Tag records (15 Ergebnisse)

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains when the God you were given no longer persuades?Being Religious Without a Created God is a short, accessible exploration of God, religion, sacredness, and meaning in a material universe.Rodney Ashfield asks what religion was doing beyond explaining the world, why sacred ideas can both protect and harm, and whether wonder, ritual, moral responsibility and belonging can survive without supernatural certainty.Along the way, Jesus, Spinoza, Judaism, Buddhism, consciousness. and artificial intelligence enter a larger question: how do we distinguish reality from the human pictures we make of it?What remains when the God you were given no longer persuades?Being Religious Without a Created God is a short, accessible exploration of God, religion, sacredness, and meaning in a material universe.Rodney Ashfield asks what religion was doing beyond explaining the world, why sacred ideas can both protect and harm, and whether wonder, ritual, moral responsibility and belonging can survive without supernatural certainty.Along the way, Jesus, Spinoza, Judaism, Buddhism, consciousness, and artificial intelligence enter a larger question: how do we distinguish reality from the human pictures we make of it?Here is a place to begin. Written for believers, doubters, people who have left religion, and the simply curious, this standalone book also serves as introduction to the Sacred Ideas in Our Material Universe series, also on Amazon. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. Perhaps you have not rejected God. Perhaps you have. (Sort of.)Or perhaps you have rejected an idea of God that no longer makes sense.For many thoughtful people, disbelief does not begin with rebellion, anger, or moral indifference. It begins with questions.Why does a loving and powerful God permit unbearable suffering? Why do religions disagree so profoundly about revelation, salvation, and divine authority? What happens when science explains what earlier generations attributed to supernatural action? And if consciousness, morality, wonder, and meaning arise within nature, must they therefore be treated as illusions?Why You Don't Believe in God is a rational, accessible journey through humanity's most enduring question. Drawing on his ongoing study of philosophy, science, psychology, history, and comparative religion, Rodney "RJ" Ashfield, a thoughtful and curious person like you, examines why traditional belief becomes difficult-and why disbelief may be the beginning of a deeper inquiry rather than its conclusion.This book explores: why human beings evolved to seek meaning, agency, and purpose;how suffering challenges belief in an all-powerful and benevolent God;why scientific explanations have transformed the role once assigned to religion;what consciousness reveals-and does not reveal-about the limits of materialism;why atheism answers an important question without necessarily answering every question;how Spinoza and other thinkers reimagined God beyond the supernatural person of traditional theology;and whether the sacred can remain meaningful in a material universe.This is not an attack on believers, nor an argument that doubt makes a person wiser or more virtuous. It is an invitation to examine what we mean by God, what reasons remain for belief, what belief is and isn't, and what may still be worth preserving when inherited certainty or supernaturalism falls away.Written for believers, atheists, agnostics, deconstructing Christians, spiritual seekers, and anyone who has ever wondered whether the traditional choices are too narrow, Why You Don't Believe in God offers neither easy reassurance nor fashionable cynicism. It offers a more honest conversation.You may no longer believe in the God you were given.That does not mean the deepest questions have disappeared. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. A meaningful life is built one week at a time.You do not need to have life figured out before you can begin living it more fully. But sometimes you need a reason to slow down, step outside the usual routine, and return to what matters.The Sacred Week is a welcoming, practical companion for doing just that. Through fifty-two weekly themes and practices, Rodney Ashfield invites you to explore the experiences that make us more fully human, in whatever order is most meaningful for you: Becoming Present with Attention, Rest, GratitudeEncountering Life with Wonder, Beauty, BelongingLoving though Friendship, Forgiveness, GriefEntering the Common World with Service, CourageKeeping Life Sacred by Celebrations, JoyWritten to be used rather than merely read, each week offers a fresh focus and a practical way to bring it into everyday life. You can follow the book from beginning to end, open it to the theme you need most, or work through it with a partner, family, group, or community.Here, living religiously does not mean accepting a creed or following someone else's rules. It means giving regular care and attention to the people, practices, and values that make life worth living.Drawing from philosophy, psychology, science, literature, religious wisdom, and ordinary human experience, The Sacred Week welcomes believers, doubters, agnostics, humanists, spiritual seekers, and anyone who wants to live with greater intention.There is no perfect way to create a meaningful life. There is only the opportunity to begin-wherever you are, with the week in front of you.One week. One practice. One life, more fully lived. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains of religion when certainty is gone?For millions of people, traditional belief has become difficult or impossible. Yet the needs religion has long addressed-the need for meaning, belonging, moral orientation, ritual, consolation, wonder and hope-have not disappeared.Religion After Certainty asks a more useful question than whether religion is simply true or false: Why do human beings continue to reach for the sacred, even when supernatural claims no longer persuade them?Drawing on psychology, philosophy, history, anthropology and the study of religion, Rodney Ashfield examines the enduring human impulses beneath faith. He explores how myth gives shape to experience, why rituals mark the moments facts alone cannot hold, how communities create shared worlds, and why music, grief, sacrifice, beauty and moral aspiration so often acquire religious depth.This is neither a defence of dogma nor a dismissal of belief. It is a clear-eyed inquiry into what religion has understood about human nature, where religious institutions have failed, and what may still be worth preserving after certainty gives way to intellectual humility.Inside, readers will explore: Why religion persists in scientific and secular societiesHow sacred symbols, stories and rituals shape identityWhat belief offers psychologically-and what it can costWhy community and ceremony remain difficult to replaceHow morality, reverence and transcendence can survive without unquestioned doctrineWhat a mature, post-dogmatic religious life might becomeAuthoritative without being academic, and sceptical without being cynical, Religion After Certainty speaks to believers, doubters, atheists, agnostics and the spiritually curious alike. It offers no return to borrowed certainty. Instead, it invites readers to consider whether religion can become more honest, humane and intellectually credible-and whether the sacred may still have a place in a material universe. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains when belief is fading?A Christianity for free people.For many thoughtful people, traditional Christianity no longer commands belief. Its miracles, doctrines, and claims to exclusive authority may feel impossible to affirm. Yet leaving certainty does not erase the human need for meaning, moral formation, ritual, forgiveness, community, beauty, or hope. Nor does it erase the enduring force of Jesus's life and teachings.Christianity's Living Fire asks whether the Christian tradition can be entered again without intellectual surrender.Rodney Ashfield separates the living fire of the Gospel-love of neighbour, freedom of conscience, solidarity with the vulnerable, forgiveness, service, courage, and shared responsibility-from the human containers that have too often claimed to own it. Drawing on history, philosophy, biblical scholarship, and lived religious experience, he examines the historical Jesus, the cross, resurrection, scripture, prayer, worship, confession, leadership, and community without demanding supernatural certainty as the price of belonging.This is neither a defence of inherited Christianity nor a rejection of everything it has carried. It is an effort to recover what still gives light while confronting the hierarchy, coercion, shame, exclusion, and abuse that have too often dimmed it.Inside, readers will discover: What can responsibly be known about the historical JesusHow the cross can retain meaning without punitive metaphysicsA naturalistic approach to resurrection, scripture, prayer, and worshipA faith shaped by practice, service, forgiveness, and moral courageA church rooted in equal dignity, democratic restraint, freedom of conscience, and the right to leaveAppendices for communities seeking to renew their experience of JesusTeachings and insights for life in our material universeWritten for former Christians, questioning believers, non-theists drawn to Jesus, clergy seeking honest reform, and spiritually homeless readers who refuse both dogma and nihilism, Christianity's Living Fire offers a serious and constructive path forward.A faith after certainty. A church without domination. A living fire for our material universe.Rodney Ashfield has devoted these ideas and this entire series "Sacred Ideas in Our Material Universe" to the brave work of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the spirit of Christopher Hitchens-fearlessly, respectfully, and with curiosity."The kingdom of God is within you."- Luke 17:21 (NIV) This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. Every religion deserves to be understood. No religion should be beyond examination.Why I Am Not a Muslim is a rigorous but accessible inquiry into Islam's foundational claims, moral vision, historical development and continuing authority in the modern world.Rodney Ashfield writes neither to condemn Muslims nor to excuse prejudice. He separates respect for people from agreement with ideas, and sincere faith from the public consequences of doctrine, law and institutional power. The central question is not whether Islam has inspired devotion, beauty, scholarship and community-it has-but whether its claims about revelation, prophecy, morality and authority withstand historical, philosophical and ethical scrutiny now.This book asks: What reasons are there to regard the Qur'an as divine revelation?How should the life and authority of Muhammad be evaluated historically and morally?What happens when inherited teachings conflict with freedom of conscience, equality and human dignity?How have scripture, religious law and political power shaped one another?Can Islam be criticised honestly without fostering hostility toward Muslims?Ashfield, with the fairness and accuracy this series "Sacred Ideas in a Material Universe" is known for, considers Islam in its complexity, engaging its strongest arguments, acknowledging its intellectual and spiritual achievements, and confronting tensions that apologetics and polemics alike too often obscure. He also compares Islamic claims with other religious traditions, modern secular ethics and alternative understandings of the sacred.Clear-eyed without being contemptuous and candid without being sensational, Why I Am Not a Muslim is written for Muslims willing to encounter difficult questions, former Muslims seeking intellectual clarity, and all readers who believe that consequential ideas should be examined thoroughly and openly.This is not a verdict on more than a billion individuals. It is an argument for the freedom-and the responsibility-to ask whether any inherited system of belief deserves our assent, including Islam. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What if religion mistook its containers for the fire they were meant to carry?For thousands of years, religious traditions preserved wonder, moral imagination, disciplined attention, community, grief, courage and hope. They also turned human interpretations into absolute truths, defended destructive hierarchies and demanded certainty where evidence could no longer sustain it.As those inherited structures weaken, many people are told they must choose between supernatural belief and a universe stripped of meaning.Incandescence offers another possibility.Beginning before temples, scriptures and gods, Rodney Ashfield traces the development of sacred life through early human symbolism, ancient civilizations, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Spinoza, panentheism and the modern scientific understanding of a living, evolving universe in "Incandescence: Panentheism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and the Living Universe" as part of the "Sacred Ideas in Our Living Universe" series.The traditions are not interchangeable, and their differences should not be erased. Yet each contains hard-won insights into attention, suffering, transformation, moral responsibility and our participation in a reality larger than the isolated self.At the centre of the book is a provocative proposal: Through conscious life, the material universe has become capable of noticing itself, questioning itself and acting upon conditions it did not create.This does not make humanity divine. It makes us responsible.Inside, readers will explore: why sacred and symbolic life began long before formal religion;how religious traditions shaped attention, identity and moral obligation;what Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism may still offer after dogmatic certainty;how panentheism and Spinoza can illuminate a universe that is neither supernatural nor spiritually empty;why scientific naturalism need not end in nihilism or emotional poverty;how the "fire" of reverence, transformation and moral imagination can survive the failures of religions;what communities and institutions must become if they are to serve truth, dignity and human flourishing rather than merely preserve themselves.Incandescence is neither a defence of supernatural religion nor a dismissal of everything religion carried. It is not a new revelation, hidden cosmic energy or spirituality disguised as science.It is a disciplined attempt to understand what human beings have long been reaching toward-and how those capacities might be cultivated without superstition, coercion or intellectual captivity.Written for believers reconsidering inherited certainty, former believers seeking something more constructive than rejection, atheists and agnostics dissatisfied with mere negation, and readers interested in religion, philosophy, consciousness and the future of human community.The old containers may no longer hold. The responsibility for the fire remains ours. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Zustand: New.

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains when the God you were given no longer persuades?Being Religious Without a Created God is a short, accessible exploration of God, religion, sacredness, and meaning in a material universe.Rodney Ashfield asks what religion was doing beyond explaining the world, why sacred ideas can both protect and harm, and whether wonder, ritual, moral responsibility and belonging can survive without supernatural certainty.Along the way, Jesus, Spinoza, Judaism, Buddhism, consciousness. and artificial intelligence enter a larger question: how do we distinguish reality from the human pictures we make of it?What remains when the God you were given no longer persuades?Being Religious Without a Created God is a short, accessible exploration of God, religion, sacredness, and meaning in a material universe.Rodney Ashfield asks what religion was doing beyond explaining the world, why sacred ideas can both protect and harm, and whether wonder, ritual, moral responsibility and belonging can survive without supernatural certainty.Along the way, Jesus, Spinoza, Judaism, Buddhism, consciousness, and artificial intelligence enter a larger question: how do we distinguish reality from the human pictures we make of it?Here is a place to begin. Written for believers, doubters, people who have left religion, and the simply curious, this standalone book also serves as introduction to the Sacred Ideas in Our Material Universe series, also on Amazon. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. Perhaps you have not rejected God. Perhaps you have. (Sort of.)Or perhaps you have rejected an idea of God that no longer makes sense.For many thoughtful people, disbelief does not begin with rebellion, anger, or moral indifference. It begins with questions.Why does a loving and powerful God permit unbearable suffering? Why do religions disagree so profoundly about revelation, salvation, and divine authority? What happens when science explains what earlier generations attributed to supernatural action? And if consciousness, morality, wonder, and meaning arise within nature, must they therefore be treated as illusions?Why You Don't Believe in God is a rational, accessible journey through humanity's most enduring question. Drawing on his ongoing study of philosophy, science, psychology, history, and comparative religion, Rodney "RJ" Ashfield, a thoughtful and curious person like you, examines why traditional belief becomes difficult-and why disbelief may be the beginning of a deeper inquiry rather than its conclusion.This book explores: why human beings evolved to seek meaning, agency, and purpose;how suffering challenges belief in an all-powerful and benevolent God;why scientific explanations have transformed the role once assigned to religion;what consciousness reveals-and does not reveal-about the limits of materialism;why atheism answers an important question without necessarily answering every question;how Spinoza and other thinkers reimagined God beyond the supernatural person of traditional theology;and whether the sacred can remain meaningful in a material universe.This is not an attack on believers, nor an argument that doubt makes a person wiser or more virtuous. It is an invitation to examine what we mean by God, what reasons remain for belief, what belief is and isn't, and what may still be worth preserving when inherited certainty or supernaturalism falls away.Written for believers, atheists, agnostics, deconstructing Christians, spiritual seekers, and anyone who has ever wondered whether the traditional choices are too narrow, Why You Don't Believe in God offers neither easy reassurance nor fashionable cynicism. It offers a more honest conversation.You may no longer believe in the God you were given.That does not mean the deepest questions have disappeared. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains when belief is fading?A Christianity for free people.For many thoughtful people, traditional Christianity no longer commands belief. Its miracles, doctrines, and claims to exclusive authority may feel impossible to affirm. Yet leaving certainty does not erase the human need for meaning, moral formation, ritual, forgiveness, community, beauty, or hope. Nor does it erase the enduring force of Jesus's life and teachings.Christianity's Living Fire asks whether the Christian tradition can be entered again without intellectual surrender.Rodney Ashfield separates the living fire of the Gospel-love of neighbour, freedom of conscience, solidarity with the vulnerable, forgiveness, service, courage, and shared responsibility-from the human containers that have too often claimed to own it. Drawing on history, philosophy, biblical scholarship, and lived religious experience, he examines the historical Jesus, the cross, resurrection, scripture, prayer, worship, confession, leadership, and community without demanding supernatural certainty as the price of belonging.This is neither a defence of inherited Christianity nor a rejection of everything it has carried. It is an effort to recover what still gives light while confronting the hierarchy, coercion, shame, exclusion, and abuse that have too often dimmed it.Inside, readers will discover: What can responsibly be known about the historical JesusHow the cross can retain meaning without punitive metaphysicsA naturalistic approach to resurrection, scripture, prayer, and worshipA faith shaped by practice, service, forgiveness, and moral courageA church rooted in equal dignity, democratic restraint, freedom of conscience, and the right to leaveAppendices for communities seeking to renew their experience of JesusTeachings and insights for life in our material universeWritten for former Christians, questioning believers, non-theists drawn to Jesus, clergy seeking honest reform, and spiritually homeless readers who refuse both dogma and nihilism, Christianity's Living Fire offers a serious and constructive path forward.A faith after certainty. A church without domination. A living fire for our material universe.Rodney Ashfield has devoted these ideas and this entire series "Sacred Ideas in Our Material Universe" to the brave work of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the spirit of Christopher Hitchens-fearlessly, respectfully, and with curiosity."The kingdom of God is within you."- Luke 17:21 (NIV) This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. Every religion deserves to be understood. No religion should be beyond examination.Why I Am Not a Muslim is a rigorous but accessible inquiry into Islam's foundational claims, moral vision, historical development and continuing authority in the modern world.Rodney Ashfield writes neither to condemn Muslims nor to excuse prejudice. He separates respect for people from agreement with ideas, and sincere faith from the public consequences of doctrine, law and institutional power. The central question is not whether Islam has inspired devotion, beauty, scholarship and community-it has-but whether its claims about revelation, prophecy, morality and authority withstand historical, philosophical and ethical scrutiny now.This book asks: What reasons are there to regard the Qur'an as divine revelation?How should the life and authority of Muhammad be evaluated historically and morally?What happens when inherited teachings conflict with freedom of conscience, equality and human dignity?How have scripture, religious law and political power shaped one another?Can Islam be criticised honestly without fostering hostility toward Muslims?Ashfield, with the fairness and accuracy this series "Sacred Ideas in a Material Universe" is known for, considers Islam in its complexity, engaging its strongest arguments, acknowledging its intellectual and spiritual achievements, and confronting tensions that apologetics and polemics alike too often obscure. He also compares Islamic claims with other religious traditions, modern secular ethics and alternative understandings of the sacred.Clear-eyed without being contemptuous and candid without being sensational, Why I Am Not a Muslim is written for Muslims willing to encounter difficult questions, former Muslims seeking intellectual clarity, and all readers who believe that consequential ideas should be examined thoroughly and openly.This is not a verdict on more than a billion individuals. It is an argument for the freedom-and the responsibility-to ask whether any inherited system of belief deserves our assent, including Islam. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. A meaningful life is built one week at a time.You do not need to have life figured out before you can begin living it more fully. But sometimes you need a reason to slow down, step outside the usual routine, and return to what matters.The Sacred Week is a welcoming, practical companion for doing just that. Through fifty-two weekly themes and practices, Rodney Ashfield invites you to explore the experiences that make us more fully human, in whatever order is most meaningful for you: Becoming Present with Attention, Rest, GratitudeEncountering Life with Wonder, Beauty, BelongingLoving though Friendship, Forgiveness, GriefEntering the Common World with Service, CourageKeeping Life Sacred by Celebrations, JoyWritten to be used rather than merely read, each week offers a fresh focus and a practical way to bring it into everyday life. You can follow the book from beginning to end, open it to the theme you need most, or work through it with a partner, family, group, or community.Here, living religiously does not mean accepting a creed or following someone else's rules. It means giving regular care and attention to the people, practices, and values that make life worth living.Drawing from philosophy, psychology, science, literature, religious wisdom, and ordinary human experience, The Sacred Week welcomes believers, doubters, agnostics, humanists, spiritual seekers, and anyone who wants to live with greater intention.There is no perfect way to create a meaningful life. There is only the opportunity to begin-wherever you are, with the week in front of you.One week. One practice. One life, more fully lived. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What remains of religion when certainty is gone?For millions of people, traditional belief has become difficult or impossible. Yet the needs religion has long addressed-the need for meaning, belonging, moral orientation, ritual, consolation, wonder and hope-have not disappeared.Religion After Certainty asks a more useful question than whether religion is simply true or false: Why do human beings continue to reach for the sacred, even when supernatural claims no longer persuade them?Drawing on psychology, philosophy, history, anthropology and the study of religion, Rodney Ashfield examines the enduring human impulses beneath faith. He explores how myth gives shape to experience, why rituals mark the moments facts alone cannot hold, how communities create shared worlds, and why music, grief, sacrifice, beauty and moral aspiration so often acquire religious depth.This is neither a defence of dogma nor a dismissal of belief. It is a clear-eyed inquiry into what religion has understood about human nature, where religious institutions have failed, and what may still be worth preserving after certainty gives way to intellectual humility.Inside, readers will explore: Why religion persists in scientific and secular societiesHow sacred symbols, stories and rituals shape identityWhat belief offers psychologically-and what it can costWhy community and ceremony remain difficult to replaceHow morality, reverence and transcendence can survive without unquestioned doctrineWhat a mature, post-dogmatic religious life might becomeAuthoritative without being academic, and sceptical without being cynical, Religion After Certainty speaks to believers, doubters, atheists, agnostics and the spiritually curious alike. It offers no return to borrowed certainty. Instead, it invites readers to consider whether religion can become more honest, humane and intellectually credible-and whether the sacred may still have a place in a material universe. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Zustand: new. Paperback. What if religion mistook its containers for the fire they were meant to carry?For thousands of years, religious traditions preserved wonder, moral imagination, disciplined attention, community, grief, courage and hope. They also turned human interpretations into absolute truths, defended destructive hierarchies and demanded certainty where evidence could no longer sustain it.As those inherited structures weaken, many people are told they must choose between supernatural belief and a universe stripped of meaning.Incandescence offers another possibility.Beginning before temples, scriptures and gods, Rodney Ashfield traces the development of sacred life through early human symbolism, ancient civilizations, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Spinoza, panentheism and the modern scientific understanding of a living, evolving universe in "Incandescence: Panentheism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and the Living Universe" as part of the "Sacred Ideas in Our Living Universe" series.The traditions are not interchangeable, and their differences should not be erased. Yet each contains hard-won insights into attention, suffering, transformation, moral responsibility and our participation in a reality larger than the isolated self.At the centre of the book is a provocative proposal: Through conscious life, the material universe has become capable of noticing itself, questioning itself and acting upon conditions it did not create.This does not make humanity divine. It makes us responsible.Inside, readers will explore: why sacred and symbolic life began long before formal religion;how religious traditions shaped attention, identity and moral obligation;what Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism may still offer after dogmatic certainty;how panentheism and Spinoza can illuminate a universe that is neither supernatural nor spiritually empty;why scientific naturalism need not end in nihilism or emotional poverty;how the "fire" of reverence, transformation and moral imagination can survive the failures of religions;what communities and institutions must become if they are to serve truth, dignity and human flourishing rather than merely preserve themselves.Incandescence is neither a defence of supernatural religion nor a dismissal of everything religion carried. It is not a new revelation, hidden cosmic energy or spirituality disguised as science.It is a disciplined attempt to understand what human beings have long been reaching toward-and how those capacities might be cultivated without superstition, coercion or intellectual captivity.Written for believers reconsidering inherited certainty, former believers seeking something more constructive than rejection, atheists and agnostics dissatisfied with mere negation, and readers interested in religion, philosophy, consciousness and the future of human community.The old containers may no longer hold. The responsibility for the fire remains ours. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…