Kabbalah and the Spiritual Quest: The Kabbalah Centre in America (Religion, Health, and Healing) - Hardcover

Myers, Jody

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0275989402 ISBN 13: 9780275989408

Verlag: Praeger, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

Book by Myers Jody

Über diesen Titel

Críticas:

"The first comprehensive, book-length examination of the Kabbalah Centre's founders, philosophy and methods.... Lots of folks aren't going to appreciate such a rare, temperate treatment of a trend that has caused concern for the Jewish establishment. But complaining about it has not derailed the movement. Myers' book reflects the reality: The Kabbalah Centre continues to thrive because it directly addresses difficult life situations and satisfies a hunger for a faith system that promises tangible results." - Toronto Star "Jody Myers's excellent debunking of The Kabbalah Centre....is marked by scholarly rigor, objectivity and depth of analysis that is absent among the center's usual promoters and detractors. It's a must-read for those interested in the truth and hucksterism behind the red strings and expensive bottles of water." - Forward.com "Though much has been written about it in the popular press, this is the first scholarly study of the Kabbalah Centre, utilizing both historical and ethnographic methodologies....This is an important study that is of great value to anyone interested in new religious movements in general and the Kabbalah Centre in particular." - Religious Studies Review "Myers presents an interesting investigation of a highly controversial subject: the Kabbalah Centre in America. Created by Rabbi Philip Berg, these centers are dedicated to popularizing, in a highly revised form, traditional Jewish mysticism known as kabbalah among both Jews and non-Jews. The justification for such dissemination lies in a belief in the unusual mission of kabbalah. Berg and his colleagues have had considerable success. In most large US cities one finds all sorts of individuals, including most famously Madonna, espousing kabbalistic doctrines. Myers was sufficiently intrigued to undertake the first serious, surprisingly sympathetic study of this phenomenon. She sees it as a syncretistic new religious movement that attracts upwardly mobile Western urbanites, disappointed by organized religion yet looking for a spiritual and ethical outlook with religious roots. Her description of the movement covers its roots, popularization in the US, main teachings, and value in spiritual healing, and a survey-profile of some of its adherents. Her methodological approach is primarily sociological and psychological and stresses the functional character of the movement. Even if one is more critical of the Kabbalah Centre, as this reviewer is, this is a valuable study for libraries serving religious studies programs. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above." - Choice

Reseña del editor:

Dressing entirely in white is normal practice on a five-block stretch of Robertson Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Western men and women, garbed in white from their turbans to their Keds, traverse the busy streets surrounding the Sikh Temple. Further north, you have to wait until Friday afternoon to see white-clad young men in yarmulkes gathering outside the Kabbalah Learning Centre greeting each other with hugs, the spaces around them filled with women and children wearing multi-colored garments. Beyond this city street, one hears of the popularity of Kabbalah in the tabloids, as celebrities such as Madonna claim Kabbalah as their new religion. How have the obscure and offensive ideas of medieval Jewish mysticism, expressed in doctrines like the demonic power of women's menstrual blood or the soulless bodies of Gentiles, been made palatable for so many from all stripes of life? With KLCs in cities such as Boca Raton, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego, Houston, and Las Vegas, the reach of this mystical tradition can be said to be nationwide. But how did its beliefs and practices become as fashionable as they are now? What do the KLCs teach so that adherents stay on? Is it a cult, a religion, or simply a system of universal wisdom as its leaders purport? Determined to uncover the secrets of this esoteric faith, the author embarked upon three 10-week Kabbalah classes among other learning opportunities, examined Kabbalah publications from the 1970s to the present, listened to KLC audio tapes, and interacted with adherents. This book presents her experiences and findings, and offers an overview of the history of the Kabbalah in this country, its beliefs and practices, its positions on health and healing of both the self and the world, its structure and outreach, and its views of men and women. She traces the origins of Kabbalah, offers a glimpse into its world, its relationships to Judaism, its place in American society, and its future.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Praeger
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0275989402
• ISBN 13: 9780275989408
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272