have you walked into church and sat down, knowing that people were staring at you because of what you were wearing, who was with you, or because you had a tattoo on your arm? Many have given up on God because of religion. Many equate their bad experiences at judgmental churches with the personality of God. They think those experiences represent God. This book will challenge your thinking on issues of religion, rules, rituals, and the way you've always done it. If you are a Christian and want a fresh perspective on religion and a relationship with God, this book is for you. If you have been turned off to God and Church because of what you've seen in churches, this book will open your eyes to the way God views the religion we sadly experience today. What you discover will be both eye opening and refreshing.

Author: Sarah Bessey
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593137213
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the weary, the angry, the anxious, and the hopeful, this collection of moving, tender prayers offers rest, joyful resistance, and a call to act, written by Barbara Brown Taylor, Amena Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and other artists and thinkers, curated by the author Glennon Doyle calls “my favorite faith writer.” It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time—and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another. This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for all who feel the immense joys and challenges of the journey of faith, this collection of prayers says it all aloud, giving readers permission to recognize the weight of all they carry. These writings also offer a broadened imagination of hope—of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with new essays by Sarah Bessey throughout. Encompassing the full breadth of the emotional landscape, these deeply tender yet subversive prayers give readers an intimate look at the diverse language and shapes of prayer.

Author: Tia Michelle Pesando
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 1452593655
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Due to the supposedly losing war that Christianity has fought against the decline of its values for the last one hundred years, Christians seem to have entered a sort of siege mode; they are afraid that acceptance of liberal ideas about women, homosexuals, and the transgender community are a part of the increasing moral decadence of our society. As a result, they have defensively shut their gates against such perceptions, leaving many of us out in the cold. Is this Gods will? No. Why God Doesnt Hate You is the result of transgender Roman Catholic consecrated maiden Tia Michelle Pesandos extensive theological research, and it brings to light several startling truths. No longer should we feel the need to choose between science and faith, or between religion and our own understanding of what is right and wrong. The knowledge contained herein both reassures and provides an excellent defense for those minorities previously persecuted by Christians, as Tia Michelle knows from her own experience coming out after thirty years in the guise of a man. Recently, she walked into a Roman Catholic church just before mass dressed as a woman, wearing the veil of the consecrated maiden, and approached the priest with the statement, I have assembled a rock-solid argument in favour of homosexuality. The positive response she received alone shows that there is hope.

Author: John Mark Comer
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400249570
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
What you believe about God sets the foundation of the person you will become. In God Has a Name, pastor and New York Times bestselling author John Mark Comer invites you to rethink many of the prevalent myths and misconceptions about God and weigh them against what God actually tells us about himself. After all, what you believe about God will ultimately shape the type of person you become. We all live at the mercy of our ideas, and nowhere is this more true than our ideas about God. The problem is many of our ideas about God are wrong. Not all wrong, but wrong enough to form our souls in detrimental and disheartening ways. God Has a Name is a simple yet profound guide to understanding God in a new light--focusing on what God says about himself in the Bible. This one shift has the potential to radically alter how you relate to God, not as a doctrine, but as a relational being who responds to you in an elastic, back-and-forth way. John Mark Comer takes you line by line through Exodus 34:6-8--Yahweh's self-revelation on Mount Sinai, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Along the way, Comer addresses some of the most profound questions he came across as he studied these noted lines in Exodus, including: Why do we feel this gap between us and God? Could it be that a lot of what we think about God is wrong? Not all wrong, but wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him? What if our "God" is really a projection of our own identity, ideas, and desires? What if the real God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God Has a Name invites you to step into a fresh and biblically rooted vision of who God is that has the potential to alter your life with God and shape who you become.

Author: Dr. Creflo Dollar
Publisher: FaithWords
ISBN: 1455577308
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Pastor Creflo Dollar offers ten compelling reasons why God hates religion -- but loves for people to have real relationships with Christ. Religion has broken churches, fueled wars, and driven people away from the true Gospel of Jesus. Why I Hate Religion is a clarion call for people to ditch religionnand embrace relationship as it explores the top ten reasons why God hates religion, such as: Religion makes people try to earn their way into heaven -- but Christ offers grace. Religion says God uses calamity to teach his people -- but Christ comforts us. Religion blames problems on God -- but Christ helps people learn from their mistakes. Religion makes prayer a powerless "form of godliness" -- but Christ hears every word. Why I Hate Religion offers an empowering understanding of true Christianity, one that transforms church into full, authentic, meaningful relationship with Jesus.