The Return to Being: The Treatise on Friendship with God

The Return to Being: The Treatise on Friendship with God
Author: Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i
Publisher: ICAS Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1904063365

The Return to Being tells the story of the journey of the human soul from the material world to its ultimate goal – annihilation in Allah’s actions, attributes, and essence. In this work, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i outlines the human-divine relationship and the stages by which human beings can reach human perfection in their journey towards the station of ‘being in Being’. The author contends that all human beings have the capacity to achieve this highest stage of spiritual perfection whereby they can witness the beauty and glory of God. Integrating ontological and epistemological principles, Tabataba’i elaborates on the two interior and exterior aspects of realities, including religion, which manifest at different existential levels. The author also suggests spiritual methods to anyone who would like to learn more about theoretical and practical principles in order to attain spiritual refinement and to achieve the interior dimensions of existence and religious knowledge.

On Job

On Job
Author: Gustavo GutiŽrrez
Publisher: Orbis Books
Total Pages: 259
Release: 1987
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1608331245

One of this century's most eminent theologians addresses the eternal questions of the relationship of good and evil, linking the story of Job to the lives of the poor and oppressed of our world.

How to Be a Friend

How to Be a Friend
Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2018-10-09
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0691183899

A splendid new translation of one of the greatest books on friendship ever written In a world where social media, online relationships, and relentless self-absorption threaten the very idea of deep and lasting friendships, the search for true friends is more important than ever. In this short book, which is one of the greatest ever written on the subject, the famous Roman politician and philosopher Cicero offers a compelling guide to finding, keeping, and appreciating friends. With wit and wisdom, Cicero shows us not only how to build friendships but also why they must be a key part of our lives. For, as Cicero says, life without friends is not worth living. Filled with timeless advice and insights, Cicero’s heartfelt and moving classic—written in 44 BC and originally titled De Amicitia—has inspired readers for more than two thousand years, from St. Augustine and Dante to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Presented here in a lively new translation with the original Latin on facing pages and an inviting introduction, How to Be a Friend explores how to choose the right friends, how to avoid the pitfalls of friendship, and how to live with friends in good times and bad. Cicero also praises what he sees as the deepest kind of friendship—one in which two people find in each other “another self” or a kindred soul. An honest and eloquent guide to finding and treasuring true friends, How to Be a Friend speaks as powerfully today as when it was first written.

On Friendship

On Friendship
Author: Michel de Montaigne
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2005-09-06
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1101651156

From the 100-part Penguin Great Ideas series comes a rumination on relationships, courtesy of one of the most influential French Renaissance philosophers. Michel de Montaigne was the originator of the modern essay form; in these diverse pieces he expresses his views on friendship, contemplates the idea that man is no different from any animal, argues that all cultures should be respected, and attempts, by an exploration of himself, to understand the nature of humanity. Penguin Great Ideas: Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now Penguin Great Ideas brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. Other titles in the series include Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and Charles Darwin's On Natural Selection.

Arnold Geulincx Ethics

Arnold Geulincx Ethics
Author: Han van Ruler
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2006-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047411382

Arnold Geulincx (1624-1669) is a key figure in the history of ideas, whose concepts have been seen as precursors to those developed by Spinoza, Malebranche, Leibniz and Kant. His Ethics presents a treatment of virtue from the standpoint of occasionalist metaphysics. The great Irish writer Samuel Beckett stated that Geulincx, with his emphasis on the powerlessness and ignorance of the human condition, was a key influence on his works. This is the first complete version of the text to appear in a modern language. It includes the full text of the Ethics and Beckett’s notes to his reading of Geulincx. Shedding new light on important moments of intellectual history, it is a major event for students of philosophy and literature. Brill's Texts and Sources in Intellectual History, vol. 1

Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God

Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God
Author: Marilyn McCord Adams
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2018-09-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1501735926

When confronted by horrendous evil, even the most pious believer may question not only life's worth but also God's power and goodness. A distinguished philosopher and a practicing minister, Marilyn McCord Adams has written a highly original work on a fundamental dilemma of Christian thought—how to reconcile faith in God with the evils that afflict human beings. Adams argues that much of the discussion in analytic philosophy of religion over the last forty years has offered too narrow an understanding of the problem. The ground rules accepted for the discussion have usually led philosophers to avert their gaze from the worst—horrendous—evils and their devastating impact on human lives. They have agreed to debate the issue on the basis of religion-neutral values, and have focused on morals, an approach that—Adams claims—is inadequate for formulating and solving the problem of horrendous evils. She emphasizes instead the fruitfulness of other evaluative categories such as purity and defilement, honor and shame, and aesthetics. If redirected, philosophical reflection on evil can, Adams's book demonstrates, provide a valuable approach not only to theories of God and evil but also to pastoral care.

Aquinas and Empowerment

Aquinas and Empowerment
Author: G. Simon Harak
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781589018365

Applying the ethical concepts of Thomas Aquinas to contemporary moral problems, this book both presents new interpretations of Thomist theology and offers new insights into today's perplexing moral dilemmas. This volume addresses such contemporary issues as internalized oppression, especially as it relates to women and African-Americans; feminism and anger; child abuse; friendship and charity; and finally, justice and reason. The collection revives Aquinas as an ethicist who has relevant things to say about contemporary concerns. These essays illustrate how Thomistic ethics can encourage and empower people in moral struggles. As the first book to use Aquinas to explore such issues as child abuse and oppression, it includes a variety of approaches to Aquinas's ethics. Aquinas and Empowerment is a valuable resource for students of classical thought and contemporary ethics.

For the Good of the Church

For the Good of the Church
Author: Gabrielle Thomas
Publisher: SCM Press
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2021-02-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0334060621

What do we need to learn and receive from the other to help us address challenges or wounds in our own tradition? That is the key question asked in what has come to be known as ‘receptive ecumenism’. And nowhere is this question more pressing and pertinent than in women’s experiences within the church. Based on qualitative research from five focus groups, 'For the Good of the Church' expose the difficulties women face when they work in a church – sexism, unfulfilled vocation, and abuse of power and privilege, as well as the wide range of gifts and skills which women bring in light of these. The second part of the book continues to draw on the particular wounds and gifts, which arise in the focus groups. Specific case studies are used to identify gifts of theology, practice, experience, vocation and power. Against negative prognoses of an ‘ecumenical winter’, Gabrielle Thomas reveals how radically different theological and ecclesiological perspectives can be a space for learning and receiving gifts for the well-being of the whole Church.