Paths Of Faith: Conversations About Religion And Spirituality - Hardcover

Ford, Michael Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689822634 ISBN 13: 9780689822636

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2000

Synopsis

Examines diverse religions and explores how people come to make their decisions about what they believe through discussions with twelve people of various faiths, including a few of today's prominent religious figures.

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Reviews

Gr 7 Up-Interviews with 11 individuals, each of whom represents a different faith-based tradition, form the heart of this thoughtful look at contemporary religious practice in the United States. Each interview is preceded by a short introductory history of the religion. In answering Ford's questions, the subjects describe the beliefs and practices of the various groups represented and elucidate on how their individual faith developed, particularly when it represents a change from the system of belief in which they were born. Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam are presented, as well as the Shakers, Episcopalians, Religious Society of Friends, the Interfaith Alliance, Wiccans, and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (self-described as an evangelical Christian church made of predominantly lesbian and gay people). The people interviewed include an archbishop, a college president, a bishop, and founders and cofounders of a number of religious organizations. Young adults who are seeking spiritual direction or who are questioning the teachings of the faith in which they have been raised will find much to think about in this volume, and will appreciate the suggested readings and Web sites.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library,

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Bringing the interdenominational approach of such anthologies as Reeve Lindbergh's In Every Tiny Grain of Sand to an older and more critical audience, Ford (Outspoken: Role Models from the Lesbian and Gay Communities) interviews 11 individuals fully committed to as many different forms of religion. From a Reform rabbi to the cofounder of the Reclaiming Witchcraft Tradition, from the Eldress of the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake to the president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the speakers here are consistently articulate about their beliefs, their spiritual struggles and their practices. Ford's questions often elicit the kind of responses that humanize his cerebral subjects. He asks Cardinal John O'Connor if he ever wishes that he "could just call up one of [his] friends and go to a movie or baseball game"; he asks the Quaker who oversaw the relief work of the American Friends Service Committee in Europe just after WWII if the terrible things he witnessed caused him to doubt the workings of God. Throughout, Ford does an expert job of balancing discussions about the particulars of a religion with the overarching concerns common to most faiths, with the result that readers will find both reflections of their own spiritual lives and sympathetic insights into other religious experiences. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 8-12. There are not many books for young people that talk about religion intimately, but in this compilation of interviews, 12 people discuss what their spiritual journeys have meant to them. For the most part, Ford has chosen subjects from the more liberal religious backgrounds: a Reform rabbi, an Islamic woman who is also a feminist, a gay pastor. One of the more well-known interviewees is controversial Episcopalian Bishop John Spong. The late Cardinal John Cody, of New York, is here, too, as is the Methodist minister of the church President and Mrs. Clinton sometimes attend. Also represented are a Quaker, one of the last members of the Shaker community, and a woman whose religion is Wicca. Although Ford's questions are fairly mundane, the answers do give readers a of sense of what it is like to hear God's call and how (and why) individuals can incorporate spirituality into their own lives. Preceding each interview is a brief but effective overview of the person's religion. Following the interviews are places to go for more information, both books and Web sites. A worthwhile offering. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689822634
• ISBN 13: 9780689822636
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272