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This book explores the co-dependency of monotheism and idolatry by examining the thought of several prominent twentieth-century Jewish philosophers—Cohen, Buber, Rosenzweig, and Levinas. While all of these thinkers were keenly aware of the pitfalls of scriptural theism, to differing degrees they each succumbed to the temptation to personify transcendence, even as they tried either to circumvent or to restrain it by apophatically purging kataphatic descriptions of the deity. Derrida and Wyschogrod, by contrast, carried the project of denegation one step further, embarking on a path that culminated in the aporetic suspension of belief and the consequent removal of all images from God, a move that seriously compromises the viability of devotional piety. The inquiry into apophasis, transcendence, and immanence in these Jewish thinkers is symptomatic of a larger question. Recent attempts to harness the apophatic tradition to construct a viable postmodern negative theology, a religion without religion, are not radical enough. Not only are these philosophies of transcendence guilty of a turn to theology that defies the phenomenological presupposition of an immanent phenomenality, but they fall short on their own terms, inasmuch as they persist in employing metaphorical language that personalizes transcendence and thereby runs the risk of undermining the irreducible alterity and invisibility attributed to the transcendent other. The logic of apophasis, if permitted to run its course fully, would exceed the need to posit some form of transcendence that is not ultimately a facet of immanence. Apophatic theologies, accordingly, must be supplanted by a more far-reaching apophasis that surpasses the theolatrous impulse lying coiled at the crux of theism, an apophasis of apophasis, based on accepting an absolute nothingness—to be distinguished from the nothingness of an absolute—that does not signify the unknowable One but rather the manifold that is the pleromatic abyss at being’s core. Hence, the much-celebrated metaphor of the gift must give way to the more neutral and less theologically charged notion of an unconditional givenness in which the distinction between giver and given collapses. To think givenness in its most elemental, phenomenological sense is to allow the apparent to appear as given without presuming a causal agency that would turn that given into a gift.
Bringing social theory and philosophy to bear on popular movies, novels, myths, and fairy tales, The Gift and its Paradoxes explores the ambiguity of the gift: it is at once both a relation and a thing, alienable and inalienable, present and poison. Challenging the nature of giving as reciprocal, the book engages critically with the work of Mauss and develops a new theory of the gift according to which the gift cannot be reduced to a model of exchange, but must instead entail a loss or sacrifice. Ultimately, the gift is examined in the book as the impossible occurrence of gratuitous giving. In addition to exploring the conditions of possibility and impossibility of the gift, the book draws on the thought of figures such as Derrida, Serres, Simmel, Cixous, Irigaray and Heidegger to argue for the relevance of the phenomenon of the gift to broader issues in contemporary social sciences. It takes up questions concerning the constitution of community and the processes by which people are included in or excluded from it, gender relations, materiality, the economy, and the possibility that death itself could be a gift, in the form of euthanasia or self-sacrifice. A rigorous yet accessible examination of the phenomenon of the gift in relation to a range of contemporary concerns, The Gift and its Paradoxes will appeal to scholars and students within sociology, philosophy, anthropology, political theory and film and literature studies.
A true and amazing account of the after life as given by a young man to his father on the Earth plane.
Recent inquiries into the concept of the gift have been largely male-dominated and thus have ignored important aspects of the gift from a woman's point of view. In the light of philosophical work by Mauss, Lévi-Strauss, Derrida, and Bataille, Women and the Gift reflects how women respond to the notion of the gift and relationships of giving. This collection evaluates and critiques previous work on the gift and also responds to how women view care, fidelity, generosity, trust, and independence in light of the gift.
God is not impressed by what He gave us in the form of our gifts and talents, but He is impressed by what we do with the deposit He has invested in us. In our world today, society celebrates the person who is gifted. That person may be a great athlete or a master musician. However, what impresses people does not impress God, because He is the one who gave the gift in the first place. Every human being on the planet was born with a unique, God-given ability to arrive at their purpose in life. In other words, you are gifted for the assignment that is on your life. The problem in our world is that many people just arrive at their gifts but never make it to the otherside of their destiny and assignmnet. This book is design to show you how to get to the otherside of who you were born to be.
Loneliness touches everyone, whether they are young or old, rich or poor. It can be one of the most painful experiences of life. There is a friend-shaped hole in all of our lives, Trevor Hudson writes. People long for relationship with others, but what may surprise them is that God actually longs to be friends with them. Having a close friendship with God is the only thing that will ultimately bring joy and happiness and ease the ache of loneliness. In Beyond Loneliness, Hudson provides guidance for building a friendship with God. Ten chapters help readers discover how to get to know God and deepen their friendship with God. Each chapter includes friendship exercises and reflection questions. Perfect for small-group or individual study. KEY FEATURES Friendship exercises at the end of each chapter to help with reflection and action Simple, conversational writing
Dr. Seuss’s wonderfully wise Oh, the Places You’ll Go! celebrates all of our special milestones—from graduations to birthdays and beyond! “[A] book that has proved to be popular for graduates of all ages since it was first published.”—The New York Times From soaring to high heights and seeing great sights to being left in a Lurch on a prickle-ly perch, Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and whimsical illustrations. The inspiring and timeless message encourages readers to find the success that lies within, no matter what challenges they face. A perennial favorite for anyone starting a new phase in their life!
From the author of Writing a Woman's Life comes an inspirational reflection on aging and the gift of life in your 70s and beyond. When she was young, distinguished author and critic Carolyn Heilbrun solemnly vowed to end her life when she turned seventy. But on the advent of that fateful birthday, she realized that her golden years had been full of unforeseen pleasures. Now, the astute and ever-insightful Heilbrun muses on the emotional and intellectual insights that brought her "to choose each day for now, to live." There are reflections on her new house and her sturdy, comfortable marriage; sweet solitude and the pleasures of sex at an advanced age; the fascination with e-mail and the joy of discovering unexpected friends. Even the encroachments of loss, pain, and sadness that come with age cannot spoil Heilbrun's moveable feast. They are merely the price of bountiful living.
The Gift of Vision: Seeing Beyond the Veil of Time describes Traci Wargo's amazing experience of true vision.This God-given gift of being able to perceive only the innocence and purity in all things lasted intensely for five full days, gradually lessening over the course of a month. During this experience she was awakened out of the dream of time and realized her true identity as spirit, and she remembered God! Traci discusses the illusory world, her true identity as spirit, her miracle of instant healing, God and the ego's thought system, conviction and thought, and the importance of practicing true forgiveness in order to heal. Traci shares what it was like before, during, and after her experience occurred, in order to show us that ordinary people like herself can absolutely have extraordinary experiences that reveal the truth. Desire is the key, indeed. After God exposed the truth to her, she did her part and exposed it to us. Now she beckons us to open up our hearts and minds to a better way. Traci is a firm believer in the book A Course in Miracles, and she writes that her experience confirmed, in every way imaginable, that what it speaks of is true.