Customer Reviews

Like Catching Water in a Net: Human Attempts to Describe the Divine

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I have read a large number of books on our understanding of God. A number of things make this the best one

1. It is suitable for most faith groups. I am convenor of the NSW Women's Interfaith Network (WIN). At our last meeting I read excerpts from the first three chapters of this book. From 15 members, there were 20 oders for the book. They came from Hindu, Sikh, Bahai, Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church,Jewish and Quaker members.

2. The book quotes many of the previous writers on this subject, eg. Rosemary Radford Ruether, Karen Armstrong Dorothee Soelle, Elizabeth Johnson, Sallie McFague, Elie Wiesel, John Hick, Hans Kung, Rabindranath Tagore,Keith Ward,Meister Eckhart, Carol Christ and Thomas Merton, integrating them, but drawing out conclusions which are deep and clear. I particularly like the chapter on the divinity of Jesus, and the way it leads on from a discussion of the use of the Bible.

3. The book quotes, Hindu (eg Swami Prabhavananda and Mascaro), Jewish (eg Kushner), Muslim (eg Van der Weyer) , Buddhist (eg Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai)sources, as well as oponents of the idea of God, and many novels which deal with the ideas in different ways. I am on my third reading and still finding it fascinating.

This is the book I've been waiting for. It's for the thousands of people who miss the faith community of the church, but cannot reconcile their intellect with what they hear from the pulpit. It's for the millions of people who call themselves "spiritual" but are unable to fully accept one religion lock, stock and barrel. This can be a lonely place, and it turns out there are an awful lot of us being lonely together.

Val Webb reveals the development of Christian thought (and its resonances with other religious traditions throughout the ages) in a scholarly but totally accessible way. What is truly revelatory, however, is how little of what we hear from the pulpit is in line with modern progressive Christianity. Why on earth are ministers not honestly preaching what they undoubtedly hear in theological college? Why are they "dumbing down" for the sake of a congregation that they assume only want simplistic absolutes? If more of the clergy had the courage to communicate what is going on among the key contemporary thinkers of Christianity I have no doubt the churches would be full.

This book is full of those "ah ha" moments where your ill formed and too-frightening-to-say-at-study-group thoughts are articulated with stunning clarity, honesty and good humour. Thank you Val Webb for treating the average person in the pew with such respect.

Give it to all your friends. This book will change lives.

"Like Catching Water in a Net" has just been named the winner in the Religion:General category of the USA Best Books 2007 Awards.

Val Webb isn't out to prove the existence of a god, but to point out imitations of the Divine nature from the literature on the world's religions. Thus her survey includes a range of world beliefs, from Buddhism and Hindu mystics to early Mesopotamians and the Aboriginals of Australia. The result is a critical challenge to the thinking processes of traditional Christianity and a challenge to readers to broaden their view of what constitutes spiritual thinking. Spirituality collections will find it invaluable.