Mysticism versus organized Religion!
Shirley Roe
April 20, 2005
Genre: Religion/Inspiration
In Defense of the Christ: why Jesus would disown Christianity
Author: Shawn Patrick Thornton
Mysticism versus organized Religion! Any theological dissertation must find a balance between criticism and understanding to be effective. Shawn P. Thornton has succeeded.
Without sympathy and understanding, it would be impossible to adequately explain why people believe what they do. Without a critical attitude, one would abandon the ability to probe and ask “why?” In other words, to exercise one’s “Free Will.”
In Defense of the Christ attempts to explain the reasoning behind organized religion, the needs of the fundamentalist and what can be gained by blind acceptance. Author, Shawn Thornton freely admits that he was raised a staunch Roman Catholic. He attended a Jesuit University as a philosophy major and did not begin to question his religious upbringing until his life was threatened by a serious life threatening illness.
The author adopts the point of view of the mystic, touting the belief that man and God are “One” rather than separate. The book takes the reader chapter by chapter through the doctrines and teachings of the Bible making several comparisons to Zen Buddhism and mysticism. The doctrines of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian religions are closely examined. Each chapter leads the reader, intelligently and knowledgably, step by step through the dissertation. The author has researched his subject well.
As the title suggests, it is the author’s premise that Christ would “disown” modern Christianity, which has wandered far from the original teachings of Christ himself. A Twelve Step program, Spiritual Confusion Anonymous, fashioned after the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, is laid out in the book as a possible solution to today’s religious quandary. The author describes his own personal spiritual journey towards Nirvana and the realization that man is “One” with God.
An in-depth look at organized religion from the point of view of a modern day mystic, this book offers some interesting questions. Seekers of “Spiritual Truth” will find the explanations and scientific/historical arguments fascinating. Recommended reading for anyone searching for answers with an open mind. Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.
Available from the publisher or at: www.amazon.com
Title: In Defense of the Christ
Author: Shawn P. Thornton
Publisher: Publish America Publishing
ISBN: 1-4137-4613-6
Pages: 188
In Defense of the Christ: why Jesus would disown Christianity
Author: Shawn Patrick Thornton
Mysticism versus organized Religion! Any theological dissertation must find a balance between criticism and understanding to be effective. Shawn P. Thornton has succeeded.
Without sympathy and understanding, it would be impossible to adequately explain why people believe what they do. Without a critical attitude, one would abandon the ability to probe and ask “why?” In other words, to exercise one’s “Free Will.”
In Defense of the Christ attempts to explain the reasoning behind organized religion, the needs of the fundamentalist and what can be gained by blind acceptance. Author, Shawn Thornton freely admits that he was raised a staunch Roman Catholic. He attended a Jesuit University as a philosophy major and did not begin to question his religious upbringing until his life was threatened by a serious life threatening illness.
The author adopts the point of view of the mystic, touting the belief that man and God are “One” rather than separate. The book takes the reader chapter by chapter through the doctrines and teachings of the Bible making several comparisons to Zen Buddhism and mysticism. The doctrines of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian religions are closely examined. Each chapter leads the reader, intelligently and knowledgably, step by step through the dissertation. The author has researched his subject well.
As the title suggests, it is the author’s premise that Christ would “disown” modern Christianity, which has wandered far from the original teachings of Christ himself. A Twelve Step program, Spiritual Confusion Anonymous, fashioned after the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, is laid out in the book as a possible solution to today’s religious quandary. The author describes his own personal spiritual journey towards Nirvana and the realization that man is “One” with God.
An in-depth look at organized religion from the point of view of a modern day mystic, this book offers some interesting questions. Seekers of “Spiritual Truth” will find the explanations and scientific/historical arguments fascinating. Recommended reading for anyone searching for answers with an open mind. Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.
Available from the publisher or at: www.amazon.com
Title: In Defense of the Christ
Author: Shawn P. Thornton
Publisher: Publish America Publishing
ISBN: 1-4137-4613-6
Pages: 188
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