If... Questions for the Soul [Hardcover]

Evelyn McFarlane (Author), James Saywell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1998

If you were God for a day, what would you do? If you had to remember the moment in your life when you felt the most alone, when would it be? If you were to name one event that most challenged your relationship with your family, what would you say? If your soul was a color, which color would it be? If you learned that there actually was a Heaven and Hell, what is the first thing you'd change in your life?
        The ultimate task we face in life is the process of finding and accepting our true selves, our souls. It's often too scary, too overwhelming, or too time-consuming to begin the whole introspective process of self-discovery. So we often don't look. Instead, we do such things as work harder, spend money, eat and drink more, or maybe just clean the house. But what we forget--or maybe never knew--about soul-searching is that this process can be deeply rewarding, fun, and even entertaining.
        In their bestselling series of If . . . books, If . . . (Questions for the Game of Life), If2 . . . (More Questions for the Game of Life), and If3 . . . (Questions for the Game of Love), authors Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell have reintroduced the power of the question. These "If . . . " questions have served as icebreakers, after-dinner games, and a platform for intensifying relationships with one's friends, lovers, and self. Now, in If . . . : Questions for the Soul, they present a phenomenal collection of questions that will help you begin your soul search. These questions will inspire and challenge you and guide you to a deeper understanding of your soul.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When it comes to understanding one's inner spirit, one's raison d'être, asking the right questions is often more important than finding the right answers. If...: Questions for the Soul does just that--providing a book full of key questions that can unlock mysteries or at the very least provoke some interesting dinner-party conversations. Questions include the following:

If you had to name the single most important ingredient for a spiritual life, what would you say it is? If you were to describe your attitude toward sin, what would you say? If you were to describe a way in which the soul of a person is tested, what would you say?

Although authors McFarlane and Saywell (If...: Questions for the Game of Life) avoid inserting their own conclusions or theories, the list of questions has an underlying goal. According to the authors, "This fourth collection of If...: Questions... is designed to help us explore--at our own pace, and to varying depth--that most hidden and essential part of ourselves." As a result, some questions have the weight of serious contemplation, while others offer a playful entry into the lifelong challenge of knowing one's soul. --Gail Hudson

From the Inside Flap

If you were God for a day, what would you do? If you had to remember the moment in your life when you felt the most alone, when would it be? If you were to name one event that most challenged your relationship with your family, what would you say? If your soul was a color, which color would it be? If you learned that there actually was a Heaven and Hell, what is the first thing you'd change in your life?
The ultimate task we face in life is the process of finding and accepting our true selves, our souls. It's often too scary, too overwhelming, or too time-consuming to begin the whole introspective process of self-discovery. So we often don't look. Instead, we do such things as work harder, spend money, eat and drink more, or maybe just clean the house. But what we forget--or maybe never knew--about soul-searching is that this process can be deeply rewarding, fun, and even entertaining.
In their bestselling series of If . . . books, If . . . (Questions for the Game of Life), If2 . . . (More Questions for the Game of Life), and If3 . . . (Questions for the Game of Love), authors Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell have reintroduced the power of the question. These "If . . . " questions have served as icebreakers, after-dinner games, and a platform for intensifying relationships with one's friends, lovers, and self. Now, in If . . . : Questions for the Soul, they present a phenomenal collection of questions that will help you begin your soul search. These questions will inspire and challenge you and guide you to a deeper understanding of your soul.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Villard (October 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679456368
• ISBN-13: 978-0679456360
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 6.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If...you need a moment of peace in a busy life, November 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: If... Questions for the Soul (Hardcover)

I'm an honours student in my senior year of university. This keeps me busy from dawn til well after dusk, so I haven't spent much time thinking about anything aside from deadlines, stress, and sleep for the past year. When I do get the occasional spare moment, I party, shop, spend time with friends or watch television - but I certainly don't contemplate my soul.

Luckily, I recently had some free time due to a power outage in the late evening. All of the people I live with ended up congregating in a room and one of them opened this book and began reading (or rather, questioning) from it.

What resulted was a relaxing and revealing hour or so in which I got to know myself and everyone there at a deeper level. Many of the questions involved elements of my "spirituality" that I'd never even thought of before. Everyone came up with their own answers - and some questions we couldn't begin to answer at all. This was why I best liked it though - the book isn't one that tries to pretend it can give you the answers, and the questions were original and stimulated a lot of conversation.

I would highly recommend this book for your nightstand, for your best friend, or someone you'd like to know better. It's something you can pick up and start anywhere with, do in small pieces, or read from cover to cover - easily.

It ranks with books like "Chicken Soup...", "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff..." and "Life's little instruction manual"

There isn't a lot of content to the book (after all, it's only questions)- but that's the special touch that each individual reader will provide.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly stimulating, fun, moving, and connecting, January 8, 1999

By 

John Markarian (Santa Rosa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If... Questions for the Soul (Hardcover)

It is difficult to describe the impact of this book... It is so simple, yet you may never find a more effective window to your soul, your relationships, your self-image, your most treasured "lost" memories, and your sense of spirituality. The times in which we live rarely allow us to take the time to be calm and contemplative, to put our lives into perspective, to appreciate our relationships with friends, the world, or our spirituality. At the risk of belittling the value of this book, I would almost describe it as a "spirit pill", a nearly instantaneous redemption of the ability to reach inside. Its questions capture your mind and soul, and the few moments of thought that are stimulated by each question seem to linger with you and color your action for days to come.

My wife and I have used the book to defuse disagreements, to stimulate an evening of (god forbid!) wonderful conversation. We gave this book as a gift at a housewarming, and the dozen or so people present found themselves still sitting in an absorbed circle of shared experiences at 2 AM.

You can spend 5 minutes or 5 hours with this book and come away enriched. You can wake up with a question or go to sleep with a dreamquest. It will, in the best sense, allow you to continuously regain and rejuvenate your direction, purpose and value.

On a scale of 5, it can only be described as a 6!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing....., December 1, 1999

By 

Daisy Andry - See all my reviews

This review is from: If... Questions for the Soul (Hardcover)

After reading the reviews on this book, I decided on the spot to order it. Although it has many thought-provoking questions in it, they definitely arn't life changing. It is a decent book, but it didn't meet my expectations. If you are a very religious or spiritual person, this may be your style.