God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam [Paperback]

Mirabai Starr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2012

God of Love is Mirabai Starr’s passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths. She shares an overview of essential teachings, stories of saints and spiritual masters, prophetic calls for peace and justice, and for the first time in print, deeply engaging narratives from her own spiritual experiences. She guides readers to recognize the teachings and practices that unify rather then divide the three religions, and sheds light on the interspiritual perspective, which celebrates the Divine in all paths. It is Mirabai’s hope that this book will serve as a reminder that a dedication to lovingkindness is the highest expression of faith for all three religions.

EARLY REVIEWS FOR God of Love

“Mirabai Starr takes us out dancing with the One. God of Love is a confluence of the currents of Judaism, Islam and Christianity all emptying into the great ocean of Love.”
—Ram Dass, Author Be Here Now

“In a time of division between people, this book — which is a masterful blend of research, storytelling, poetry, and memoir — is like a sacred magnet, pulling on the spiritual heart of all seekers.”
—Elizabeth Lesser, Cofounder, Omega Institute; Author, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

“Mirabai Starr writes of the divine from a luminous gene inherited by only a few. We hear The True Song in each word she attributes to the holy. It is more than just her song; it is the Melody of the Spheres translated by an astute musician. We are always touched by the genuine in her call to the reader to love and love well, to see with the sacred eye of beauty.”
-Ondrea & Stephen Levine, Authors Embracing the Beloved

"Mirabai's book has brought me great consolation."
-Daniel Berrigan, S. J. activist-priest; Author, No Gods but One

“This book brilliantly reminds us that in the heart of the Abrahamic traditions there burns a singular divine flame.”
-Rev. Robert V. Thompson, Author A Voluptuous God

“A wonderful and ‘perfect’ book. Highly recommended.”
-Rabbi David A. Cooper, Author God Is a Verb

“[God of Love] will expand your vision and inspire your search; I recommend it with great joy.” -Andrew Harvey, Author The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism

“At home in the three great Abrahamic traditions, Mirabai Starr takes us on a deeply personal journey 'Toward the One,' exploring aspects of the 'God of Love' as seen through the eyes of Jewish, Christian and Muslim mystics. This is a book which will delight the seeker of sacred connections between these traditions and those who look forward to a day when Jerusalem, the city shared by all these faiths, will be a house of prayer for all people."
-Reb Netanel Miles-Yepez, Co-Author A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters

Editorial Reviews

Review

“God of Love celebrates the mystical and social justice teachings of the world's three monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This is a passionate defense of the hidden and often unacknowledged treasures of these complex and volatile paths.”—Spirituality & Practice, Awarded one of S&P’s Best Spiritual Books of 2012

“Maybe if Starr were less of a storyteller, her style would be less invitational, but she writes about the three Abrahamic religions as a woman in love, not as a tenure-hungry prof. The result, bearing the brilliance of her surname, plaits a strong braid from the essences of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: God is love. She writes about the three Abrahamic religions as a woman in love, not as a tenure-hungry prof.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“The radiance of this book lies in the heartfelt and intelligent way it constructs a bridge not only between the three religious traditions but, equally important, a bridge between the moments when we recognize and know this God of love in our own lives and the moments when that love becomes invisible—obscured by clouds of anger, disbelief, sorrow, or despair.”—Tikkun.org

“Mirabai Starr’s new book, God of Love – A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, will be disconcerting to many in an arena that seems sometimes to have been written to death – the complexities of the Abrahamic faiths. The interconnections Starr explores seem novel but obvious at first. As the interconnections accumulate, though, familiar sacred texts become powerful and compelling in new ways, a source of hope for those who’ve concluded that Abrahamic violence is forever intractable.”—The Interfaith Observer

“As a writer Starr is bold and daring and her love for God comes leaping off the pages. Her enthusiasm is so great, it’s hard not to get caught up in it.”—Patheos.com

About the Author

MIRABAI STARR is an adjunct professor of philosophy and world religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos. As a teenager, Starr lived at the Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community that has honored all the world’s faith traditions since its inception in 1967. At Lama she encountered many of the leading teachers and timeless traditions of diverse spiritual paths: Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Jewish, Christian, and Native American. This ecumenical experience was formative in the universal quality that has infused her work ever since. Starr is best known to readers for her acclaimed translations of Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross, and The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life by Teresa of Avila.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing (April 30, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983358923
• ISBN-13: 978-0983358923
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mirabai was born in New York in 1961 to secular Jewish parents who rejected the patriarchy of institutionalized religion. Intellectual, artistic and socially conscious, they were active in the anti-war protest movement of the Vietnam era.

As a teenager, Mirabai lived at the Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community that has honored all the world's faith traditions since its inception in 1967, and where she holds lifelong membership. It was at Lama that Mirabai encountered many of the leading teachers and timeless teachings of diverse spiritual paths: Hindu; Buddhist; Sufi; Jewish; Christian and Native American. She was especially influenced by Ram Dass, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and the teachings of Murshid Samuel Lewis. This ecumenical experience became formative in the universal quality that has infused Mirabai's work ever since.

Mirabai has been an adjunct professor of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos since 1993. Her emphasis is on making connections between the perennial teachings found at the heart of all the world's spiritual paths, in an effort to balance action with contemplation and engage in a life of conscious service.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A feast for the soul April 30, 2012

By David Perez

Format:Paperback

Mirabai has written a stirring and elegant book that combines scholarship and memoir and soul, a journey not only about her, but a guide for us. Using quotes from the three monotheistic religions and other holy texts - and also Einstein! - the author shows us how to embrace the ordinary, how to accept the gift of stillness, and how, through sacred service, we can "circle the reciprocity. " A book to keep by your bedside.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Scholarship from a Spiritual Lioness May 4, 2012

By Brady S Coleman Jr

Format:Paperback

Prof Starr took the very real risk, in her new book comparing the three Abrahamic religions, of being labeled a fuzzy headed "New Ager" from "hippie Taos, NM," all too ready to find 'peace and love and warmth' in both the bitterly fought semantics, and the gory self serving histories, of the monotheistic faiths she explores.

So, strikingly, not only does she emerge free from the stereotypes that lesser minds might (superficially) invoke from her background, she blesses us with an astonishingly hard headed, precise, scholarly rigorous, tough, and perhaps most pleasing of all, considering the antediluvian libraries of commentary on her subject matter, she rewards us with a delightfully fresh take on what some of us had imagined was material only available for buzzards -- or creatively castrated tenure track academics.

Kudos to Mirabai. More than anything, more than anything significant in what her scholarship might synthesize, and more than anything gorgeous in the mental marvels she reflects, is that she... inspires; Prof Starr inspires us in ways we thought we had become too cynical to confess. In a global culture now given to a (falsely rendered) 'triple crown' of the major faiths now engaged in beastly, and often seemingly despairing, terror, -- Prof Starr delivers hope, and inspiration, and yes, to those of us who thought we had become too abject to use such a word, but use it I shall now, she has given us 'love' -- the word also so appropriately used in her title "The God of Love." Thank you, Mirabai, and May God Always Bless You & Love You.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful exploration into the heart of the Abrahamic religions. April 23, 2012

By UrbanDervish

Format:Paperback

In God of Love, Mirabai has explored the core teachings that unite the three faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Using examples from the lives and teachings of the great mystics and saints from these different traditions, plus sharing her own experiences as well, Mirabai weaves a beautiful tapestry which reveals that at the heart of these religious traditions; it is Love, Mercy and Compassion which make up their most essential teachings. This book is a beautiful exploration of these three faiths which any open minded and open hearted seeker would benefit from.