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A Christmas (or not) cake with....
A provocative essay that places compassion at the heart of Christian life as a counterbalance and a challenge to a world governed far too long by principles of power and destructive control.
"Beauty and Brokenness" explores the way we think about the relationship between creation and humanity, their respective brokenness and beauty and, in this connection, compassion (both as God's righteous indignation and meaning 'to suffer with'), faith and power. The author's thinking in this area began when his son was born with Downs Syndrome thirteen years ago, and has continued developing in the last twelve months as his wife has been left physically disabled from the effects of a brain tumour. He uses as a starting point, Mantegna's painting "Presentation at the Temple", which is, in many respects, a traditional Madonna and Child composition except that the infant Jesus is depicted as a child with Downs.
In ‘A Spirituality Named Compassion’, Matthew Fox, the popular and controversial author, establishes a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing. Using his own experiences with the pain and lifestyle changes that resulted from an accident, Fox has written an uplifting book on the issues of ecological justice, the suffering of Earth, and the rights of her nonhuman citizens. Fox defines compassion as creativity put to the service of justice and argues that we can achieve compassion for both humanity and the environment as we recognize the interconnectedness of all things. Working toward the creation of a gentler, ecological, and feminist Christianity, Fox marries mysticism and social justice, emphasizing that as we enter a new millennium society needs to realize that spirituality's purpose is to guide us on a path that leads to a genuine love of all our relations and a love for our shared interdependence.
The challenges of parenting are addressed with real-world solutions that meet the needs of all family members in this guide. The tenets of 'Nonviolent Communication' are applied to a variety of settings, including the classroom and the home, in these booklets on how to resolve conflict peacefully. Illustrative exercises, sample stories, and role-playing activities offer the opportunity for self-evaluation, discovery, and application.
Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers in looking at scientific research, philosophical ideas, and humane values that argue for compassionate treatment of animals. The book addresses, among many other issues, these questions: are some species more valuable or more important than others? Do some animals feel pain and suffering and not others? Do animals feel emotions? Bekoff urges us not only to understand and protect animal but to love and respect them as our fellow beings on this planet.
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