The Game of God: Recovering Your True Identity [Paperback]

Arthur B. Hancock (Author), Kathleen J. Brugger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1992

What kind of universe is this anyway? Does life have any meaning or purpose? If there is a God, why did God create the universe? Whatever His-Her-Its motives (let us not sex-type the Creator) how could a loving God knowingly create a universe which is capable of the kind of cruelty we experience on this planet: death, concentration camps, slavery, child molesting, gossip, racism, illness, physical and mental disabilities, etc.? The Game of God makes the radical proposal that the universe is literally the game of God; that God created the universe in order to experience duality and limitation. The purpose of the universe is for God to enjoy the vast array of experiences that God, as an unlimited being, cannot experience: life and death, joy and pain, beginning and end, fear and hate, happiness and sorrow. In order to have a realistic experience of limitation, God must forget that She-He-It is God. The universe is, in fact, God in a self-induced state of amnesia. The universe is a game in which God forgets His-Her-Its identity and in the process of playing remembers who She-He-It is. Evolution is the process of God awakening from self-induced amnesia into the remembrance of His-Her-Its true identity. We are not separate creatures who are "victims" of existence. We are expressions of God experiencing limitation and overcoming it. We are God in disguise. Human suffering comes from the mistaken belief that who we really are is our personality, or ego. When we identify as ego, we must survive as that ego, which in this universe means operating from flight/fight behavior. Our lives are a constant battle for the survival of a mistaken identity. We are always either fighting reality or flighting from it. Love and transcendence lie in the cessation of survival behavior, in the acceptance of reality. Love is the experience of unconditional acceptance of what is. With a cartoon on every left-hand page illustrating the text on the right, these ideas are presented in a light and humorous manner. Tim Allen says, "If you really have your s*** together, read this book. (from the suggested reading in his book, I'm Not Really Here.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A great book! -- Oprah, September 22, 1998

Sensational! It's seductive to hope that someone has finally made sense of the purpose of human life. -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune

About the Author

Arthur Hancock is a singer/songwriter/philosopher who has been studying the realms of the metaphysical and of the mind for twenty-five years. He has had a song, Relatively Speaking, recorded by John Denver.

Kathleen Brugger has a degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Northwestern University. She realized that what she was looking for was the meaning of life, and that this would never be found in a microscope, so she turned to metaphysics. They are husband and wife and live in the southern Appalachians, where they have a business filming nature videos of the mountains.

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Humans Anonymous Pr (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963420305
• ISBN-13: 978-0963420305
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Game of God, August 14, 2002

By 

T. Keller (Sacramento, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Game of God: Recovering Your True Identity (Paperback)

In a nutshell- the Game of God is the description of the entire creation of our universe in a brilliant, simple and hilarious nutshell. Nobody has been able to do it better than the authors of this book. I have hundreds of self-mastery and higher-consciousness books in my library and this one is on the top of my reading list. As a teacher and counselor I require everyone I work with to read this book, and read it well. It is the official book of my healing practice. There is no reason to complicate the truth behind our reality, as complex as it already seems. The Game of God has managed to hit the nail on the head and will keep you laughing all the way. Every other page of the book is a corresponding cartoon animating the well written script that has been arranged into word sculptures. This is by far my favorite book ever and 5 stars doesn't compare to the infinite stars I would give it if I could.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why We're Here, February 9, 2003

By 

Robert Burton (Napa, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Game of God: Recovering Your True Identity (Paperback)

I'm a recovering Alcoholic, and also a recovering Mormon.

This book is the absolutely best book ever written explaining why we are here in the first place. I've given this book to many people in "AA", to help them grasp a concept of God that actually makes sence.

Thanks Arthur and Kathleen. I've met you both and your great people. I'm looking forward to your next book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This world IS god, purposely self-immersed in life & death., August 29, 1999

By 

Jim Dodds([e-mail]) (Waitsfield, Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Game of God: Recovering Your True Identity (Paperback)

"The Game of God" makes a radical postulation that the world, or the universe, is a direct and singular manifestation of a perfect, eternal spirit which has consciously decided to forget its own transcendent nature and immerse itself in duality and limitation. THIS is what all the dramas and joys of life are all about.