The Lost Spiritual World: Mark
Book Review
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
The Lost Spiritual World: Mark
Ruth Rimm
The Global Renaissance Society 02/07 Hardcover $33.95
ISBN: 0974575062
"This unusual book presents the Jesus Seminar's 1992 Scholars Version
of the Gospel of Mark, a midrash that includes a celebration of all
the wisdom traditions, an innovative text with bold and colorful
designs, and a pathway to spiritual enlightenment that is in sync
with our scientific, postmodern world. The imaginative person behind
this daring interfaith work is Ruth Rimm, a young woman who by day
teaches at an inner city school in the Bronx and by night is hard at
work on further volumes in the Lost Spiritual World, all designed "to
foster an environment of peace, love, empathy, forgiveness,
tolerance, pluralism, inclusivity and reconciliation through
beautiful artwork, inspiring commentary and fresh translations of the
Scriptures of our great wisdom traditions."
We knew we were on the same wavelength with the author when she used
the metaphor of the spiritual journey as a scuba diver since one of
our favorite quotations from Ramakrishna is "Dive deeper." Then we
nodded our heads when she quoted Thich Nhat Hanh: "We human beings
can be nourished by the best values of many traditions." Rimm
interweaves these quotations and others in and around the Gospel of
Mark where Jesus evokes ecstasy and wonder in others, demonstrates
the healing power of touch, sleeps at sea on a boat tossed by waves,
acknowledges an important place for women in his life, tolerates the
intolerant, practices loves and humility, and demonstrates a close
connection and communion with God.
Rimm points out the many constrictions of a judgmental, literalistic,
dogmatic, and harsh religion that is down on the world, science, and
sex. She discovers good in all religions and refuses to accept one as
superior to all the others. No wonder Rimm can commend the writer
Raimon Panikker who had a Catholic mother, a Hindu father, and who
studied first in America and then in India. He says: "I left as a
Christian, found myself a Hindu, and returned as a Buddhist, without
having ceased to be a Christian." That is a fine and commendable
example of a new global spirituality that is at the heart and soul of
The Lost Spiritual World: Mark."
The Lost Spiritual World: Mark
Ruth Rimm
Product Description
The Lost Spiritual World takes you on an unforgettable journeya journey of learning to smile in the face of adversity, of healing and refreshing your spirituality, and of finding joy in the magnificent mystery that is you. It explores the emergence of a new global spirituality that mixes the best of each wisdom tradition with the latest findings in psychology, quantum physics, neuroscience, and linguistics.
The wavy shape and wavy designs challenge orthodox (which means "straight thinking" in Greek) kinds of spirituality. They remind us that the journey of life is full of new discoveries, expanding perspectives, and magnificent twists and turns; it is anything but a "straight and narrow" path. The book's twelve metallic inks invite readers to explore the ecstasy of our connection to the cosmic stardust of which we are all made.
Few issues of our day are more urgent than engaging people of different faiths in a constructive interfaith dialogue. The Lost Spiritual World series takes you deep into the sacred texts of each tradition and reveals the critically important (and often overlooked) roots of religious pluralism.
The Lost Spiritual World is an illuminated volume of the Bible for the 21st century seeker who wants to experience the awe and mystery of God, but who is lost and confused and distracted, uncertain of how to tune into the Divine in a wired world.
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The Lost Spiritual World: Mark
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Knowledge is far more priceless than Silence, and precedes it.
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NOTE: If this page was accessed during a web search you may wish to browse the sites listed below where this topic or related issues are discussed in detail to promote global peace, religious harmony, and spiritual development of humanity:
www.adishakti.org/www.al-qiyamah.org/
www.adi-shakti.org/ Divine Feminine (Hinduism)
www.holyspirit-shekinah.org/ Divine Feminine (Christianity)
www.ruach-elohim.org/ Divine Feminine (Judaism)
www.ruh-allah.org/ Divine Feminine (Islam)
www.tao-mother.org/ Divine Feminine (Taoism)
www.prajnaaparamita.org/ Divine Feminine (Buddhism)
www.aykaa-mayee.org/ Divine Feminine (Sikhism)
www.great-spirit-mother.org/ Divine Feminine (Native Traditions)
