Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Religion & Spirituality

William Walker Atkinson was one of the pioneers of the New Thought movement, the philosophy of which underlies many of the ventures in the self-help industry of today. He was extremely prolific, producing over a hundred books on a variety of subjects, including religion, the occult, concentration, memory, and healing.

Joseph McCabe's study of papal history is unusual in that he takes a hostile view of the Roman Catholic Church in general, and of the papacy in particular. Raised as a Catholic, McCabe was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1890, but by 1897 had abandoned both the priesthood and the Catholic faith and was in the process of establishing himself as an ardent secularist. He published over 200 books, many of which were critiques of the history and contemporary activities of the Catholic Church.

Having an amazing prayer life is not for the famous Christians. It's for all of us, ordinary people who are seeking the extraordinary. Author Rachel Larkin has discovered a simpler way to pray - a way that turns ordinary moments into extraordinary divine encounters.

Prepare yourself for a jolt and a chill in capsule form. O. Henry could have been proud of it. It could well become a minor classic.

Among New Thought authors, Henry Thomas Hamblin particularly emphasized in his writings the power and necessity of dynamic and judicious thought. Since his death in 1958, his work has been continued by The Hamblin Trust, whose mission is described as "enriching people's lives through Right Thinking".

This short text is widely accepted as one of the canonical wisdom books of the Bible. It is narrated by one who calls himself a teacher, and also a king, traditionally held to be Solomon. The general recommendation is that the wise man should consider all created things as symbols of vanity and that one's prime concern should be to avoid offending God. As with the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, commentators have been arguing for centuries about the true philosophical orientation of the author. View range from the advocacy of a radical nihilism to the recommendation of a stringent and unwavering piety.

It is said that there is no-one more zealous in a cause than an adult convert. A notable example of this was Joseph McCabe, whose conversion was not to a religion, but from religious faith to secularism. Ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1890, and later recognized by the Catholic Church as an able scholar and teacher, by 1897 McCabe had completely lost his faith and had left the priesthood. He became a very active secularist, delivering thousands of public lectures and publishing over two hundred books on a wide range of religious, historical and scientific topics.

Kahlil Gibran (January 6, 1883 - April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer whose inspiring works are still widely read and enjoyed throughout the world. The Forerunner, published in 1920, was written three years before Kahlil Gibran's best-known work, The Prophet, and is a book composed of his developing spiritual ideas of both poetry and prose.

Did Jesus Christ really exist? A rationalist answer to the question is given here by an ordained minister, independent preacher, and lecturer on "independent religion", M. M. Mangasarian. Though the full work was a series of studies from several additional authors from the Independent Religious Society in Chicago, this production highlights Mangasarian's contribution.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes investigates the true story of two young girls who claimed to photograph fairy creatures in rural England.

In this Christian classic, late pastor and evangelist A. W. Tozer brings the mystics to bear on modern spirituality, grieving the hustle and bustle and calling for a slow, steady gaze upon God. With prophetic vigor and flowing prose, he urges us to replace low thoughts of God with lofty ones, to quiet our lives so we can know God's presence. He reminds us that life apart from God is really no life at all.

The Way of Life According to Laotzu is a poetic and highly accessible translation of the Dao De Jing ( Tao Te Ching). In these 81 brief passages, the ancient Chinese sage lays down a philosophical, socio-political, personal view of the universe and guide for action that has inspired generations around the world for centuries.

Book one of a history of the Christian churches in England, of England generally, and of Anglo-Saxon culture. It is the best known work of Venerable Bede, an English monk from northern England, and includes Julius Caesar's invasion in 55 BC, an account of Christianity in Roman Britain, the martyrdom of St. Alban, and the story of Augustine's mission to England in 597 that brought Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons. The work is believed to have been completed in 731.

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money, proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his 95 Theses of 1517.

While debate continues about the historicity of Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, the collection of sayings attributed to him, has remained one of the most influential religious texts of all time. Using simple yet profound language, the author probes the eternal mystery of the Tao, the elusive substrate which underlies all creation.

This book, a true spiritual classic, consists of notes of several conversations had with, and letters written by, Nicholas Herman, of Lorraine, a humble man of little education. After having served as a soldier and a footman, Herman was admitted as a lay brother to the order of the barefooted Carmelites at Paris in 1666, where he took the name "Brother Lawrence." The conversations are supposed to have been recorded by Joseph de Beaufort, who later became vicar general to the Archbishop of Paris.

From Poverty to Power was published in two parts, the first dealing with the road to prosperity and the second the state of peace that ensues when it has been realized. In the foreword, the author described his aim as follows: "I dreamed of writing a book which should help men and women, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, worldly or unworldly, to find within themselves the source of all success, all happiness, all accomplishment, all truth".

A philosopher and pioneer of the New Thought movement, James Allen (1864-1912) has become something of an icon in the self-help industry of today. Many life coaches and motivational mentors have drawn material liberally, if selectively, from his writings, and his suggestion of a straightforward path to an ideal life has made his works very popular. However, in Allen's view, a truly healthy and prosperous life is built on moral virtue.

Russell Conwell (1843-1925) was a man of many parts - lawyer, Baptist minister, traveler, Civil War veteran, and philanthropist - but is best remembered today for his celebrated lecture, Acres of Diamonds, which was published in book form in 1890. Conwell's basic premise in this work is very simple: A person's fortune can be found in his own backyard.

Like Wallace D. Wattles, the reclusive James Allen (1864-1912) has posthumously become an icon in the self-help industry and particularly for practitioners who promote a life of unrestrained abundance. Ironically, Allen actually recommended a life of simplicity and plain thinking and considered that a state of unshakeable peace and effortless wisdom constituted true wealth.