Relating to God

Relating to God
Author: Dan Merkur
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2013-11-21
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0765710161

In Relating to God: Clinical Psychoanalysis, Spirituality, and Theism, Dan Merkur conceptualizes religious discourse within psychoanalysis. He proposes that God be treated as a transferential figure whose analysis leads to a reduction of the parental content that is projected onto God. Merkur notes that religious conversion experiences regularly involve theological intuitions that are either rational or, owing to morbid complications, have undergone displacement into irrational symbolism. Analysis renders the religiosity more wholesome. Traditionally, psychoanalytic thought has been dismissive of religion. Freud is on record, however, as having called psychoanalysis a neutral procedure. He argued that religion, with its dependency on a providential God who punishes disobedience, imagines spirituality on the model of human parents and fails to approach spirituality in an appropriately scientific manner. He wrote little of spiritual phenomena, but mentioned both the rationality of the universe and the parapsychological occurrence of thought transference. Occasionally, later psychoanalysts used different language in order to contrast wholesome and morbid forms of religion. Erich Fromm distinguished authoritarian and humanistic religions, while D. W. Winnicott condemned fetishistic behavior while approving of playful illusions that require “belief-in.” These formulations constructed a middle position for clinicians, neither categorically opposed to religion as classical psychoanalysis was, nor do they embrace cultural relativity as “spiritually oriented” psychotherapists are currently advocating. What sorts of spiritual practices does psychoanalysis find unobjectionable? As examples of humanistic religion, Fromm named Zen Buddhism, Buddhist mindfulness meditation, and the via negativa or “way of negating” that some Christian and Jewish mystics have followed. Because the Bible-based approaches are little known, Merkur discusses their histories, procedures, and psychoanalytic understanding.

Attached to God

Attached to God
Author: Krispin Mayfield
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2022-02-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310363802

Why does God feel so far away? The reason--and the solution--is in your attachment style. We all experience moments when God's love and presence are tangible. But we also experience feeling utterly abandoned by God. Why? The answer is found when you take a deep look at the other important relationships in your life and understand your attachment style. Through his years working in trauma recovery programs, extensive research into attachment science, and personal experiences with spiritual striving and abuse, licensed therapist Krispin Mayfield has learned to answer the question: Why do I feel so far from God? When you understand your attachment style you gain a whole new paradigm for a secure and loving relationship with God. You'll gain insights about: How you relate to others--both your strengths and weaknesses The practical exercises you can use to grow a secure spiritual attachment to God How to move forward on the spirituality spectrum and experience the Divine connection we all were created for You'll learn to identify and remove mixed messages about closeness with God that you may have heard in church or from well-meaning Christians. With freedom from the past, you can then chart a new path toward intimate connection with the God of the universe.

Time and Eternity

Time and Eternity
Author: William Lane Craig
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2001-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433517566

This remarkable work offers an analytical exploration of the nature of divine eternity and God's relationship to time.

Is the Bible God's Word?

Is the Bible God's Word?
Author: Ahmad Deedat
Publisher: Islamic Propagation Centre International
Total Pages: 66
Release: 1981-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0933511043

A brief rebuttal to several points of Biblical theology by this well known debater is the subject of this booklet which is one of the authors most popular books.

Relating God and the Self

Relating God and the Self
Author: Jan-Olav Henriksen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317068351

Religion is not only about understanding the world - it is just as much about how to develop and shape the self’s experience of itself. Because the religious self is shaped by our symbols of God - and symbols of God are also shaped by the self, theology and philosophy of religion cannot ignore this interplay, or the psychological dimension, when they discuss what symbols of God are adequate and not. By discussing critically different ways the symbol of God functions in the formation of the self, the book develops a nuanced and original approach to the interplay between God and the self. It suggests that play is actually an important metaphor in order to develop a dynamic understanding of religion’s way of relating God and the Self. This approach challenges understandings of religion focussing only its cognitive claims, as well as those who emphasize doctrinal orthodoxy as the most important element in religion.

Women Living Well

Women Living Well
Author: Courtney Joseph Fallick
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 140020495X

Women desire to live well. However, living well in this modern world is a challenge. The pace of life, along with the new front porch of social media, has changed the landscape of our lives. Women have been told for far too long that being on the go and accumulating more things will make their lives full. As a result, we grasp for the wrong things in life and come up empty. God created us to walk with him; to know him and to be loved by him. He is our living well and when we drink from the water he continually provides, it will change us. Our marriages, our parenting, and our homemaking will be transformed. Mommy-blogger Courtney Joseph is a cheerful realist. She tackles the challenge of holding onto vintage values in a modern world, starting with the keys to protecting our walk with God. No subject is off-limits as she moves on to marriage, parenting, and household management. Rooted in the Bible, her practical approach includes tons of tips that are perfect for busy moms, including: Simple Solutions for Studying God’s Word How to Handle Marriage, Parenting, and Homemaking in a Digital Age 10 Steps to Completing Your Husband Dealing With Disappointed Expectations in Motherhood Creating Routines that Bring Rest Pursuing the Discipline and Diligence of the Proverbs 31 Woman There is nothing more important than fostering your faith, building your marriage, training your children, and creating a haven for your family. Women Living Well is a clear and personal guide to making the most of these precious responsibilities.

Women of the Word (Foreword by Matt Chandler)

Women of the Word (Foreword by Matt Chandler)
Author: Jen Wilkin
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 94
Release: 2019-08-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433567172

“Women of the Word will help all who read it to find their way deeper into the Word of God without having to be seminary educated, a genius, or even an especially good student.” —Kathy Keller We all know it’s important to study God’s Word. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. What’s more, a lack of time, emotionally driven approaches, and past frustrations can erode our resolve to keep growing in our knowledge of Scripture. How can we, as Christian women, keep our focus and sustain our passion when reading the Bible? With over 250,000 copies sold, Women of the Word has helped countless women with a clear and concise plan they can use every time they open their Bible. Featuring the same content as the first edition, and now with added study questions at the end of each chapter, this book equips you to engage God’s Word in a way that trains your mind and transforms your heart.

A Quiet Knowing

A Quiet Knowing
Author: Gigi Graham Tchividjian
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2009-08-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1418576808

Ruth Bell Graham and her daughter Gigi Graham Tchividjian have created a devotional journal that will lead the reader to discover and experience the meaning of serenity. Selecting favorite hymns such as "Just As I Am" and "Be Thou My Vision," the Graham women offer stories and insights inspired by the songs and thoughtful messages. This devotional addresses such topics as: Discouragement: The Devil's Calling Card Making Decisions: Searching for God's Will Business: Responding to Expectations Belongings: Weighing our wants and needs Weights: Balancing Daily Burdens Waiting: Proving God's Faithfulness Valleys: Finding Peace in Down Times * Web Description

The Holiness of God

The Holiness of God
Author: R.C. Sproul
Publisher: NavPress
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2023-09-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1496437217

Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don’t quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear.” R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.