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Showing 19341 - 19360 of 19489 items
By Mark Ravenhill, Terry Pratchett. 2009
Following the National Theatre's success with plays based on novels by well-loved children's writers like Philip Pulman (His Dark Materials),…
Jamila Gavin (Coram Boy) and Michael Morpurgo (War Horse), the National now stages Mark Ravenhill's exhilarating adaptation of Terry Pratchett's witty and challenging adventure story in a major Christmas production for 2009.A parallel world, 1860. Two teenagers thrown together by a tsunami that has destroyed Mau's village and left Daphne shipwrecked on his South Pacific island, thousands of miles from home. One wears next to nothing, the other a long white dress; neither speaks the other's language; somehow they must learn to survive. As starving refugees gather, Daphne delivers a baby, milks a pig, brews beer and does battle with a mutineer. Mau fights cannibal Raiders, discovers the world is round and questions the reality of his tribe's fiercely patriarchal gods. Together they come of age, overseen by a foul-mouthed parrot, as they discard old doctrine to forge a new Nation.By William Shakespeare. 1996
'We go to Shakespeare to find out about ourselves' Jeanette WintersonBeatrice and Benedick both claim they are determined never to…
marry. But when their friends trick them into believing that each harbours secret feelings for the other, the pair begin to question whether their witty banter and verbal sparring conceal something deeper. Schemes abound, dangerous misunderstandings proliferate and matches are eventually made in this dazzling, dark-edged comedy of mature love and second chances. Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by R. A. FoakesIntroduction by Janette DillonBy Brian Day. 2006
Paganism means living in harmony with nature and respecting all that nature has to offer. It is a sustainable way…
of life that has existed in the British Isles for thousands of years and that has survived secretly among scattered households throughout the UK. Although it is not a religious path (true pagans do not worship deities), paganism will appeal to anyone who cares about the environment, who is interested in maintaining an organic lifestyle or who believes in respecting their roots whilst catering for the future. Paganism may be thousands of years old, but it is particularly suited to meeting our twenty-first century concerns. In The Modern Pagan, Brian Day explains how to live in a way that honours the land and its inhabitants. There is advice on celebrating seasonal festivals, on cultivating a true pagan garden, on creating delicious food and drink from hedgerow fare, on herbal medicine, on the importance of pagan parenting and family values, on living in harmony without prejudice and discrimination and much more. The core principles of Modern Paganism will make sense to anyone who is tired of the hustle and bustle of our polluted lifestyles, and who is looking for a way to live that is in balance with our fellow human beings and the natural world.By Jean-Baptiste Moliere. 1953
Molière combined all the traditional elements of comedy - wit, slapstick, spectacle and satire - to create richly sophisticated and…
enduringly popular dramas. The Miser is the story of Harpagon, a mean-spirited old man who becomes obsessed with making money out of the marriage of his children, while The Hypochondriac, another study in obsession, is a brilliant satire on the medical profession. The School for Wives, in which an ageing domestic tyrant is foiled in his plans to marry his young ward, provoked such an outcry that Molière followed it with The School for Wives Criticized - a witty retort to those who disapproved of the play's supposed immorality. And while Don Juan is the darkest and most tragic of all the plays in this collection, it still mocks the soullessness of the skinflint with scathing irony.By Jean-Baptiste Moliere. 1959
In the seventeenth century, Molière raised comedy to the pitch of great art and, three centuries later, his plays are…
still a source of delight. He created a new synthesis from the major comic traditions at his disposal. This collection demonstrates the range of Molière's comic vision, his ability to move between the broad and basic ploys of farce to the more subtle and sophisticated level of high comedy. The Misanthrope appears along with Such Preposterously Precious Ladies, Tartuffe, A Doctor Despite Himself, The Would-Be Gentleman, and Those Learned Ladies.By William Shakespeare. 1967
'He could mingle sublimity with pathos, bitterness with joy and peace and love' Aldous HuxleyIn one of Shakespeare's most perennially…
popular comedies a young woman, Hermia, flees ancient Athens with her lover, only to be pursued by her would-be husband and her best friend. Unwittingly, all four find themselves in an enchanted forest where fairies and sprites take an interest in human affairs, dispensing magical love potions and casting mischievous spells. Slapstick collides with courtly romance and confusion ends in harmony, as love is transformed, misplaced and ultimately restored.Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by Stanley Wells Introduction by Helen HackettBy William Shakespeare. 1973
In need of money, the fat and foolish Falstaff devises a scheme to seduce two married women and steal their…
husbands' wealth. By talking to each other, however, the wives soon discover his plan and begin to plot their own revenge. Relentlessly inventive, this comic humiliation of a foolish would-be seducer is a lively, compelling and ultimately joyous celebration of the all-conquering power of laughter.This book includes a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and the Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Merry Wives of Windsor, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary.By Ruth Harris. 1999
Lourdes was at the very centre of nineteenth century debates on religion, science and medicine. Both the Church and secularists…
championed the 'miracle' town as crucial in shaping how society should think about the mind, body and spirit. Since the ‘visions’ of Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 transformed the quiet Pyrenean town into an international tourist and pilgrimage destination, it has been a site for controversy. In her well-crafted and carefully researched book, Harris deftly places Lourdes and its attendant spiritual movement firmly at the centre of French history and shows its significance in the country’s development.By Joan Duncan Oliver. 2009
From the pages of Tricycle, the country’s most widely read Buddhist magazine, comes Commit to Sit, an introduction to the…
art of meditation. In recent years, interest in meditation has grown to include not only those on a spiritual search, but also those who are simply working toward a healthy and meaningful life. This book brings together a broad range of Buddhist meditative techniques that have appeared in the magazine over the years. Contributors include some of the foremost voices in contemporary Buddhism: Pema Chödrön starts our journey with an inspirational Foreword. Lama Surya Das explores the definition of meditation, while Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein lay out a 28-day program for establishinga daily practice. Wherever you are on your search, you will find plenty of guidance in this book. Learn about insight meditation from Bhante Henepola Gunaratana and Sylvia Boorstein. Or about zazen from Barry Magid and Martine Batchelor. Gil Fronsdal offers instruction in metta (lovingkindness) meditation, while Judith Simmer-Brown teaches tonglen, a Tibetan Buddhist practice for cultivating compassion. We also learn about the crucial role the body plays in meditation from S. N. Goenka, Reginald Ray, Wes Nisker, and Cyndi Lee. We receive guidance on managing issues that arise in meditation from Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christina Feldman, Matthieu Ricard, Pat Enkyo O’Hara, and others. And there are practices for bringing mindfulness and compassion to daily life from Thubten Chodron, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and Michael Carroll. Though targeted to the reader who would like to begin meditating, this collection also offers support and guidance to the experienced meditator working to sustain a lifelong practice. This is a guide to meditative practice for any seeker wishing to deepen their understanding of themselves and their world.By Neale Donald Walsch. 2002
The human race has reached a Time of Choosing. Our options are being placed before us by the tide of…
events -- and by those who are creating them. We can either move forward, building together at last a new world of peace and harmony based on new beliefs about God and Life, or move backward, separately and continuously reconstructing the old world of conflict and discord. The New Revelations provides us with the tools to move forward, to pull ourselves out of despair, lifting the whole human race to a new expression of its grandest vision. In this book, which offers possible and powerful answers to the questions facing the world, bestselling author Neale Donald Walsch urges us to open our hearts and minds to what may be one of the most important spiritual statements of our time. A conversation with God that began as a simple plea from one human being to the God of his understanding, The New Revelations is a life-altering book, given to us when we need it most.By Kate Braestrup. 2010
Prayer is an ancient and simple way to prepare yourself for grace, or love, and to learn to recognize it…
when it comes. Even the briefest "grace" spoken before dinner offers its time-honored wisdom. Yet in spite of hundreds of traditions and teachings and books about prayer, millions of Americans have become ambivalent about it. They are unsure how, when, where, and even why they might pray, afraid they’ll do it wrong, or worried that they won’t be heard. Writing in the beautiful, funny, honest narrative style that moved and inspired readers of her first book, Here If You Need Me, Kate Braestrup explains what prayer is and the many ways we can pray. With an approach that is both personal and inclusive, Beginner’s Grace is a new kind of prayer book. Even if you don’t pray and don’t consider yourself religious, there’s room in this book for you. In these pages, Braestrup explains how and why the practice of prayer can open a space in our busy lives for mindfulness, gratitude, contentment, and a wider compassion toward others. Inspired by her work as a chaplain, Braestrup includes many examples of prayers to draw from—beginning with grace, a brief prayer of thanks. She provides clear models and practical suggestions for making your own and your family’s prayers meaningful and satisfying, and offers prayers for situations in which words might fail: times of anxiety, helplessness, or grief. And she invites you to explore forms of prayer that extend into the wider community, including prayer with and for people we don’t like or with whom we disagree. A welcoming modern guide to the simplest, most effective way to satisfy a universal spiritual hunger, Beginner’s Grace is for the religious and nonreligious and even irreligious in its generous, good-humored approach to spirituality. With its insight and warmth, Beginner’s Grace is sure to become a spiritual touchstone for people of all faithsDiscover the origins and traditions of world religions!With so many religions in the world, it isn't always easy to recall…
each faith's key influences, spiritual figures, and dogmas. Written in easy-to-understand language, Religion 101 offers a fascinating--and memorable--glimpse at the sacred stories, traditions, and doctrines that have influenced today's most popular religions.From Jesus and the Four Noble Truths to the Buddhist Wheel of Existence, this book provides you with thought-provoking insight into the customs and beliefs of common faiths like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Inside, you will also discover hundreds of important religious facts, illustrations, and thought puzzles that you won't be able to find anywhere else.So whether you're looking to unravel the mysteries of existence and meaning, or just want to find out what Kabbalah is all about, Religion 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn't know you were looking for.By Keren R. McGinity. 2014
&“Captures the telling details and the idiosyncratic trajectory of interfaith relationships and marriages in America.&” —The Forward When American Jewish…
men intermarry, goes the common assumption, they and their families are &“lost&” to the Jewish religion. In this provocative book, Keren R. McGinity shows that it is not necessarily so. She looks at intermarriage and parenthood through the eyes of a post-World War II cohort of Jewish men and discovers what intermarriage has meant to them and their families. She finds that these husbands strive to bring up their children as Jewish without losing their heritage. Marrying Out argues that the &“gendered ethnicity&” of intermarried Jewish men, growing out of their religious and cultural background, enables them to raise Jewish children. McGinity&’s book is a major breakthrough in understanding Jewish men&’s experiences as husbands and fathers, how Christian women navigate their roles and identities while married to them, and what needs to change for American Jewry to flourish. Marrying Out is a must read for Jewish men and all the women who love them. &“An important analysis of this thorny issue . . . filled with vivid vignettes about intermarried couples.&” —Jewish Book WorldBy Deborah Lipstadt. 1980
The denial of the Holocaust has no more credibility than the assertion that the earth is flat. Yet there are…
those who insist that the death of six million Jews in Nazi concentration camps is nothing but a hoax perpetrated by a powerful Zionist conspiracy. Sixty years ago, such notions were the province of pseudohistorians who argued that Hitler never meant to kill the Jews, and that only a few hundred thousand died in the camps from disease; they also argued that the Allied bombings of Dresden and other cities were worse than any Nazi offense, and that the Germans were the “true victims” of World War II.For years, those who made such claims were dismissed as harmless cranks operating on the lunatic fringe. But as time goes on, they have begun to gain a hearing in respectable arenas, and now, in the first full-scale history of Holocaust denial, Deborah Lipstadt shows how—despite tens of thousands of living witnesses and vast amounts of documentary evidence—this irrational idea not only has continued to gain adherents but has become an international movement, with organized chapters, “independent” research centers, and official publications that promote a “revisionist” view of recent history.Lipstadt shows how Holocaust denial thrives in the current atmosphere of value-relativism, and argues that this chilling attack on the factual record not only threatens Jews but undermines the very tenets of objective scholarship that support our faith in historical knowledge. Thus the movement has an unsuspected power to dramatically alter the way that truth and meaning are transmitted from one generation to another.By Merry Graham, Rachel Bye. 2006
A topical guide to the Bible comprised of more than 2,000 verses from several popular Bible version with bold headings…
for quick identification, this book is an excellent source for teachers, writers, pastors, and anyone who loves the Scriptures.A topical guide to the Bible that's as easy to use as a dictionary! Are you struggling with grief? Searching for God's comforting mercy and grace? Trying to learn how to raise your children in the Lord's way? Wouldn't you like to have the most significant verses from the Bible on those topics right at your fingertips? Well, now you do! Compiled by Merry Graham and Rachel Bye, international leaders of A Passion to Pray ministry, Scriptures at Your Fingertips is a handy, quick-reference guide that immediately offers what God's Word says on more than 200 important prayer topics.And because the topics are arranged in alphabetical order, they're so easy to find. Perfect for beginning Bible students or for seasoned prayer warriors, this book is a must-have for people on the go or those who want to get more out of their prayer lives. Maximize your prayer time, and minimize your research time by having the Scriptures at your fingertips!By Null Peter Harrison. 2024
In his famous argument against miracles, David Hume gets to the heart of the modern problem of supernatural belief. 'We…
are apt', says Hume, 'to imagine ourselves transported into some new world; where the whole form of nature is disjointed, and every element performs its operation in a different manner, from what it does at present.' This encapsulates, observes Peter Harrison, the disjuncture between contemporary Western culture and medieval societies. In the Middle Ages, people saw the hand of God at work everywhere. Indeed, many suppose that 'belief in the supernatural' is likewise fundamental nowadays to religious commitment. But dichotomising between 'naturalism' and 'supernaturalism' is actually a relatively recent phenomenon, just as the notion of 'belief' emerged historically late. In this masterful contribution to intellectual history, the author overturns crucial misconceptions – 'myths' – about secular modernity, challenging common misunderstandings of the past even as he reinvigorates religious thinking in the present.In this incendiary new work, the controversial author and speaker Peter Rollins proclaims that the Christian faith is not primarily…
concerned with questions regarding life after death but with the possibility of life before death.In order to unearth this truth, Rollins prescribes a radical and wholesale critique of contemporary Christianity that he calls pyro-theology. It is only as we submit our spiritual practices, religious rituals, and dogmatic affirmations to the flames of fearless interrogation that we come into contact with the reality that Christianity is in the business of transforming our world rather than offering a way of interpreting or escaping it. Belief in the Resurrection means but one thing: Participation in an Insurrection."What Pete does in this book is take you to the edge of a cliff where you can see how high you are and how far you would fall if you lost your footing. And just when most writers would kindly pull you back from edge, he pushes you off, and you find yourself without any solid footing, disoriented, and in a bit of a panic…until you realize that your fall is in fact, a form of flying. And it's thrilling."--Rob Bell, author of Love Wins and Velvet Elvis"While others labor to save the Church as they know it, Peter Rollins takes an ax to the roots of the tree. Those who have enjoyed its shade will want to stop him, but his strokes are so clean and true that his motive soon becomes clear: this man trusts the way of death and resurrection so much that he has become fearless of religion." --Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Leaving Church and An Altar in the World“Rollins writes and thinks like a new Bonhoeffer, crucifying the trappings of religion in order to lay bare a radical, religionless and insurrectional Christianity. A brilliant new voice—an activist, a storyteller and a theologian all in one—and not a moment too soon.” --John D. Caputo, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion Emeritus, Syracuse University“What does it mean when the Son of God cries out, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me’? Brilliantly, candidly, and faithfully, Rollins wrestles here with that question. You may not agree with his answers and conclusions, but you owe it to yourself and to the Church at large to read what he says.” --Phyllis Tickle, author, The Great Emergence"Excellent thinking and excellent writing! I hope this fine bookreceives the broad reading it deserves. It will change lives, andour understanding of what religion is all about!"-- Rohr,O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation; Albuquerque, New MexicoBy Jonathan Falwell. 2008
Jonathan Falwell carries on the legacy of his father—the internationally known fundamentalist and founder of the Moral Majority, Jerry Falwell—in…
this book about the single most important truth for believers.Reverend Falwell affirms in One Great Truth that regardless of situations Christians face, there is a simple, underlying, foundational truth that will enable them to have the strength needed to carry on and bring purpose to their lives.Above all else, it seems as if people are always looking to be significant. They are trying to determine what it will take to make a difference, to be a leader. In the midst of this challenge, people also face the trials and tribulations of life that seem to bring great discouragement. While many look to various sources for the answer of how to succeed and how to make it through their problems, the only answer that can actually bring success is found within the words of the Bible. The one great truth is that our focus must be on Christ. When everything we do revolves around serving Him, we find the great answers to all of life’s mysteries. Within the Bible we find the hope we need to forge ahead, despite life’s challenges and disappointments. The one great truth is that with God, all things are possible, and He will give us the strength and abilities we need to succeed.By Henry Cloud. 2007
In this Christian alternative to the phenomenal bestseller The Secret, acclaimed author Dr. Henry Cloud helps readers discover truths that…
make life work and show how faith can guide them in achieving their goals! The Bible claims that God has provided special truths that can change lives and uplift the spirit, but often those truths lie dormant and untapped within the soul. Offering a positive alternative to The Secret based on biblical scripture, Dr. Henry Cloud reveals that there is indeed a power of attraction ruling the universe—the attraction between God and his creation—and demonstrates how that power can shape our lives. With step-by-step practical instructions, this book teaches readers from all walks of life how to apply spiritual truths to real life. Even Christians who think they understand biblical truths often don&’t know how to use them. Chapters on happiness, relationships, purpose, and God, share secrets like, &“you attract to yourself relationships that fit you,&” &“whatever you put to use will grow,&” and &“there is no such thing as disconnected and happy.&” The Secret Things of God reveals profoundly simple secrets and gently guides readers toward unlocking the power of these truths in everyday life.By Kenneth Schouler, Susai Anthony. 2009
Yoga. Karma. Reincarnation. Most Americans are familiar with a few basic ideas of Hinduism, but are unfamiliar with the big…
picture. This beginner&’s guide covers the major Hindu thinkers and their philosophies as well as the dharma, the moral way of life that Hindus practice. In a straightforward style, the authors explain the philosophy, gods, texts, and traditions of the world&’s third-largest religion, including: the power of karma; Yoga as a path to God; the authority of the Vedas; the development of Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism; the legacy of Mohandas Gandhi; Hinduism in popular culture; and more. This guide is stimulating reading for westerners who want to learn the basics of this ancient and mystic religion.