Governing Spirits

Governing Spirits
Author: Reinaldo L. Román
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2009-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 080788894X

Freedom of religion did not come easily to Cuba or Puerto Rico. Only after the arrival of American troops during the Spanish-American War were non-Catholics permitted to practice their religions openly and to proselytize. When government efforts to ensure freedom of worship began, reformers on both islands rejoiced, believing that an era of regeneration and modernization was upon them. But as new laws went into effect, critics voiced their dismay at the rise of popular religions. Reinaldo L. Roman explores the changing relationship between regulators and practitioners in neocolonial Cuba and Puerto Rico. Spiritism, Santeria, and other African-derived traditions were typically characterized in sensational fashion by the popular press as "a plague of superstition." Examining seven episodes between 1898 and the Cuban Revolution when the public demanded official actions against "misbelief," Roman finds that when outbreaks of superstition were debated, matters of citizenship were usually at stake. He links the circulation of spectacular charges of witchcraft and miracle-making to anxieties surrounding newly expanded citizenries that included people of color. Governing Spirits also contributes to the understanding of vernacular religions by moving beyond questions of national or traditional origins to illuminate how boundaries among hybrid practices evolved in a process of historical contingencies.

Miracles

Miracles
Author: R. W. Shambach
Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2011-07-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0768494303

This powerful book of miracle testimonies will set your faith on fire! Miracles: Eyewitnesses to the Miraculous is a history book of sorts. It is a history book of the amazing work of God through R.W. Schambachs ministry for more than fifty years. As your read these exciting, true stories of Gods miracle power in action, your faith will be strengthened and your spirit encouraged. You will know that you believe in a God Who is bigger than any situation or circumstances you face.You will share in the excitement of an eyewitness view of Gods power at work. Brother Schambach is a powerful storyteller, and you will feel as if you wre really there with him. These miracle stories are vivid and alive. Also included is a faith-building section entitled The Miracles of Christ.You will read these testimonies: * What Mohammed couldnt do * Its never too late * A hospital in Newark * Seventeen deaf mutes healed * Fortune tellers nightmare * A mother helps her son break out of prison * The back rent blues * R.W. battles the devil * The man who was spared form the electric chair * The greatest miracle of all and many more!

Miracles

Miracles
Author: J. Harold Ellens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 977
Release: 2008-07-30
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0275997235

Can science, psychology, and biology explain miracles? This three-volume set attempts to answer that question, presenting the latest, as well as classic, thinking and research regarding miracles from fields that include psychology, psychiatry, theology, biology, and history. We have all heard of what seem miraculous events, which have surfaced across history. They range from stigmata and bleeding icons to deadly tumors that disappear and healers who succeed just by laying hands on the afflicted; from people who can predict unexpected events to so-called mediums and those who can allegedly see and speak with the dead. These books, led by an eminent scholar who serves as series editor for the Praeger series Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, examine miracles of body, mind, and spirit, presenting the most recent research and writing on these uncommon events, aiming to bring hard science to some of the most persistent and peculiar phenomena associated with the human race. Can science, psychology, and biology explain miracles? This three-volume set attempts to answer that question, presenting the latest, as well as classic, thinking and research regarding miracles from fields that include psychology, psychiatry, theology, biology, and history. From news of a crippled woman who left her wheelchair and walked after an evangelist prayed over her, to stories of people who died on the operating table only to be revived to tell of bright lights and the pathway to the afterlife, we've all heard of what seem miraculous events. They have surfaced across history. They range from stigmata and bleeding icons to deadly tumors that disappear, and healers who succeed just by laying hands on the afflicted; from people who can predict unexpected events to so-called mediums and those who can allegedly see and speak with the dead. Some miracles are intricately tied to religious beliefs, but there are millions of people who ascribe to no particular religion, yet still believe that things happen that defy all laws of nature, and thus defy scientific explanation. In these books, eminent scholar J. Harold Ellens and his team of expert contributors examine miracles of body, mind, and spirit, presenting the most recent research and writing on these uncommon events as they aim to bring hard science to some of the most persistent—and peculiar—phenomena associated with the human race.

The Book of Miracles

The Book of Miracles
Author: Kenneth L. Woodward
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2001-07-10
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0743200292

Woodward offers an intellectually rich look at the five great religions' foundational miracles and those of the later sages and saints.

A Diagram for Fire

A Diagram for Fire
Author: Jon Bialecki
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2017-03-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520967410

What is the work that miracles do in American Charismatic Evangelicalism? How can miracles be unanticipated and yet worked for? And finally, what do miracles tell us about other kinds of Christianity and even the category of religion? A Diagram for Fire engages with these questions in a detailed sociocultural ethnographic study of the Vineyard, an American Evangelical movement that originated in Southern California. The Vineyard is known worldwide for its intense musical forms of worship and for advocating the belief that all Christians can perform biblical-style miracles. Examining the miracle as both a strength and a challenge to institutional cohesion and human planning, this book situates the miracle as a fundamentally social means of producing change—surprise and the unexpected used to reimagine and reconfigure the will. Jon Bialecki shows how this configuration of the miraculous shapes typical Pentecostal and Charismatic religious practices as well as music, reading, economic choices, and conservative and progressive political imaginaries.

Miracles

Miracles
Author: Patrick J. Hayes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 515
Release: 2016-01-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1610695992

Miracles give hope to the hopeless and exemplify the intersection of the divine and the mundane. They have shaped world history and continue to influence us through their presence in films, television, novels, and popular culture. This encyclopedia provides a unique resource on the philosophical, historical, religious, and cross-cultural conceptions of miracles that cut across denominational lines. Multidisciplinary in approach, this informative yet entertaining encyclopedia covers major aspects of miraculous phenomena through more than 150 alphabetically arranged entries that document how humanity's belief in religious miracles over multiple places, periods, and faiths have affected society—even changed the course of history. Written for high school students and general readers, the coverage enables readers to learn about different civilizations and cultures, the controversies surrounding different beliefs, and the often uncomfortable engagement of religion with science. This single-volume book provides a one-stop ready-reference that addresses a broad variety of subject matter on miraculous phenomena and guides further investigations into the subject. Helpful illustrations and lucid explanations of the ancillary concepts associated with miraculous phenomena make learning about this topic more engaging. Readers will be able to link the doctrinal concepts, such as "grace" or "prayer," with the descriptions of miraculous events, especially those associated with saints or holy objects. The examination of the controversial aspects of different belief systems along with the book's balanced coverage of the interpretation of miracles will encourage students to weigh different explanations, thus fostering the development of their critical thinking skills.

Miracle's Boys

Miracle's Boys
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2010-01-07
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0142415537

From a four-time Newbery Honor author, a novel that was awarded the 2001 Coretta Scott King award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize For Lafayette and his brothers, the challenges of growing up in New York City are compounded by the facts that they've lost their parents and it's up to eldest brother Ty'ree to support the boys, and middle brother Charlie has just returned home from a correctional facility. Lafayette loves his brothers and would do anything if they could face the world as a team. But even though Ty'ree cares, he's just so busy with work and responsibility. And Charlie's changed so much that his former affection for his little brother has turned to open hostility. Now, as Lafayette approaches 13, he needs the guidance and answers only his brothers can give him. The events of one dramatic weekend force the boys to make the choice to be there for each other--to really see each other--or to give in to the pain and problems of every day.

Miracles in the ER

Miracles in the ER
Author: Robert D. Lesslie
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2014-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0736954848

You’ve heard about them. Extraordinary...unexplainable...seemingly miraculous true stories that couldn’t have happened—but did. Real-life stories of life changes, answered prayers, inner and outer healing where they appeared impossible. Again and again, bestselling author Dr. Robert Lesslie has encountered such Miracles in the ER during his decades of experience in emergency medicine. In these vignettes—all true stories—Dr. Lesslie chronicles miracles of... physical healing joy and forgiveness restored relationships time granted and spent angels—human and otherwise These touching, dramatic, thought-provoking snapshots of life will grace you with hope and prompt you to look more closely for the miracle stories around you that so often go unseen and untold.

Miracles : 2 Volumes

Miracles : 2 Volumes
Author: Craig S. Keener
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 1459
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441239995

Christianity Today 2013 Book Award Winner Winner of The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship's 2012 Award of Excellence 2011 Book of the Year, Christianbook.com's Academic Blog Most modern prejudice against biblical miracle reports depends on David Hume's argument that uniform human experience precluded miracles. Yet current research shows that human experience is far from uniform. In fact, hundreds of millions of people today claim to have experienced miracles. New Testament scholar Craig Keener argues that it is time to rethink Hume's argument in light of the contemporary evidence available to us. This wide-ranging and meticulously researched two-volume study presents the most thorough current defense of the credibility of the miracle reports in the Gospels and Acts. Drawing on claims from a range of global cultures and taking a multidisciplinary approach to the topic, Keener suggests that many miracle accounts throughout history and from contemporary times are best explained as genuine divine acts, lending credence to the biblical miracle reports.