Customer Reviews

From the Ashes: A Spiritual Response to the Attack on America

5 star:		(13)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

So many people are turning to faith since September 11, looking for reassurance, trying to find answers to hard questions. This remarkable book skips the banal platitudes; instead, it gave me real, solid guidance to begin to face those hard questions and try to make sense of it all. The variety and depth of this astounding collection of essays is breathtaking. I was astonished by how many different faiths are represented. Especially moving, to me, was a New York parish priest's account of ministering to victims. We also get to eavesdrop on the Beliefnet community as they helped each other cope in the days following the attacks; the personal interactions are riveting. Only Beliefnet could have created this book. This is a gift that truly will help us all rise "from the ashes."

I stumbled across beliefnet.com a few days after September 11 and found it to be full of much of the best and most insightful writing to be found anywhere. This book, which compiles many of the articles Beliefnet has published on the tragedy, demonstrates that the spiritual issues raised in the articles Ñ justice, evil, retaliation, even the very existence of God Ñ are not just timely. They are issues we are going to have to deal with over and over again. And this book is loaded with wisdom for anyone who is attempting to deal honestly with those issues.

The authors range from traditionalist Christians to Bishop John Shelby Spong, who argues that after September 11, we have to picture God in a different way than we ever have before. The ideas range from strong supporters of military response to the Dalai Lama and Bishop Tutu who counsel forgiveness. One of the most interesting pieces, for me, was Karen Armstrong's essay on Islam, comparing its attitude toward violence to that of Judaism and Christianity. There has been so much nonsense published on that subject over the past month. It was wonderful to read the insights of someone who understands and respects all three faiths.

The best thing about this book is that despite the range of opinions (which guarantees that every reader is going to find many ideas they disagree with), I did not find a single essay to be without merit. Even the ones I disagreed with all said things I felt I had to think about. There is no political or spiritual posturing here, but, in every case, an open and honest discussion of issues.

This is a beautifully written and important book for anyone who cares about spiritual issues.

Since the tragedy of September 11th, people around the world, particularly in the USA and Canada, have been searching for answers as to how this devastation could have occurred. As a counsellor, I have seen an increase in the number of people who have been jolted in reality out of the fear that the same situation could also happen in my country. Patient visits to physicians are up, stress leaves from work are on the increase, marriages have increased (perhpas using the philosophy that one should leave each moment to the fullest) and office visits to counsellors and psychologists have increased dramatically.

While this book will not solve the world's problems, it does provide reading that will help soothe the soul, and gives the reader some peace of mind in knowing that the universe truly is unfolding as it should, even though there are times and tragedies that make this almost impossible to believe. The book contains poems, essays, etc. from a great number of religious leaders and world-known compassionate individuals. Regardless of one's religious belief, this book is truly non-denominational. Personally, as a follower of Buddhist Philosophies, I particularly liked the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. A terrific plus for this book is that all profits will go to disaster relief efforts. "From the Ashes" is most deserving of not a five-star rating, but a universe of stars.

This wonderful, heartwarming book comforted me not just with inspiring words, but with the profound spiritual wisdom of a multifaith array of religious leaders. It is heartening to know that people of all faiths both condemn violence and believe that the human family can move beyond it. The community discussion part of the book -- in which computer users post messages of fear and suspense on Beliefnet.com as they realize what has happened with the crashed planes -- is gripping. These users' interfaith prayers and concern for each other show an Internet community at its best.

This is an astounding collection of writers--Tutu, Billy Graham, Dalai Lama. It was stimulating and comforting to hear from them, though I have to say the most amazing part of this book is the strip across the bottom dedicated to messages from regular people. This is a remarkable book

Picked this book up at an airport just before
my flight and was unable to put it down during
the entire flight! It is filled with healing
words, inspirational thoughts, and wisdom from
some of the greatest spiritual leaders of our
times, at a time when so many are desperately
seeking answers to questions regarding this
horrific tragedy against mankind. I strongly
recommend this book --- a must read for all of
us who care deeply about what happened to our
nation on September 11.

I found this a refreshing standout on the new releases table. I read the messages running along the bottoms of the pages in practically one sitting. This book gets to a deeper heart of the matter,and that is our spirits. I like the fact that it comes from the points of view of many different religions. It shows the way people have come together in spirit since the attacks, which is amazing and truly inspirational.

I just got my hands on this book and it's awesome! The best part is that they have clipped studff from their discussion boards and placed them running at the bottom third of the page. I ended up not even getting to the essay's until after I had gone through the chronological posts. It took me back to those amazing 48 hours right after the attacks that took us all away from the day to day that already confess having slipped back into!

I can only look at the events of September 11, 2001 in a spiritual sense. After those terrible acts, I went to church to seek solace, pray for the victims and their families and also pray for the perpetrators. All humans are members of God's family despite the atrocities we commit against each other and we all will face God on Judgement Day. Therefore, I don't believe that the terrorists won: their hatred was and is totaly alien to God's nature and wishes for God's children and I believe they will suffer eternally. And, as Reverend Jakes wrote in his sermon, Jesus took many to be with him at the end of their lives. Christ is the Christian's hope and light in the terrible darkness we are walking through today. His love is a salve to me as it is to many others. The author's in this book accurately pointed out the many mistakes American politicians have made in foreign policy and have supported evil when it was to in their minds, advantageous to America. This book is well-written and I believe a must-read for those of us who are seeking answers.

There are no easy or good answers for September 11th. But what Beliefnet does so exceedingly well on the website and now in this book, is provide a dynamic dialogue of responses on 9/11 from faith leaders of different religions.

It is refreshing to see faith leaders honestly and openly deal with their personal feelings of the crisis. Some seek justice, some are angry, some seek peace--all are divinely eloquent.

"From the Ashes" is a necessary spiritual response to a shattered nation. A must read for all who feel the effects of 9/11.

Thank you Beliefnet.