in Alsace, France.
The artist is Matthias Grunewald,
and he painted it around 1506 to 1515.
May His Divine blessings
fill your life with joy and peace!!
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Sunday, April 16, 2017
HAPPY EASTER!!!!
in Alsace, France.
The artist is Matthias Grunewald,
and he painted it around 1506 to 1515.
May His Divine blessings
fill your life with joy and peace!!
Sunday, March 27, 2016
HAPPY EASTER!!!
in Alsace, France.
The artist is Matthias Grunewald,
and he painted it around 1506 to 1515.
May His Divine blessings
fill your life with joy and peace!!
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Stacking The Shelves #46: Miami Book Fair, 2015!!
Welcome to Stacking The Shelves!!
This is a weekly event hosted at Tynga's Reviews!
As the title implies, this book meme/blog hop
is all about sharing the books
you're adding to your shelves, be they
physical or virtual.
For the complete rules, and to join in,
just click on the link above!
This is a special haul from the
2015 Miami Book Fair!!
2015 Miami Book Fair!!
The Miami Book Fair is held in Miami, Florida, USA, every year, in the month of November. It lasts for an entire week, ending with a street fair. Author events run through the entire week, too.
This year, the fair began on Sunday, November 15th, and ended on Sunday, November 22nd. I went to the street fair last Saturday, November 21st. Although I was only able to stay a few hours, I did have a great time!
I attended one of the author events, in which YA authors Melissa de la Cruz and Ridley Pearson talked about their books, their individual writing processes, and answered questions from the audience packed into the small auditorium.
I bought de la Cruz's latest title, The Isle of the Lost, which is the first book in her new Descendants series. After the event, I stood in line outside the auditorium, and got my book signed by the author! Another attendee was kind enough to take my picture as I stood right next to the author.
This year, the fair began on Sunday, November 15th, and ended on Sunday, November 22nd. I went to the street fair last Saturday, November 21st. Although I was only able to stay a few hours, I did have a great time!
I attended one of the author events, in which YA authors Melissa de la Cruz and Ridley Pearson talked about their books, their individual writing processes, and answered questions from the audience packed into the small auditorium.
I bought de la Cruz's latest title, The Isle of the Lost, which is the first book in her new Descendants series. After the event, I stood in line outside the auditorium, and got my book signed by the author! Another attendee was kind enough to take my picture as I stood right next to the author.
De la Cruz is well-known for several YA best-selling series, such as the Blue Bloods paranormal series.
Pearson is well-known for his equally best-selling YA Kingdom Keepers fantasy series, and he's also written mysteries and thrillers for adults.
Books Purchased
Click on the cover to access the Goodreads page.
The books below were already pre-signed. They were being sold by Books and Books, a Miami indie bookseller that had two booths at the Book Fair --
one for adults and one for young adults.
Click on the Goodreads pics for access to the Goodreads pages.
Soundless has two covers!
The presentation is exquisite!
These are two other de la Cruz books that I
discovered after her event, so
I couldn't get them signed....
Click on the covers for the Goodreads pages.
The first book below is a YA
novel by Rebecca Lim. The second one
is my one nonfiction purchase,
which I will review on my other blog,
Click on the covers for the Goodreads pages.
Here are my classic Star Trek books!!
I have listed the links below.
Dreams of the Raven - Carmen Carter
Mindshadow - J.M. Dillard
Crisis On Centaurus - Brad Ferguson
My Enemy, My Ally - Diane Duane
Herbert F. Solow, Robert H. Justman
Here are pictures from the street fair.
Yes, it was a bit hot, but I
WANTED so badly to buy books!!!
I am already looking forward to next year's fair! Hopefully I will be able to spend an entire day there! If so, then I will plan to attend at least three author events. These are not only interesting, but also make me feel like I'm a college student again!
Online Links
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Book Review: The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth, by D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe
D. James Kennedy, Jerry Newcombe
Mass Market Paperback,
156 pages
Crossway Books, April 7, 2006
Christianity, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology
Source: Purchased from Christianbooks,com
Book Synopsis: Answers to the Da Vinci Code fictions. With 40 million copies sold, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is a cultural phenomenon, and a no-holds-barred attack on Christianity's 2,000-year-old claim that Jesus Christ is God. Authors D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe offer historical evidence to dispense with The Da Vinci Code fictions, including the outrageous assertions that the New Testament is unreliable and the deity of Christ is a fourth-century invention.
A few years ago, I bought an inexpensive paperback copy of The Da Vinci Code, and began to read it. I had already encountered some negative criticism of the book, especially from Christians -- both Catholics and Protestants -- so I decided to see for myself. Ironically, however, even non-Christian negative criticisms of The Da Vinci Code have shown this novel to be a very poor defense and exposition of pagan beliefs, as many of its 'historical facts' have actually been proven to be false. This is also the major contention of the authors of The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth.
Kennedy and Newcombe discuss most of the errors of The Da Vinci Code in Chapter Two of their book. One crucial point they make in this chapter is that Brown's novel totally fails in its intent to prove Christianity false, and this is due to one very glaring error: the existence of an alleged 'secret society' -- The Priory of Sion -- that was supposedly created in 1099.
These two authors are not the only ones to point out that this 'secret society' is a hoax. Although several real organizations have names similar to "The Priory of Sion", the version Brown holds up as factual is indeed a hoax, founded and dissolved in France in 1956, by one Pierre Plantard, who brought it back in the 1960s.
To quote from the Wikipedia article on the subject: "In the 1960s, Plantard created a fictitious history for that organization, describing it as a secret society founded by Godfrey of Bouillon on Mount Zion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099....In Plantard's version, the priory was devoted to installing a secret bloodline of the Merovingian dynasty on the thrones of France and the rest of Europe. This myth was expanded upon and popularised by the 1982 pseudohistorical book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, and later claimed as factual in the preface of the 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code."
The Wikipedia article goes on to state that Plantard's purpose for inventing this tale was to prove that he, Plantard, was the Great Monarch prophesied by Nostradamus!
In Chapter One, Kennedy and Newcombe criticize Brown's heavy reliance on the Gnostic Gospels, which he considers superior to the four canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Kennedy and Newcombe point out that the canonical Gospels were written in the first century, AD, when many witnesses to the life of Jesus were still alive. Thus, the canonical Gospels are far more authoritative than the Gnostic Gospels, which were produced in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries.
Throughout their book, Kennedy and Newcombe do a very creditable job of proving that Brown's assertions are totally ludicrous. Another very important point they make is that Brown has failed to provide footnotes for his 'facts', something that, as a responsible author, he certainly should have done. The reader is just expected to accept these 'facts', which are then blended into the fictional sections of the book. Therefore, how can the reader know which is which?
Another very damaging criticism of this novel pointed out by Kennedy and Newcombe is Brown's false assertion that Emperor Constantine declared Jesus to be God in the 4th century, AD, all in the name of political power, since he (Constantine), had already declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire. There is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus was worshiped as God by the early Christians. Indeed, as Kennedy and Newcombe go on to state, many of the apostles were killed because of their unflinching faith in Jesus as God. Would they have been willing to die for a myth?
In regards to the above, here's a quote from The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth, with very important evidence: "In the first three centuries of its existence, the Church was struggling for its very survival, as it suffered under ten intense waves of persecution from the Roman Empire....." (page 40)
I never did finish reading The Da Vinci Code, but I was already somewhat familiar with the teachings of Gnosticism, which Brown threads throughout this novel. For those who might not be aware of this religious philosophy, Gnosticism is a collection of ancient beliefs which later evolved into a heretical Christian sect, and was thus a combination of pagan and Christian ideas. It was roundly condemned by the early Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus, Hyppolitus, and Tertullian.
Gnosticism in general stresses the importance of inner knowledge, or mystical enlightenment, as the way to salvation. This knowledge involves awareness of a 'divine spark' within human beings, and thus, the realization that we are all really gods. This belief, of course, is completely anti-Christian.
Gnosticism also extols the feminine side of God, something which is, I must admit, very appealing, especially to feminists such as myself. In his novel, Brown claims that Mary Magdalene was, according to the plans of Jesus, supposed to be the leader of the Christian movement, which later became the Roman Catholic Church. As much as I would like this to have been true, Kennedy and Newcombe state that there is no historical evidence for this, beyond certain statements found in the Gnostic Gospels.
Brown further states that Mary was also married to Jesus, and that their descendants were members of the Merovingian dynasty in 5th-century France, adding that some of them survive to the present day. (Thus his claim that the Priory of Sion is a real secret society.)
There was also supposed to be a strong rivalry between Mary and Peter, according to the Gnostic Gospels.
Although I am writing from a Christian perspective, again I have to agree with non-Christian critics that Brown's attempt to discredit Christianity and promote a pagan religion -- that of Gnosticism and the Great Goddess -- is very poorly done. As Kennedy and Newcombe state, the main reason for the success of his spuriously historical novel is the public's ignorance of secular and Biblical history, as well as of Biblical scholarship. Brown knew this, and played upon that fact.
Kennedy and Newcombe also analyze the reasons for the popularity of Brown's novel. One of these is Brown's claim, based on Gnostic beliefs, that sex is the way to divine union with God. Kennedy and Newcombe refute this by stating that this is merely an excuse for libertine sexual practices.
Another reason for the popularity of The Da Vinci Code, according to these authors, is society's dissatisfaction with organized religion. This is evident even within Christian circles; in fact, Kennedy and Newcombe divulge the shocking fact that there are nominally Christian professors teaching in today's seminaries. These professors have departed from certain basic Christian teachings, such as the divinity of Christ, and yet, they are preparing future Christian ministers.
Among the general public, the recent pedophile crisis in the Catholic Church has also fostered a dislike of Western organized religion. Instead, spirituality is praised as an end in itself, with a syncretistic approach which includes Eastern spiritual practices.
There are many other excellent points made by the authors of The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth, but they are too numerous to mention here. I have merely touched upon the major ones. Besides, unlike Brown's novel, Kennedy and Newcombe have included many footnotes in their book, which readers can easily refer to.
I recommend The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth to anyone with an open mind, willing to dig to discover the real facts of the matter. However, although this book is pretty comprehensive in its rebuttal of Brown's false claims, I do wish the authors had written a 'meatier' volume, with more references included, as well as a more thorough analysis of such topics as the status of women in Christianity. As it stands at present, this small volume seems to be merely an introduction to an analysis of this highly controversial novel.
MY RATING:
Kennedy and Newcombe discuss most of the errors of The Da Vinci Code in Chapter Two of their book. One crucial point they make in this chapter is that Brown's novel totally fails in its intent to prove Christianity false, and this is due to one very glaring error: the existence of an alleged 'secret society' -- The Priory of Sion -- that was supposedly created in 1099.
These two authors are not the only ones to point out that this 'secret society' is a hoax. Although several real organizations have names similar to "The Priory of Sion", the version Brown holds up as factual is indeed a hoax, founded and dissolved in France in 1956, by one Pierre Plantard, who brought it back in the 1960s.
To quote from the Wikipedia article on the subject: "In the 1960s, Plantard created a fictitious history for that organization, describing it as a secret society founded by Godfrey of Bouillon on Mount Zion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099....In Plantard's version, the priory was devoted to installing a secret bloodline of the Merovingian dynasty on the thrones of France and the rest of Europe. This myth was expanded upon and popularised by the 1982 pseudohistorical book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, and later claimed as factual in the preface of the 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code."
The Wikipedia article goes on to state that Plantard's purpose for inventing this tale was to prove that he, Plantard, was the Great Monarch prophesied by Nostradamus!
In Chapter One, Kennedy and Newcombe criticize Brown's heavy reliance on the Gnostic Gospels, which he considers superior to the four canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Kennedy and Newcombe point out that the canonical Gospels were written in the first century, AD, when many witnesses to the life of Jesus were still alive. Thus, the canonical Gospels are far more authoritative than the Gnostic Gospels, which were produced in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries.
Throughout their book, Kennedy and Newcombe do a very creditable job of proving that Brown's assertions are totally ludicrous. Another very important point they make is that Brown has failed to provide footnotes for his 'facts', something that, as a responsible author, he certainly should have done. The reader is just expected to accept these 'facts', which are then blended into the fictional sections of the book. Therefore, how can the reader know which is which?
Another very damaging criticism of this novel pointed out by Kennedy and Newcombe is Brown's false assertion that Emperor Constantine declared Jesus to be God in the 4th century, AD, all in the name of political power, since he (Constantine), had already declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire. There is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus was worshiped as God by the early Christians. Indeed, as Kennedy and Newcombe go on to state, many of the apostles were killed because of their unflinching faith in Jesus as God. Would they have been willing to die for a myth?
In regards to the above, here's a quote from The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth, with very important evidence: "In the first three centuries of its existence, the Church was struggling for its very survival, as it suffered under ten intense waves of persecution from the Roman Empire....." (page 40)
I never did finish reading The Da Vinci Code, but I was already somewhat familiar with the teachings of Gnosticism, which Brown threads throughout this novel. For those who might not be aware of this religious philosophy, Gnosticism is a collection of ancient beliefs which later evolved into a heretical Christian sect, and was thus a combination of pagan and Christian ideas. It was roundly condemned by the early Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus, Hyppolitus, and Tertullian.
Gnosticism in general stresses the importance of inner knowledge, or mystical enlightenment, as the way to salvation. This knowledge involves awareness of a 'divine spark' within human beings, and thus, the realization that we are all really gods. This belief, of course, is completely anti-Christian.
Gnosticism also extols the feminine side of God, something which is, I must admit, very appealing, especially to feminists such as myself. In his novel, Brown claims that Mary Magdalene was, according to the plans of Jesus, supposed to be the leader of the Christian movement, which later became the Roman Catholic Church. As much as I would like this to have been true, Kennedy and Newcombe state that there is no historical evidence for this, beyond certain statements found in the Gnostic Gospels.
Brown further states that Mary was also married to Jesus, and that their descendants were members of the Merovingian dynasty in 5th-century France, adding that some of them survive to the present day. (Thus his claim that the Priory of Sion is a real secret society.)
There was also supposed to be a strong rivalry between Mary and Peter, according to the Gnostic Gospels.
Although I am writing from a Christian perspective, again I have to agree with non-Christian critics that Brown's attempt to discredit Christianity and promote a pagan religion -- that of Gnosticism and the Great Goddess -- is very poorly done. As Kennedy and Newcombe state, the main reason for the success of his spuriously historical novel is the public's ignorance of secular and Biblical history, as well as of Biblical scholarship. Brown knew this, and played upon that fact.
Kennedy and Newcombe also analyze the reasons for the popularity of Brown's novel. One of these is Brown's claim, based on Gnostic beliefs, that sex is the way to divine union with God. Kennedy and Newcombe refute this by stating that this is merely an excuse for libertine sexual practices.
Another reason for the popularity of The Da Vinci Code, according to these authors, is society's dissatisfaction with organized religion. This is evident even within Christian circles; in fact, Kennedy and Newcombe divulge the shocking fact that there are nominally Christian professors teaching in today's seminaries. These professors have departed from certain basic Christian teachings, such as the divinity of Christ, and yet, they are preparing future Christian ministers.
Among the general public, the recent pedophile crisis in the Catholic Church has also fostered a dislike of Western organized religion. Instead, spirituality is praised as an end in itself, with a syncretistic approach which includes Eastern spiritual practices.
There are many other excellent points made by the authors of The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth, but they are too numerous to mention here. I have merely touched upon the major ones. Besides, unlike Brown's novel, Kennedy and Newcombe have included many footnotes in their book, which readers can easily refer to.
I recommend The Da Vinci Myth Versus The Gospel Truth to anyone with an open mind, willing to dig to discover the real facts of the matter. However, although this book is pretty comprehensive in its rebuttal of Brown's false claims, I do wish the authors had written a 'meatier' volume, with more references included, as well as a more thorough analysis of such topics as the status of women in Christianity. As it stands at present, this small volume seems to be merely an introduction to an analysis of this highly controversial novel.
MY RATING:
For Further Information
Sunday, April 5, 2015
HAPPY EASTER!!!
in Alsace, France.
The artist is Matthias Grunewald,
and he painted it around 1506 to 1515.
May His Divine blessings
fill your life with joy and peace!!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Blog Tour: Spotlight/Giveaway!! Among Friends, by Father Jim Sichko
Welcome to the blog tour for
Among Friends, which runs from
April 23rd to April 29th,
April 23rd to April 29th,
and is sponsored by
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Book Tours!!
About the Book
Father Jim W. Sichko
Trade Paperback, 170 pages
Premier Digital Publishing
April 1, 2014
Christianity, Memoir, Nonfiction, Religion, True Stories
Book Synopsis: “This book is my Midrash.”
With these words, Father Jim draws us into his life story full of laughter, tears, and service. Among Friends is a compilation of short stories and insightful lessons experienced on his many travels as a clergyman and motivational speaker. Whether recounting his sobering flying experiences, meeting the Pope, his encounter with the “Weed Man” or telling us about his “lead foot,” Father Jim teaches us lessons through powerful storytelling. As he takes us along on his journey from getting kicked out of seminary to hosting celebrities, such as Dolly Parton, Harry Connick Jr., Martin Short, Bill Cosby, and former First Lady Laura Bush, at his small Kentucky parish, Father Jim shines a light into the corners of the human heart to expose our need for God and the love He alone can give us. You will laugh, cry, and be taken back by his honesty. In all, Father Jim shows us what it means to love God, love others, and live life Among Friends.
Book Excerpt
Stories
I love stories. I’m thinking I’m not alone in that, either. Billions of dollars are spent on novels, movies, and even video games. Why? God made us to function through story. Not only did He reveal Himself in the greatest-selling Book of all time, but He made story a vital part of how we communicate with each other.
Think about it. We are a storytelling people. From the moment we are born, growing up through school and beyond, we love hearing stories being read and told to us. We love sharing experiences that we have lived, seen, or heard. For me, as a storyteller, preacher, and speaker, stories provide the opportunity to communicate in a powerful way with people in everyday language with down-to-earth tales.
I think back to my own days at St. Mary Catholic School in kindergarten and how we loved to sit in a circle and listen to Mrs. Richard read to us. We learned from the plot, the characters, and their actions. She read with a passion and belief that captivated our little minds. Most importantly, the stories struck at our hearts.
Why do you think Jesus told stories to make His point? Indeed, He is a master storyteller in all of His parables found in the four Gospels. He would use everyday situations that people understood. He used characters that people would recognize in themselves and others.
Even more interesting, Jesus didn’t always provide the answers. He let people figure out His meaning by telling them, “He who has ears, let them hear.”
God gave me a very interesting life story, as you’re going to see throughout this book. I like to think He gave me this life so I could tell stories from my journey. As you might guess, when I travel to speak at different places, I am often asked two questions. First, “Are your stories true?” and, second, “How do these experiences always happen to you?”
My answer is simple: Yes, the stories are true, and yes, they do happen to me, and they happen to you! The real question that needs to be asked is, “Do you and I have the eyes, the ears, and the hearts — not to mention the minds — to recognize the wonderful opportunities and teachable moments from the experiences of our day?”
Through sorrow, pain, joys, and exultations, our experiences teach us; they stretch us. For me, stories empower and illumine the life of Our God who is ever present with us on this journey through our experiences that we call “Life.”
Allow me to tell you a few…
About the Author
Father Jim W. Sichko is a priest of the Diocese of Lexington, KY. He was
ordained to the Ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ on May 23, 1998.
He travels throughout the U.S. giving missions, retreats, and days of
recollection. Known for his storytelling, Father Jim weaves everyday
life experiences with the rooted messages which lie within the Gospel.
He is booked for speaking engagements through 2015. Each engagement
lasts a minimum of three days and averages 3,000 people per night.
Father Jim completed his undergraduate work at New England Conservatory
of Music in Vocal Performance and received a Master of Divinity degree
from Sacred Heart School of Theology.
Website/Facebook/Twitter
Website/Facebook/Twitter
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