Who has read the book called "the four loves" by C.S. Lewis? If so tell me what you think.?
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WOW!!! It will rock your face off.  And challenge your life.  Definately read it.
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The following text is what it's all about for a Chrisitan.\n\n1 John 4\n7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. \n\n13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. \n        God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. \n\n19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.\n\nI have personally seen God work in my life, I have allowed him to lead me since I graduated college, and have ended up where I never would have believed.  He has answered my prayers in the past, he has given me guidance, I have seen him work through friends and family.  He has even graciously given me dreams in which angels have appeared to reaffirm my faith.  I love God, for I know him and know his love for me.\n\nRomans 1:20\nFor since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
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This book is a must for every aspiring Truth seeker irrespective of his religion.\n\nThis book has given insight milllions of people around the globe.  Yogananda has so bearutifully explained the complex Yoga system through his biography.\n\nI liked the chapter "Law of Miracles" and "Resurrection of guru.."  it has given awsome account of astral planes and an insight into what happens after death
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I recommend that you look into the folklore literature which will demonstrate how similar the bible and its themes are to other mythologies. Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung are excellent authors to start with. Christians basically believe what every other faith believes. Their way is the only TRUE path to God. In my opinion (as a Christian) that's incredibly narrow-minded. If you've read the Chronicles of Narnia (and if you haven't you should) the last chapter of book 7 "The last Battle" has a scene where Aslan (Christ) allows a young man who was a follower of Tash (another god/demon) into the real Narnia (Heaven) because his actions were congruent with the Aslan's teachings even though the young man didn't realize it. Basically I believe that those who are following Christ's spirit or philosophy even if they're not doing so in name have as much if not more truth than most christians.
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I can't say I've read them all, but "Mere Christianity" is his absolute number one book. It has changed people all over the world. It has turned atheist to believer.
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it is a GREAT movie/book i read the book and it is so addicting!! read this interview:\n\nHOW MUCH OF THIS NOVEL IS TRUE?\nThe Da Vinci Code is a novel and therefore a work of fiction. While the book's characters and their actions are obviously not real, the artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals depicted in this novel all exist (for example, Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings, the Gnostic Gospels, Hieros Gamos, etc.). These real elements are interpreted and debated by fictional characters. While it is my belief that some of the theories discussed by these characters may have merit, each individual reader must explore these characters' viewpoints and come to his or her own interpretations. My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history. \n\nBUT DOESN'T THE NOVEL'S "FACT" PAGE CLAIM THAT EVERY SINGLE WORD IN THIS NOVEL IS HISTORICAL FACT?\nIf you read the "FACT" page, you will see it clearly states that the documents, rituals, organization, artwork, and architecture in the novel all exist. The "FACT" page makes no statement whatsoever about any of the ancient theories discussed by fictional characters. Interpreting those ideas is left to the reader. \n\nIS THIS BOOK ANTI-CHRISTIAN?\nNo. This book is not anti-anything. It's a novel. I wrote this story in an effort to explore certain aspects of Christian history that interest me. The vast majority of devout Christians understand this fact and consider The Da Vinci Code an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate. Even so, a small but vocal group of individuals has proclaimed the story dangerous, heretical, and anti-Christian. While I regret having offended those individuals, I should mention that priests, nuns, and clergy contact me all the time to thank me for writing the novel. Many church officials are celebrating The Da Vinci Code because it has sparked renewed interest in important topics of faith and Christian history. It is important to remember that a reader does not have to agree with every word in the novel to use the book as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith. \n\nWHAT DO YOU THINK OF CLERICAL SCHOLARS ATTEMPTING TO "DISPROVE" THE DA VINCI CODE? \nThe dialogue is wonderful. These authors and I obviously disagree, but the debate that is being generated is a positive powerful force. The more vigorously we debate these topics, the better our understanding of our own spirituality. Controversy and dialogue are healthy for religion as a whole. Religion has only one true enemy--apathy--and passionate debate is a superb antidote. \n\nPARTS OF THE DA VINCI CODE DESCRIBE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE RELIGIOUS GROUP OPUS DEI. HOW DOES OPUS DEI FEEL ABOUT YOUR NOVEL? \nI worked very hard to create a fair and balanced depiction of Opus Dei. Even so, there may be those who are offended by the portrayal. While Opus Dei is a very positive force in the lives of many people, for others, affiliation with Opus Dei has been a profoundly negative experience. Their portrayal in the novel is based on numerous books written about Opus Dei as well as on my own personal interviews with current and former members. \n\nSOME OF THE HISTORY IN THIS NOVEL CONTRADICTS WHAT I LEARNED IN SCHOOL. WHAT SHOULD I BELIEVE?\nSince the beginning of recorded time, history has been written by the "winners" (those societies and belief systems that conquered and survived). Despite an obvious bias in this accounting method, we still measure the "historical accuracy" of a given concept by examining how well it concurs with our existing historical record. Many historians now believe (as do I) that in gauging the historical accuracy of a given concept, we should first ask ourselves a far deeper question: How historically accurate is history itself?\n\nARE YOU
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I have read this book a couple of times and am looking forward to the movie.\n\nI think it is a great piece of fiction.  Sure, there are some truths in it, but for the most part it is pure fiction.  I have been to many of the sites that he pointed to in the book and some just aren't the way he stated.\n\nI think that it makes baseless claims about Jesus being married and having a child, and a few other things, but that is his perogotive as a writer of fiction.\n\nI am Catholic and am not in a hissy or upset or mad that the book was written, but I am upset and mad when people use it as a basis to trash my Catholic faith.  It is FICTION!  He says so himself!  But regardless of being true or not, I look at it this way, if Jesus was married and had a child, what better roll model for me, as a Catholic father to have?
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Have you ever read the book "embraced by the light"? soooooooo nice.\n\nhttp://embracedbythelight.com/index.htm
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Love asks for nothing.\n\nA long time ago I thought that love was something that you reserved for some special set of people that you had judged worthy of it. \n\nAfter a while I got to thinking about what Jesus had said about turning the other cheek and loving our neighbor I put the two together and realized that he had made no exceptions in these statements. It became obvious to me that he intended that we exclude no one from the love that we are supposed to be giving. I started thinking about my idea of love and suddenly realized that I had not been loving anyone at all. I had simply been judging everyone and every thing.\n\nJudging someone worthy of love is not love, it is only judgment. I actually started to cry when I realized this. I saw just how much of my life I had wasted being judgmental, thinking of myself as a Christian, when I was actually doing just the opposite of what Jesus had asked us to do.\n\nI thought about the verse judge not lest ye be judged, and I understood it for the first time.\n\nI realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. So many opportunities were wasted. I now try to apply the love that I have for the world in a universal way like Jesus asks us to do. \n\nIf I start to feel afraid and think that I see someone that I should not love because of something I have thought or heard I try to catch my mistake as soon as possible. I tell myself that I have forgot the truth and have fallen for the same old trick that had cost me so many opportunities to be loving in the past. The horror of this realization is often all that is necessary to bring me back to my senses and make me drop the judgmental nonsense I was thinking.\n\nI still have a lot to learn about love, but at least I’m making progress.\n\nLove and blessings \n\nYour brother \ndon
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Why don't you Pray and meditate on that question and see if the Lord will reveal the truth to you.  The Book was written and categorized as Fiction.  The first line in the book says, "This is a book of Fiction"\n\nI am overjoyed for the fact that this book/movie has sparked such a great interest in my savior.  Can you imagine how many have picked up a Bible to read more about the Christ, that would have never touched it otherwise? Until this Movie came out, only about 10% of the population knew who Mary Magdalene was? I saw a blip on CNN News the other day that People are taking Bibles right and left out of hotel rooms since the release of the Movie.  I truly think that the Authors intention when writing this book was to promote Christianity.
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I have.\n\nA very good book if you are into esoteric history.\n\nIf you are a Freemason, don't read it--for some reason it seems to really upset them.
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A sermon i gave this last Yom Kippur:::\n\nI learned the hard way that Ecclesiastes is Right!\nLet me explain.\n\nMost people wrongly believe that the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes is a downer, a cynical, depressing book, and i have never never felt that way! I always thought that the book was one of the most uplifting books of the Bible, and i guess i need to explain that, as well, first.\n\nThe Book of Ecclesiastes is known for verses like, \n\n'to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heavens, a time to be born and a time to die...' and:\n\n'there is nothing new under the sun.'  and:\n\n'vanity of vanities, all is vanity.' (horrible translation!)  and:\n\n'the sun also rises.'\n\nThe basic idea to Ecclesiastes is quite simply put, 'a hundred years from now, no one will know the difference.' And most people stop trying to understand the book after this. But they miss the point when they stop! The best way to say this is, 'a hundred years from now, no one will know the difference, AND SO WHAT??' \n\nIn other words, yes, its true, a hundred years from now, no one will know the difference, and so the successes you have now in your life, you must do for your sake, because they are meaningful to You, because they give your life meaning, and not because they will make any difference down the road. \n\nMy wife died 4 and half years ago. She was bright and funny, and clever, and raised two young daughters as best she could from the depth of all her illnesses. And a hundred years from now, no one will know it, but so what? She did it because it gave her pleasure and pride to see her daughters, my children, OUR kids, grow up, full of life and love and self-assured. It gave her life, no matter how short, meaning, and that is the only person it had to be meaningful to, not those who will live in 100 years. \n\nMy brother died almost two years ago. He started the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, yes, that M.I.T. at the age of 15! He was brilliant and he had a deep-seated passion for Justice, and he worked for Justice until he got sick. A hundred years from now, no one will know or care that he was brilliant and passionate, and so what? He did what he did because HE felt it to be important, because that is what gave his life meaning, and that is all, in the scheme of things, that mattered!\n\nMy mom now has lost her memories. She at one time, ran 5 businesses, got Broadway shows to come through Springfield Missouri, raised three sons, appeared on stage with actors now gone, too, and if a hundred years from now no one will know the difference, then so what? She did what was meaningful to her, and that is what is important. \n\nSo long as we remain within the boundaries of right, and what is just, and fair, in accordance with what Gd wants from us, we are free to make our lives as meaningful as we can. That is why i love the book of Ecclesiastes, because it frees us to make our own lives as meaningful as we can, in whatever ways we want, so long as we stay within the boudaries that Gd has set up for us. And that can be scary, because it means it is up to us, and us alone, even as we are free to do whatever we want as we live out our very short life on this earth! Life has no meaning whatsoever outside of whatever meaning WE put into it. It is therefore up to us, and only up to us, alone, to make our lives meaningful to ourselves, and there is, in the final analysis, no one else to blame but ourselves, if we dont put 60 seconds of life into each minute we live!\n\nThat is what i knew a long time ago, when i first read Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Scriptures, but that is what i Realized with so many recent losses in my life. \n\nLife is what we make of it, and if 100 years from now, no one else knows the difference, SO WHAT, WE know the difference, so does Gd, and in the end, that is all who need to know.\n\n                Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 7 Go thy way, eat
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Yes, thank you for sharing this with us.  I really enjoyed it and felt it tug on my heart.  God bless you.\n\nBrother in Christ, Johnny
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I not only read it, I truly believe it is the truth and that God really did converse with Mr. Walsch.  That book answered so many of my own questions.  \nIt brought me incredible peace with my religious beliefs.\nI think the most important thing I learned was that you are perfect at all times.  However you are today is the way God wants you to be today.
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Hello there. Funny you mention this because, as a boy, the first truly inspiring text I read was the Tao Te Ching. I still find myself reading it, at least in part, once a week. This text is so simple yet profound it put me on a path to seek out even more esoteric knowledge. I have also studied the writings of Confucius, the Vedic texts  of India, Buddhism,  Zen, Shinto, Suffic Islam, etc. All in all, the Tao really opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of things. I can read about Quantum Mechanics and sub-atomic physics and find the spiritual parallels within the science. I wish more westerners could be exposed to this. My email is viewable in profile.
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:}\nI've read the whole "BE" series\nAll were great\nI don't know if you are familiar with them but he did a different "Be" commentary for most of the books of the Bible\nHe has unbelievable insight mad makes understanding very clear.\nThe Bible college I attended used his "Be" series as one of the text books for each course that was based on a single book of the Bible.\n\nDo you have a favorite?
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yes but my views have changed. The bible is an amazing story that offers insights into the spiritual development of man. I'm not a christian but i believe there are many great lessons to be learned from this book. The biggest hoaxes of all time is 1)God is a man in the sky that favors christians and sends you to hell if you don't get your weekly quota of church in.2) Jesus was a whiteman who was the son of god. 3) you need to go to church and pray to worship god. \nGod is individual and god is everything. The good and the bad make god just as the teacher and the taught make up the teaching.