The Ovulation Method: Natural Family Planning

Customer Reviews:

Very Effective!!!!.......2007-07-15

I have been on the Billings Ovulation Method for a few years now and beleive me, if you don't cheat it is 99.99% effective. The downfall to this method is that you are not suppose to know exactly how to use it without instruction. There are ways to contact these instructers that can guide you through the process for a fee. Check with your local womens center or life center, they can help. I was able to go through my training course right here in my home for thirty dollars, and you don't have to be Catholic to use it. Good luck to you.

PS.. I did get pregnant during the time of practicing this method but it is because we chose to cheat on my most fertile day. An Anniversary and a few drinks will impair judgement like that so be careful...lol

Promotes the method but doesn't teach it.......2007-07-13

This slim book promotes the Ovulation Method, profiling its advantages and utility. But it is not an instruction book. I'm only giving it three starts because although it's well-written I'm not sure who the intended audience is, or what group might find it useful.

For someone looking to learn a mucus-only method, I would look to "The Billings Method:Controlling Fertility Without Drugs or Devices" by Evelyn Billings. For someone just interested in any kind of fertility charting, not specifically a mucus-only method, I highly recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler as the definitive book in this category.

Well worth it!.......2007-01-13

The ovulation book was great. The book was a good price, it was packed full of information and came with a chart and pleanty of stickers to get you and your spouse started on the wonderful journey of natural family planning.

Could be Better.......2005-07-07

I was hoping that the book went into better detail. It did not help me. However, it was informative and an easy read.

Simple and quick.......2003-09-26

You can read this book in 30 minutes and understand it. After ordering this book I was recommended "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by a friend. Taking Charge is more complete but uses this information, however. By the time my amazon.com shipment arrived with the second book, I was already pregnant from the first time trying The Ovulation Method (we had tried to get pregnant approximately a year before getting this book). So read it. You can also use it to avoid getting pregnant. It works!

Under Saturn's Shadow: The Wounding and Healing of Men (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)

Average customer rating:

Painful but necessary reading
Under Saturn's Shadow
Understanding and appreciating men
Short, hard hitting, and to the point
One of the best books i ever read

Under Saturn's Shadow: The Wounding and Healing of Men (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)
James Hollis
Manufacturer: Inner City Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Developmental Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysis, 79)
Creating a Life: Finding Your Individual Path
The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)
Swamplands of the Soul: New Life in Dismal Places (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)
Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up

ASIN: 0919123643

Customer Reviews:

Painful but necessary reading .......2007-08-28

I am total James Hollis fan. I have now read four of his books and have found them liberating. Visit his website for a clue for why he is so effective - he is not 30 years of age with limited life experience. He commenced his training only after he completed another successful career in academia. Most would have been content to have lived the life he already had. He has the life skills and experience to help us all illuminate our lives.

The book concerns the burden of being a man, exposing some of the constricting myths that have made manhood so painful. It is a book about men but not necessarily only for men - my wife read it too and found it very moving. It is enriched by the signficant store of Hollis reading in poetry and literature. It is not an easy fix and like anything worthwhile requires your concentrated attention. Further, it is only a beginning rather than an end. Hollis says it himself when he quotes somewhere Jung's description of the psychoanalytical endeavour - it can provide insight but then there must come endurance and courage. You can have a vision of what you would like to be but then comes the fidelity to make that vision a reality.

I would recommend this book highly.

Rob

Under Saturn's Shadow.......2007-02-19

Hollis hits the nail on the head. I found this book to be accurate on many levels and I will benefit from it the rest of my life. How I view my relationship with my father has changed and how I interact with other men will never be the same. This should be required reading for fathers of boys.

Understanding and appreciating men.......2006-10-12

Absolute must reading for anyone who wants to understand the meaning behind what boys and men do and the reason behind their behaviors. A must read for wives and mothers.

Short, hard hitting, and to the point.......2006-08-11

This book is roughly 135 pages. It covers a wide range of relatively complex ideas presented in a clear, well organized manner. Ever notice that when someone really understands something they don't need 300 pages to explain it?

This book challenged many of my ideas about my relationships with parents, my ex-wife, and my life choices (since childhood... I'm 36). I recommend it to anyone who is in this field or just on their own personal journey to have a greater understanding of men and their wounds / healing...

Enjoy

One of the best books i ever read.......2006-01-19

Between an ex husband that dove off the deep end and a son living with two strong women and without an appropriate father figure, I have been wondering both what makes men snap like that, and what consequence living without a father might have on my son. How to be a mother and a father to him, how not to hurt my baby in the way I see people around me, and myself, hurting and thus hurting others. I believe every mother and father should read this. It truly spoke to me, and I would not put it down until I was done with it some time early this morning. Written in a language everyone can understand.
Collected exerpts, almost quoted, that I found most enlightening:
Greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parent. So each man must examine, without the motive to judge, where his father's wounds were passed on to him. Either he finds himself repeating his father's patterns or living in reaction to them - in both cases a prisoner. (..)
When we ask such questions, father becomes more a man like us, a brother who has suffered the same ordeal. If we are caught up in hate we stay bound to that which wounds us. (..)
We all develop a provisional personality in reaction to childhood experience. We set off into life with this false self and make choices that further estrange us, and by midlife we suffer growing split between the asquired personality and the natural self. (..)
The crux of the middle passage is the requirement that a man (AND A WOMAN, I WOULD ADD!), whatever his reason or station, pull out of his reflexive behaviors and attitudes, radicallyreexamine his life, and risk living out the thunderous imperatives of his soul. (..)
Being a man (AGAIN, I WOULD SAY NOT ONLY A MAN) means knowing what you want and then mobilizing the inner resources to achieve it. It is extraordinarily difficult to know what one wants. How does one separate the inner truth from personal complexes and cultural directives? (..)
Most men (AND INCREASING NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO LIVE AND SWIM IN GUY'S WORLD) use their job to validate themselves, but they do not feel valued even when they have achieved success. (..)
No man may leave home or be in the world without suffering grievous wounds to body and soul. He must learn to say "I am not my wound or my defense against the world. I am my journey".

A Secret World: Sexuality And The Search For Celibacy

Average customer rating:

A Challenge for the Church

A Secret World: Sexuality And The Search For Celibacy
A.W. Richard Sipe
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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Similar Items:

Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis
Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited
Celibacy: A Way of Loving, Living, and Serving
Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse
The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality

ASIN: 0876305850

Book Description

Looks at the history and origins of celibacy, discusses its role in the priesthood, and considers the psychological aspects of celibacy.

Customer Reviews:

A Challenge for the Church.......1998-06-16

Richard Sipe's study of how celibacy is lived providea challenge to the Church and to celibates themselves. The issues that Sipe raises uncovers the need on the part of the Roman Catholic Church to become engaged in the issues of celibate living from the beginning of a priest's training in the seminary to ongoing formation throughout his life.

For the celibate Sipe's study is comforting as well as disconcerting. It is comforting because it demonstrates various ways of coping with celibacy in which many have achieved a lilfetime of celibate living. It is disconcerting because Sipe's revelations challenge the celibate to become more conscious of things he might take for granted.

Sipe begins his study by reviewing the origins of celilbacy as well as defining the meanings of celibacy,

The practices of celibacy take up a major portion of his study. While this section may disturb many, Sipe's research is based on 25 years of intervieiwng priests and male religious as well as other forms of research. Perhaps the fact that celibates engage in some sort of sexual activity, be it masturbation or sexual fantasies, pornography or sexual liasions demonstrates that celibacy, while a gift, is developmental. For those who lilve religious life, many do not express shock when they live less than ideal lives in the practice of poverty or obedience. Yet somehow something less than complete abstnence is the area of chastity is a shock.

And that is where the challenge to the Church comes is. In the last secion of his book Sipe notes how archaic is the Church's teachings sexual morality. The human develops. And so does human sexuality develop. If celibacy is to be practiced it, too, will have to be adapted to human development. The implications actually go further then the Roman Catholic Church's value of celibate ministering. It impacts on the total teaching of sexual morality. Most of it is cognitive, or prophetic, as Sipes would have it. That means it prohibits or allows. Without a context of! an objective or lyrical voice, this prophetic voice sounds empty and certainly uninspiring. As Sipe points out, however, to attract men into celibacy, the Church needs to present a sexuality that is coinherent with one's human development in a transcendent experience. The Church's present teaching is integrated with deformative accretions from misguided applications of various philosophies to an ignorance of celibacy and sexual practice of Christ and his apostles.

Sipe's study is most welcome and provides challenges, information and inspiration. He is not against celibacy and in fact promotes its achievement. But that achievement is a lifelong process whose appreciative formation can be realized only through a varieties of prayer and appreciative service, physical development among other things. This is long overdue. Sipe's reflections can be helpful in developing celibate formation programs.

Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
Average customer rating:

A Sweeping Overview

Excellent and insightful book!

Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
Mary Gail Frawley-ODea
Manufacturer: Vanderbilt University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sexual Abuse | Abuse & Self Defense | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Child Abuse | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Roman Catholicism | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Catholic | Church History | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Gender & Sexuality | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Abuse | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse

Freeing Celibacy

Ambition and Arrogance: Cardinal William O'Connell of Boston and the American Catholic Church

The Power and the Glory: Inside the Dark Heart of Pope John Paul II's Vatican

The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World

ASIN: 0826515479

Book Description

Since 2002, the Roman Catholic Church has been in crisis over the sexual abuse of minors by priests and the cover-up of those crimes by bishops. Over 11,000 alleged victims have reported their experiences to the Church, and more than 4,700 priests since 1950 have been credibly accused of sexually victimizing minors. The Church has paid over one billion dollars to adults who claim to have been sexually abused by priests and there is no end in sight to these lawsuits. Celibacy, homosexuality in the priesthood, the infiltration into the priesthood of secular moral relativism, too much liberalism in the Church since Vatican II, damaging rollback of Vatican II reforms by conservative prelates--all have been suggested as causes for the crisis. This book, however, begins with the premise that, because the pattern of abuse and cover-up was so similar across the world, there is something fundamentally awry with Church traditions and power structures in relationship to sexuality and sexual abuse. Specifically, in chapters on suffering and sadomasochism, bodies and gender, desire and sexuality, celibacy and homosexuality, the author concludes that aspects of the Catholic theology of sexuality set the stage for the abuse of minors and its cover-up. Frawley-O'Dea also analyzes the American bishops' lack of pastoral care and tendency towards clerical narcissism--the belief that the needs of the hierarchy represent the needs of the wider Church--as central factors in the scandal. She balances this criticism with a discussion of the backgrounds of the bishops presiding over the crisis and the challenges they faced in their relationships with the Pope and Vatican officials. Drawing on twenty years of clinical experience, she imagines the dynamics of sexual abuse both from the victim's point of view and from the priest's, and she probes why the Church hierarchy, fellow priests, and lay people were silent for so long. Finally, Frawley-O'Dea examines factors internal to the Church and outside of it that drew this scandal into the public square and kept it there.

Customer Reviews:

A Sweeping Overview.......2007-07-09

For those who still have the stomach for this topic, and those who care about the future of the Catholic church in the USA this book is the most comprehensive, honest, and insightful set of answers, opinions and observations about what was likely the most shattering period in the history of the church in the USA..Frawley-O'Dea has gone further and dug deeper into the data to form her conclusions. She has built on the discoveries and research and insights of others, yet drawn her own conclusions. In my opinion the future of the priesthood rests in her conclusions.

Excellent and insightful book!.......2007-06-12

This is the book that connects the dots on the sexual abuse crises in the Catholic church. It helps one to understand how such a thing might have happened, giving the history of the church.
I highly recommend this book if one is interested in learning about human sexuality re: laity, priests, bishops and even the pope.

Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns

Average customer rating:

Been There...Seen That
Title Change
Good Title; Poor book.
A story whose time has come to be told AND don't be put off by the book's cover!
An important story about a little-known subject

Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns
Kenneth Briggs
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Sociology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Gender & Sexuality | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Way We Were: A Story Of Conversion And Renewal
Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse
The Tulip and the Pope: A Nun's Story
Consecrated Religious Life: The Changing Paradigms
Seminary Boy: A Memoir

ASIN: 0385516363
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Book Description

This groundbreaking exposé of the mistreatment of nuns by the Catholic Church reveals a history of unfulfilled promises, misuse of clerical power, and a devastating failure to recognize the singular contributions of these religious women.

The Roman Catholic Church in America has lost nearly 100,000 religious sisters in the last forty years, a much greater loss than the priesthood. While the explanation is partly cultural—contemporary women have more choices in work and life—Kenneth Briggs contends that the rapid disappearance of convents can be traced directly to the Church’s betrayal of the promises of reform made by the Second Vatican Council.

In Double Crossed, Briggs documents the pattern of marginalization and exploitation that has reduced nuns to second-, even third-class citizens within the Catholic Church. America’s religious sisters were remarkable, adventurous women. They educated children, managed health care of the sick, and reached out to the poor and homeless. They went to universities and into executive chairs. Their efforts and successes, however, brought little appreciation from the Church, which demeaned their roles, deprived them of power, and placed them under the absolute authority of the all-male clergy.

Replete with quotations from nuns and former nuns, Double Crossed uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the Catholic Church. Their voices and Briggs’s research provide compelling insights into why the number of religious sisters has declined so precipitously in recent decades—and why, unless reforms are introduced, nuns may vanish forever in America.

Customer Reviews:

Been There...Seen That.......2007-04-01

The book is well written, factual, true! It is of great interest for anyone involved in the Catholic Church and the book holds a few surprises for the ordinary Catholic regarding the "nuns"

Title Change.......2007-03-24

I enjoyed this book and found it has useful insights to the changes that took place in the 1960s and 1970s. I think it could easily be titled as "Double Crossed: Uncovering Amercian Nuns' Betrayal of the Catholic Church".

Good Title; Poor book........2007-02-02

I read the book, all 258 pages. His idea for the book is good, but not backed up by any research he did for this book. Much of the writing seems to be stuff he wrote over the years for newspapers. His agenda is clearly evident by his lack of any knowledge of the Catholic church. Basically, his axe he grinds is true blue extreme liberal left, i.e. lack of abortion rights, women should be priests, women should be free, condoms will save the children, and etc.

A story whose time has come to be told AND don't be put off by the book's cover!.......2007-01-05

Being a woman religious and having lived through a good part of the research Mr. Briggs has done, I found what he had to say quite accurate. I found him redundant at times, but his findings are, sadly, true. He has done a very good job researching and telling facts that have needed to be told. I applaud him and I recommend this book to all who want to know about America nuns' experience these passed 40 plus years.
PS Don't let the cover put you off!

An important story about a little-known subject.......2006-12-03

I did personally feel that this book felt a bit academic at times, as opposed to giving us this fascinating information mainly through longer personal stories and remembrances, but writing style aside, it really gets the subject across. The fact that Mr. Briggs put 8 years into this book really shows, not only in the compelling material and telling personal stories, but also in his knowledge of Catholic history and theology in spite of not being Catholic himself. This book was interesting to me as a feminist, as one interested in Catholic history and nuns, and someone who, several times, thought semi-seriously about becoming a nun when younger (the religion I ended up choosing was not Catholicism, so the sisterhood was obviously ruled out for me).

The history of nuns in America is a very long and fascinating one, and the numbers of American sisters steadily grew over time, till their ranks were swelling in the decades just before Vatican II. Even though some sisters might not have considered themselves such (for various reasons that Mr. Briggs explains throughout the book), nuns really were the original feminists. They were liberated women ages before the ordinary secular American women were. They might not have been liberated from things like hierarchical control and institutionalised sexism in the Church, but they were liberated insofar as they were out there working, going to college, getting advanced degrees, being administrators of hospitals, schools, and social welfare agencies, having their own identities instead of being identified through a husband, and being childfree, in an age where pregnancy could be a death sentence for women, particularly before birth control was legal and widely available; nuns could always work and control their own lives because they had no husbands and children. Historically, unmarried women, nuns or not, have always had more power and freedom than married women; only in the past few decades has that begun to change.

Topics covered in the book include the habit, unforeseen consequences of Vatican II's call for renewal and re-examination of religious life and the histories of these orders, the horrible poverty many aging nuns have found themselves in, the mass exodus of nuns in the years after Vatican II, nuns and feminism, the backlash against progressive nuns (and feminism in general), groups working for female ordination, and nuns getting advanced degrees. Since no two orders and no two nuns are alike, there are a plethora of viewpoints on these issues. For example, some orders never really had a habit, and there were some orders in the 19th century whose founders got away with never wearing a habit. Many different nuns offer differing viewpoints on the future of the sisterhood in the face of their dwindling ranks and the continued interference from bishops. As Mr. Briggs shows, there's no one clear and simple answer to the question of why there are relatively few nuns under the age of 50 today, and what might be done to attract more young women to the sisterhood. Yes, there are certain areas and orders that do have many fresh-faced younger sisters instead of geriatric retired women, but when looking at the numbers, there's no denying that the vast majority of American sisters are over the age of 50. The amount of young women entering has slowed to a trickle in comparison to the huge amounts of women in their late teens and early twenties who entered in the Forties, Fifties, and early Sixties. A big part of this certainly is because today women are allowed secular opportunities for freedom and liberation, and don't have to be nuns to improve their chances of getting advanced degrees, being administrators, and entering the workforce. Another big part is how at every turn, the Church hierarchy "double-crossed" these women who had given so much for so many years, being unpaid servants and the backbone of the Church, really taken for granted because they weren't ordained and because they were women. Many bishops, archbishops, and cardinals were afraid of these newly-assertive nuns championing progressive causes, questioning the order of things, rethinking their position in the Church hierarchy, pushing for more rights and representation, and openly embracing feminism. A lot of their critics blanketly tossed around the term "radical feminism" when in actual fact most of these nuns were not affiliated with that particular branch of feminism. I guess it really is true that to many people, basic feminist principles and the notion that women are people really are radical. Many women who might have considered the sisterhood were thus dissuaded by seeing how all of these efforts for reform and basic rights were viewed by the higher-ups, attempting to block them and paint them as unreasoning radicals at every turn. Amazingly enough, many of these bishops, archbishops, and cardinals also blamed these women for things like their dwindling numbers and the fact that they were living in poverty in old age and having to beg for salaries. If only they hadn't rebelled against Mother Church, hadn't dropped their habits, hadn't pushed for more rights, everything would still be swell for them.

This is a very important work on a chapter in American history (and Catholic history) that deserves to be better-known, although it's just the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully it will inspire the reader to go and seek out more books on the subject of contemporary nuns and the social and political forces shaping the sisterhood in the past few decades. My only problem with the book, apart from the at-times somewhat academic style (as opposed to a more personal and casual tone to convey the same information) was that there weren't any pictures. It would have been nice to have matched these names to faces.

Men And Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body

Average customer rating:

Excellent discussion guide for John Paul II Theology of the Body
Men and Women are from Eden
Excellent Perspective
Enlightening Answers to Hard Questions

Men And Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body
Mary Healy
Manufacturer: Servant Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body
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ASIN: 0867167009

Customer Reviews:

Excellent discussion guide for John Paul II Theology of the Body.......2007-03-09

Mary Healy presents the thoughts of John Paul II's Theology of the Body in an understandable beautiful fashion. It is one of the best representations of this great work that I have read or studied.

Men and Women are from Eden.......2007-01-03

Great work giving a summary of John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

Excellent Perspective.......2006-09-28

Mary Healy has an excellent grasp of John Paul ll's "Theology fo the Body," and her book, "Men and Women Are From Eden," is an excellent primer or study guide for anyone interested in tackling "Theology of the Body." This book is an easy read and drives home the creator's purpose for sex, relationships, marriage, and pro-creation form our Creator's perspective. This book should be required for all engaged couples, or married couples confused about the Churches teaching on birth control and divorce.

Enlightening Answers to Hard Questions.......2005-07-27

Healy, a scripture professor who holds a doctorate in biblical theology, begins with some background on John Paul II's reflections on human love as he counseled married couples as a young priest and bishop. During his first five years as pope, John Paul II presented his reflections on the "theology of the body" in a series of weekly addresses. This series, later collected and published, is the focus of Healy's work, and it is not light reading.

"The pope likes to begin with 'hard sayings' the words of Jesus that many find offensive because they seem too idealistic, too rigorous, and too severe," Healy reports. A basic element of the pope's theology defines body and soul as a unit: we are not souls attached to bodies; we are body persons; the body is the visible expression of the person, the outward sign that reveals the inner person. In that arena, the possibility of viewing the body as an object for our own or another's pleasure vanishes. The creation story reveals the inherent complimentarity of men and women, different bodies within the same nature called to relationship that can produce another human being. John Paul emphasizes the positive implication of this view. Rather than leading to denial of freedom, the theology of the body impels us to voluntarily channel our freedom into the total gift of self to a chosen spouse, and through that person, to God. And these general reflections may be broadened to encompass all persons, regardless of their marital state.

Healy aids readers of this enlightening and informative work with chapter-by-chapter study tools consisting of scripture references, church teaching, key concepts, questions for reflection and discussion, and practical applications.

The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns

Average customer rating:

A Very Interesting Book!
Disappointed
Packed with information and great photographs!
"Not even a nun on the cover?" Puh-leeze!
Not as up to date or comprehensive as I wished

The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns
Elizabeth Kuhns
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Gender & Sexuality | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385505892
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Book Description

Curiosity about nuns and their distinctive clothing is almost as old as Catholicism itself. The habit intrigues the religious and the nonreligious alike, from medieval maidens to contemporary schoolboys, to feminists and other social critics. The first book to explore the symbolism of this attire, The Habit presents a visual gallery of the diverse forms of religious clothing and explains the principles and traditions that inspired them. More than just an eye-opening study of the symbolic significance of starched wimples, dark dresses, and flowing veils, The Habit is an incisive, engaging portrait of the roles nuns have and do play in the Catholic Church and in ministering to the needs of society.

From the clothing seen in an eleventh-century monastery to the garb worn by nuns on picket lines during the 1960s, habits have always been designed to convey a specific image or ideal. The habits of the Benedictines and the Dominicans, for example, were specifically created to distinguish women who consecrated their lives to God; other habits reflected the sisters’ desire to blend in among the people they served. The brown Carmelite habit was rarely seen outside the monastery wall, while the Flying Nun turned the white winged cornette of the Daughters of Charity into a universally recognized icon. And when many religious abandoned habits in the 1960s and ’70s, it stirred a debate that continues today.

Drawing on archival research and personal interviews with nuns all over the United States, Elizabeth Kuhns examines some of the gender and identity issues behind the controversy and brings to light the paradoxes the habit represents. For some, it epitomizes oppression and obsolescence; for others, it embodies the ultimate beauty and dignity of the vocation.

Complete with extraordinary photographs, including images of the nineteenth century nuns’ silk bonnets to the simple gray dresses of the Sisters of Social Service, this evocative narrative explores the timeless symbolism of the habit and traces its evolution as a visual reflection of the changes in society.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Interesting Book!.......2006-06-04

Religious communities in America (i.e., Catholic Religious communities) have struggled to find their identity for the last 2 decades; but of course, imitating modern culture in so many other ways, to arrive at such a point of confusion, they first threw out anything old, including wearing religious garb. I only wish that the religious sisters of today (the new, "improved" nuns) who threw out their habits would read this book. No, the habit itself does not make a sister a sister. No more than black clothes and a white collar make a priest a good priest. But when there's nearly 2,000 years of tradition involved... just maybe they should have "looked before they leaped." I thought this was a good book. Well-researched, easy to read, full of interesting points, and a good argument for nuns to put their habits back on (though the author doesn't go out of her way to make this point or beat anybody over the head with it). Regardless of what side of the debate people are on, I think the average Catholic should find this a fascinating, good book.

Disappointed.......2005-06-06

Although the subject matter was interesting, the lack of pictures and overall layout of the book made it tedious to read. I saw so many opportunities for this book to be better. For example, there were many instances where an accompanying picture would have clarified a description or put it into a better context. A specific example of this is where she mentions a nail belt. It would have been illuminating to see a picture of one on that page. The writing style to me seemed dry, almost "textbook".

Packed with information and great photographs! .......2005-01-29

Definitely worth getting. There's a treasure of information, and one can learn a lot. A must for every Catholic's bookshelf.

"Not even a nun on the cover?" Puh-leeze!.......2005-01-03

"A Reader" complains that the cover depicts a "sister" rather than a nun on the cover, adding: "What a blunder!" Clearly "Reader" him- or herself needs to read a little harder. The book's introduction says: "I use the terms 'nun,' 'sister,' 'consecrated woman' and 'religious' interchangeably, although there are differences according to Church canonical law." (For the layperson, "nuns," strictly speaking, are members of religious orders, usually monastic, whereas "sisters" are members of religious congregations, generally working among the people.) It would be nice if the authors of such comments would take the trouble to look at the text as well as the cover, before rushing onto the Web to show us all how clever they are.

Not as up to date or comprehensive as I wished.......2004-09-14

If you are interested in the historical clothing and traditions of Catholic religious women, this book is certainly worth having, and the author does a better job of getting things right than some reviewers are willing to admit. (One reviewer chides that the woman on the cover is not a nun but a 'sister', but if she had read the forward, she'd know that the author DID discuss the distinctions while explaining that she would, for the purposes of narrative, use the terms 'nun' and 'sister' interchangably...which is perfectly alright to do, btw.)

I have two issues with the book which kept me from really enjoying it. The first is that while she discusses those modern and rapidly growing religious orders (such as the Sisters of Life, the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, the Kentucky Dominicans, the cloistered sisters at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, etc) which have retained or re-introduced a more traditional habit to their order, she does not enhance her narrative with visuals. One would appreciate seeing what these new young nuns LOOK like, as doubtless, they're not still in multi-pleated architectural headpieces and heavy woolen skirts. A few images would have made the whole exercise feel more 'up to date'. And it would be good to see a few modern religious in their more casual wear, too.

The second quibble I have is that the author - good and devoted as she is - makes some statements that are much too broad and sweeping to be excused, as in "all mail was censored, and the nuns would even have to ask permission to use a piece of thread".

Well, no. While some orders did censor mail - most of them did not, and it would be very interesting to find out which orders did and didn't. I would be willing to bet that those orders that did censor mail have also died out, while orders like Benedictines and Dominicans, which did not censor, did not listen in at private conversations and did not treat their members like idiot children, are still existant and flourishing. And while some very over-controlling or pinch-penny order might have quibbled about a length of thread, most nuns had their own sewing boxes and those personal items such as they needed in order to live life with some dignity! As to the REASON why a sisters and nuns so frequently needed to ask permission to do those things which we modern/civilian women would not think twice of, the system was not so iniquitious as it seems. This communication was what would keep supervisors apprised of the state of the community, of its holdings, its supplies, its mindset, etc. In a community of busy women, each with her own responsibilities, only in such a way could a supervisor such as an abbess, prioress or reverend mother keep good track of her 'flock', still interact with them on a daily and 'usual' basis, and still have a good sense of where they were at and what they each needed. It is, in fact, wiser than it first seems.

These are minor quibbles, as I said, but they detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I am hopeful that the author will write a SECOND book of nuns, a compilation of those orders (like those mentioned above and so many more) who are growing rather than dying, who are celebrating their conspicuous consecration rather than shrinking from it and who seem to be vibrant and happy women. The world needs to hear about them, I think.

Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture (Ancient Cultures)

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Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture (Ancient Cultures)
Marilyn Skinner
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Greece | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0631232346

Book Description

Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture is the first comprehensive survey of ancient Greek and Roman sexuality. Drawing on literary, artistic, and archaeological evidence, as well as on scholarly sources, it covers a wide range of subjects, including Greek pederasty and the symposium, ancient prostitution, representations of women in Greece and Rome, and the public regulation of sexual behavior. Different class and gender perspectives are taken into account as far as they can be recovered.The book also introduces the bitter theoretical battles that have been fought over ancient sexuality, particularly regarding what ancient societies believed about sex and sexual orientation. The author draws comparisons between ancient sexual ideology and contemporary culture, encouraging readers to understand the relationship between social institutions and personal sexual conduct. Designed for a general audience, Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture is written in an elegant and accessible style. It offers sophisticated insights into complex social issues.

Average customer rating:

Did not like this at all
A revelation of lost fundamentals
An Excellent Study With Profound Insight!
Finally - An easy to read guide to the Church's view on sex
Our Bodies--God's Plan

Sex and the Sacred City
Steven Kellmeyer
Manufacturer: Bridegroom Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Meditation | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Theology Of The Body For Beginners
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Men And Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body

Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 0971812810

Book Description

This critically-acclaimed 100-page summary of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body takes you on a whirlwind tour of the beautiful Catholic vision of human sexuality. Discover how our sexuality helps us live out the life of God in our own bodies! "Dear Reader, I don't know who you are, what you believe, or what you love, but if you are like all the students who have read Sex and the Sacred City for my courses, I guarantee you one thing: you will find it arresting, personally challenging, and quite possibly life-changing. This is "the big picture" of the meaning of human sexuality - in fact, the biggest and most beautiful picture you have ever seen." - Dr. Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College

Customer Reviews:

Did not like this at all.......2007-04-15

I cannot begin to express what this book represents to me. I'm sure it has it's followers and all the best to them. Not my cup of tea at all and not what I expected or I would not have spent my money on. If I could I would have given it a zero. Just my take on it.

A revelation of lost fundamentals.......2005-11-27

Our modern culture, where sexual stimulation is commonplace in entertainment, advertising, and relationships, thoroughly rebukes the natural law of sexuality. Temptations abound. In past times, this book might have only been necessary for a small target audience. Today, many might have instinctive reservations about same-sex marriage, but in a world where marriage is often considered a mere civil contract, how can one truly justify this?

The prevailing culture has a superficial, soap opera-like view of marriage. Celibacy, embryonic human life, and contraception-free intercourse are thought of as anachronisms, even by most Catholics. And who can blame anyone for this? We are all, in some way, formed by this powerful modern culture. If you are looking to battle back from this formation, this book is a good start.

Short in pages but long in theology, the writing is so deep and concise that I found myself re-reading all chapters at least once, many of them twice, before moving on. Kellmeyer does a wonderful job of building the fundamentals necessary to understand this complex teaching, and does so in few pages.

Sex and the Sacred City is essential for young adults, married or single, and especially for parents worried about the culture's impact on their kids. At any age or vocation, the message of how to love is profound. It makes a great confirmation or engagement gift for people interested in reading theology. Don't bother with anyone who isn't like that. They will put it down before the end of the first chapter, if they crack it at all. An audiobook from Christopher West might be more appropriate for them.

This book will not empty your mind of the thoughts and images this culture has formed in you. It will provide a knowledge foundation where you can begin to battle back from within yourself and speak about it to others. Married, single, and religious will all benefit from a deeper understanding of how we relate to God and each other.

An Excellent Study With Profound Insight!.......2004-05-01

Steve Kellmeyer's book "Sex and the Sacred City" was a profound guide through the Trinity, the Sacrements, and God's plan for marriage, human sexuality, family life, and our vocation in life.
Mr. Kellmeyer utilized the ability to make a deep theological belief understandable through a layered approach using anticdotes and common daily occurrences to help the reader clearly understand his points. The insights were very in-depth and thorough and the end of each chapter contained thought-provoking questions and Catechetical and Biblical references.
This would be an excellent tool for a private or group study session, with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible well used to bring the book together with Church teachings.
His direct-approach with the truth in human sexuality is eye-opening for all in the Catholic Church and should be a mandatory for high school students and pre-marriage couples.
Thank you for establishing a new deeper understanding of our Faith!!

Finally - An easy to read guide to the Church's view on sex.......2004-04-04

Sex and the City - this book is not. However, if you are interested in the Catholic Church's view on human sexuality, this is a MUST read. It will change your perspective on the Church and will make you an INFORMED Catholic the next time someone approaches you at the water cooler about something they have read in the paper concerning the Church's view on human sexuality.

Our Bodies--God's Plan.......2004-03-06

Sex and the Sacred City

If you think that "original sin" means to be born of a sinful act, you've got it wrong, but this book will set you straight. Even if you know your catechism, Sex and the Sacred City will take you on a surprising journey through the mysteries of Divine love, marriage and human sexuality. In this slim volume, Kellmeyer distills Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body." He writes with a lucid style, using contemporary analogies, humor and persevering logic to bring to the lay reader the pope's meditations about the human person.

Beginning with an explanation of the Trinity-a "communion of persons, a family whose life is love" (cf. Eph. 3:14-15)-the book skillfully navigates through such mysteries as the meaning of "nature" and "person," God as Pure Existence and God as Perfect Love, how we are "made in His image and likeness" and why we need, therefore, to love. Furthermore, it delineates how this love must be lived out in the body and how conjugal love mirrors God's love for us.

"When we consider Adam and Eve," Kellmeyer writes," when we consider how God has inscribed Himself both upon our very bodies and upon the communion of persons that our bodies make possible, we realize that we must allow that same grace to teach us how to live out in our bodies the power God has given. Having the power is not enough. We have to learn how to use it. We learn this by service."

But service does not mean servile. Quoting from the Italian movie, Life is Beautiful, Kellmeyer give an example of the uncle who explains to his nephew, a waiter who bobs up and down excessively, "Think of sunflowers. They bow to the sun. But if you see some that are too bowed down, that means they are dead. You are serving; you are not a servant. Serving is a supreme art. God is the first servant. God serves man but He is not a servant to men."

Using the communal love within the Trinity as a model, Kellmeyer carries us through a study of Creation, The Fall, The Incarnation, The Sacraments, Married Life, Family Life and even Celibacy (an earthy archetype for the spiritual ecstasy everyone will experience in the Beatific Vision). In his rich meditations we discover the sanctification of the family and what it means to use our bodies in God's original holiness.

Kellmeyer provides a reflection in every line of Sex and the Sacred City. It is a book to study at your leisure, savor, read and re-read. At the end of each chapter there are several questions for discussion, Bible verses for contemplation and references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality (Theology and Life, Vol 18)
Average customer rating:

Outstanding look at traditional Catholic Teaching

Very Good Overview

Enlightening discussion of Catholic sexual ethics

Excellent resource.

In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality (Theology and Life, Vol 18)
Vincent Genovesi
Manufacturer: Michael Glazier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Roman Catholicism | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0814655904

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding look at traditional Catholic Teaching.......2005-04-20

Genovisi, is as outstanding in this text as he is in the class room. Having taken his sexuality class in college, I can say that this text is absoulutely outstanding. If you want a look at the traditional teachings of the Catholic faith pertaining to sexuality and marriage buy this book, its one of a kind. I feel honored to have had him as a teacher, and honored to own a copy of this text, truly outstanding.

Very Good Overview.......2001-11-22

This excellent work by Genovesi highlights many of the important concerns in Catholic sexual ethics today. It is a very well-balanced book and offers the reader a wealth of interesting information. It is also easy to read, though long, and stirs up questions about how to be faithful to the Church teachings while being pastoral. I would recommend the book for someone who would like to know more detailed information on the Catholic view of Love and Sexuality and would also urge that reader to look over the various Church documents at the same time (i.e. Humanae Vitae, On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, Casti Conubii, and others).

Enlightening discussion of Catholic sexual ethics.......2001-01-05

This book adequately presents all major issues in sexual ethics and provides an illuminating discussion from the perspective of Catholic moral theology. The author gives room to all positions within the broad array of Catholic moral theologians today. As opposed to the dogmatic view of some manuals still used by seminaries and confessor, the author devotes space and energy to the discussion of moral arguments behind each moral solution. This book is very helpful to any layman or priest that wants to make sense of Catholic moral teaching in sexual matters.

Excellent resource........1999-08-07

A great resource for adults, both young and old, who are concerned with faith and living morally. Honest and straight forward, Genovesi confronts sexual issues that are sometimes difficult for the average individual to accept. His combination of theological and pyschological teachings deserves appreciation. Genovesi reveals the essentials of Love and sexual morality to those who need it the most, i.e., everyone.

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