BE

This book deals with issues that we do not think in our daily life and this is what it is to be a person. It is amazing how the arguments of the book are construed and seems absurd to take the consideration of animals and machines being persons. Yet, regardless of its absurdity it is something that should be considered; an issue that should be debated on. The first thing that came to my mind while reading this book is that a person is similar to a computer in that persons are also 'programmed' by society and education (this issue is not about the computer we use in our daily lives but a more complicated machine). When reading this book keep in mind that a human being means "any individual of the genus Homo, esp. a member of the species Homo sapiens." So, obviously Justin Leiber is not saying that computers are humans because they are not from the same species. Now, what it is to be a person is something different. I never thought of the way we use the word person being equal to human being. In fact, I thought person=human being, but now I have realized this is not so. A human being is a person (there is no doubt about this) but not necessarily a person is a human being. For example, in law a corporation, a partnership, an estate, or other legal entity is recognized to a person, but not a human being. Think about it if a corporation that does not function with the same autonomy as the computer in the book is a person why the computer can not be a person too. All these things I have thought of came from reading this book. I strongly recommend it because it gives the possibility of opening our mind and seeing reality from a different perspective.

This is an excellent survey (118 pages) of the issues people in the U.S.A. raise in the church's wrestling with how to treat homosexuals. While the doctrinal examples are United Methodist, the biblical issues apply to any denomination. It reads like it comes from a newspaper columnist, which it does.

It would be a good quick read for anyone wanting to understand the history of homosexual issues in the church, the biblical references most commonly used to condemn or support homosexuality, and the specific doctrinal actions that the Methodist church has taken, beginning with the first inclusion of the subject in 1972.

It also includes excerpts from the writings of prominent (and not so prominent) people who resist the church's condemnation of homosexuals, and a surprising (at least to me) list of prominent people throughout history known to be homosexual.

I recently purchased three copies of this book for some youthin my Sunday School class who recently accepted Christ. I found thatit covered all of the questions they had and still was on their level! His wit made it very easy for them to learn and urged them to dig in the Bible for answers. It can also be easily adapted for Bible studies with any size group!

This book looks at the divisions within three mainline Protestant churches in the 1970s: the separation of conservatives from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (or Southern Presbyterian Church) to form the Presbyterian Church in America, the separation of liberals from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and the separation of traditionalists from the Episcopal Church. As the author of the first history of the Presbyterian Church in America (which I am currently updating), I can testify as to the professional treatment which Bryan Hillis gives to the topic. I highly recommend the book.

With this hint Robert Buckman opens a valuable study of the roots of human belief. He goes on to discuss how these roots become expressed in forms of behaviour. He deftly sidesteps the question of whether gods exist, instead explains the roots of faith as reaction to natural mysteries. Deities, then, are things surpassing human experience or explanation. Buckman defines them as "external intelligence" - what we don't understand we attribute to outside causes. The causes become "supra-human" - forces outside our ken, but useful, particularly when we give them identities.

Early societies used this foundation to establish "animism," a "primitive" [he doesn't like the term, but it's "useful"] form of religion. Animism then evolved by reducing the number of spirits attributed with the powers of nature. In our society, this number was finally reduced to one, an All-Powerful One. This winnowing was accompanied by the establishment of a hierarchy to interpret phenomenon for the remainder of the populace. Shamans/priests became the explainers of divine edicts, often able to direct the activities of the entire society. Every unusual phenomenon required interpretation and this circumstance still leads to the establishment of "new religions" such as the "cargo cults" amongPacific Islanders today. "Faith" is a highly dynamic social force in Buckman's view. These aren't new ideas, but Buckman's summary in opening the book is among the better efforts.

Buckman accepts that the human "need to believe" is an immense force. In his chapter on "Worship" he examines the social and individual expressions of who and what we revere. He uses Thomas Carlyle as an example of the idea that heroes [and deities] are born, and not thrown up by circumstances - "the man makes the times." To Buckman, Carlyle's ideas fit admirably with the notion of gods emerging from nothing, commanding attention and
respect. Myths and legends grow relating their behaviour and these become teaching tools applied to the rest of society. The result is the establishment of "Function and Value" of belief.
These are essentially the comforting aspects of belief - explaining the unknown with understandable stories that become tradition. Why should Hitler and Napoleon have become successful against all reason? They provided living legends accepted by a wide spectrum of the populace.

Why are these anomalous figures and their mythologies so readily adopted as illustrious? Buckman moves on to an enlightening discussion of what happens in our brains to make these circumstances seem real or desirable. He cites the work of one English and two Canadian researchers in the brain's functions. Based on work originally done to explain the workings of epilepsy, Wilder Penfield and Michael Persinger have demonstrated how easily the brain can be fooled into simulating various types of feelings, from well-being to outright visions. These emotions are tied in with operations of the right temporal lobe, and may even be generated by the body's internal chemistry. While they are all individual responses, the patterns appear to be nearly universal. If they occur associated with outside events, the
subject readily equates the feeling with the incident. Gods, myths, heroic figures and legends readily become associated. The temporal lobe, according to Buckman, may be the place of origin for our beliefs.

Buckman thus concludes that an enhanced understanding of the source of many of the emotions and behaviours associated with belief can redirect how and what we believe. By dissociating our "normal" values and ethics from an "external intelligence" we can focus more directly on our own resources in establishing these social mores. The Golden Rule, he argues, is an excellent basis for human behaviour. We need only recognize that it is a human value to follow and not a divinely inspired one.

Buckman's overview of the elements of faith and behaviour should be required reading in every church and school. As an avowed humanist, Buckman's thesis reflects his belief that humanity can make rational decisions. He offers an excellent collection of readings to supplement his contentions and to assist those seeking ideas on how to implement a more rational society. It can be done, and reading this book is a giant first step in achieving a society devoid of misdirected faith.

This tape set tells the truth about the rapture and the left behind books. Exposes the nonsense that writers use to sell books and make themselves rich.

Lois Faye Dyer writes about sexy men and modern women, and she gets it right every time! Cullen and Nikki share a bittersweet past and an uncertain future, and they come together for the sake of a child. This is a wonderful romance, told with sweetness and sensitivity. Excellent trilogy--I can't wait for the next one!

John Llewellyn's 'A cemetery should be forever', is most appropriately subtitled: 'The challenge to managers and directors'. The author argues that appropriate cemetery governance and management will plan for adequate endowment care funds, to ensure that the cemetery may be maintained long after its income from a finite sales life has ceased. Llewellyn also considers the modern development of cemeteries, their contemporary community roles, and other operational issues. While recognising that the main use of cemeteries is subsequent to funerals, the author appears somewhat more concerned about their long-term cultural values than with their short-term grief-related values. Nevertheless, this is essential reading for anyone involved in cemetery management, anywhere. We have provided personal copies to senior staff and directors, and recommended it to other industry and government personnel.

I really liked this book. It has been a great tool by helping me learn a great deal about cerebral palsy. My son has cerebral palsy and had very tight muscles, the excersizes in this book have really loosened him up. He has progressed a lot while I have been using this book, and he loves to do the excersizes in it. The drawings, charts, and explanations in this book are great and very helpful. The book is rather expensive, but it is a BIG book and very thorough. I would recomend it to anyone with a child with cerebral palsy if you have some extra money.

THIS TERRIFIC BOOK RECAPTURES BLACK WOMEN'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE UNIQUE LIVES THEY LED. WE KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT FREE BLACK WOMEN IN THE SOUTH AND THESE LETTERS AND DIARIES BRING TO LIFE A NEGLECTED CHAPTER OF OUR HISTORY AND THEIR EXPERIENCE.....PLUS THE DIARY OF THIS YOUNG BLACK WOMAN DURING THE CIVIL WAR IS A COMPELLING HISTORICAL VOICE. THE EDITOR HAS DONE A TERRIFIC JOB SETTING THESE VOICES IN CONTEXT SO WE CAN ONCE AGAIN HEAR THEIR STORIES AND READ THE WORDS OF LOST BLACK WOMEN FROM THE PAST.