11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The common teaching of all traditions ancient and modern, February 10, 2002
This review is from: The Message That Comes From Everywhere: Exploring the Common Core of the World's Religions and Modern Science (Paperback)
Gary Beckwith noticed that, although there were a lot of books that dealt with the underlying thematic unity of the world's religions, there weren't any really good _introductory_ books on the subject. So he wrote one.
He did a nice job. His presentation is clear without being oversimplified, and he gets the point across without overstating it.
The central theme of the book is that God is One in a deep theological sense -- that, ultimately, reality itself consists of One Mind, omnipresent, all-pervading, describable as both "love" and "light," and present in some special manner in the human soul. This message Beckwith finds not only in all the world's religions but also in modern science.
Beckwith himself was raised Jewish and picked up on this theme when he heard the Shema in synagogue one day ("Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad," or "Hear, Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is one"). Somewhat alienated from his childhood faith, he'd been practicing meditation under the instruction of Lawrence LeShan's 1974 book _How to Meditate_ (an excellent book, by the way) -- and upon hearing the Shema in a new way, he began to wonder whether "God is One" referred to the "oneness" reached via meditation.
So he started checking around. And what he found was that, not only did Judaism teach this very "oneness," but so did all the other religions he could find.
Perhaps surprisingly, he learned (mostly, it seems, through Fritjof Capra's _The Tao of Physics_) that modern science taught something remarkably similar. So there's a chapter here on science as well. The discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library seem to shed some light on the nature of Near Eastern religion during the period when Judaism and Christianity split (and thereby demonstrate that this common message was once less deeply buried than it now is), so he devotes a chapter to these texts as well. A pair of closing chapters suggest that this common teaching can also be found in our everyday lives and that it tells us something about why we're here.
The whole presentation is well handled and filled with examples of "parallel" sayings from the various religions and wisdom traditions. And it will probably provide a helpful jolt to the reader who hasn't previously encountered the "message that comes from everywhere."
And to his great credit, Beckwith doesn't try to insist that all religions are identical in every respect. First of all, it's only too obvious that they're not; Beckwith limits the commonality to a set of "core" teachings, not to every single aspect of every single religion. Moreover, he's careful to describe the parallels as similarities rather than identities -- and strictly speaking, every similarity that falls short of identity is also a difference. So in Beckwith's hands, the world's religions don't all ooze together into some sort of undifferentiated grey goo; each retains its own character and identity, ringing its own particular changes on the underlying message of unity.
That means it can be read by an adherent of any faith or none. And _that_ means it's well suited to Beckwith's overarching purpose: promoting peace by emphasizing the common message of religion and science. His hope is that, rather than insisting that one religion is right and all the others therefore just fancy ways of going to hell, we may be able to recognize with respect that there is a truth common to all religions.
This book is best read, I think, by someone to whom this common-core-of-religions stuff is fairly new (and of course that's Beckwith's purpose in writing it). Beckwith also includes a helpful bibliography full of suggestions for further reading. But as Beckwith himself will tell you, there won't be much new here for the reader who has already covered this ground. His primary aim is to spread the word, not to cement our understanding of it.
My own recommendations, for whatever they're worth: depending on your interests, you could follow up with Larry Dossey's _Recovering the Soul_, Huston Smith's _Forgotten Truth_, John Hick's _An Interpretation of Religion_, Aldous Huxley's _The Perennial Philosophy_, Alan Watts' _The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are_, Douglas Harding's _On Having No Head_, any of Stephen Mitchell's translations of the world's spiritual literature, or (for children) Etan Boritzer's _What Is God?_. (I've reviewed several of these.)
There are lots of others, of course, and many of them are more specific to certain religious traditions than the handful I suggested (for example, Rabbi David Aaron's _Seeing God_). But if you're new to this literature, you can feel safe starting with Beckwith's book; it's very well done.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Is world peace possible through religion and science?, February 26, 2002
This review is from: The Message That Comes From Everywhere: Exploring the Common Core of the World's Religions and Modern Science (Paperback)
When I heard about The Message That Comes From Everywhere, my first thought was that someone had finally come up with an easy-to-read book that examines the similarities among the world's religions and science.
Growing up in a culturally mixed household that included both Eastern and Western values, I always wondered how God could possibly punish good, non-Christian people, something I learned in church school. The idea that these people--my friends--would go to hell for not embracing Christianity was both perplexing and disturbing. This confusion was reinforced when I watched war films in which Catholic priests blessed both Allied and Axis troops before going into battle. It was even more disturbing to learn that Christians, Moslems, and Jews all worshipped the same God, but killed and maimed each other in His name. Early on I developed a belief that God was much bigger than religion, it was the only way I could rationalize what was happening in the world.
This belief was always in the back of my mind, but I never quite had the motivation or time to look into the matter. The need to pore over dozens of archaic, arcane academic and religious books was enough to keep me away. However, my curiosity never waned, especially when I first learned about the physics of energy--the idea that it is everywhere and cannot be created or destroyed. Why is that so? And just what is it? Could it represent God? Could it be God?
Beckwith's book is perfect for people wishing to quickly explore the similarities among the world's religions and science. In essence, Beckwith has done the research I've always wanted to do. He painstakingly documents similarities and backs up his findings with quotes from scores of scriptures and texts. He also offers a fascinating examination of modern scientific research and its possible relationship to God.
However, the book goes beyond a simple reporting of findings. Beckwith invites readers to clear their minds of preconceived notions and to become receptive to new thoughts and ideas. This is important because the teachings of many religions and political philosophies discourage the consideration of new ideas, or connect ideas with future cataclysmic events. Furthermore, the scientific community often ridicules those questioning the current paradigm. Those with closed minds will not benefit from this book. For example, if you don't believe in God you might conclude that Beckwith's work has no value. This attitude is unfortunate because Beckwith's discussions could open up your thinking to a new perception of the world, one that includes the possibility of God. However, at the same time he does not preach or proselytize--had he done this, I would have put the book down immediately.
Beckwith does not have a hidden agenda. He clearly states from the start that his only goal is to increase understanding among the world's people, an understanding that will eventually lead to world peace. In fact, Beckwith cautions readers to be aware of those using religion, politics, and science for pecuniary gain. Although Beckwith's arguments sometimes seem pie-in-the-sky and verge on the pollyanna, there's no denying that if everyone focused on the similarities of the world's religions--most of these are at the core belief level--instead of the differences, the world would indeed be a much better place. This is especially critical given the increased violence in the world following the terrorist atrocities in New York.
The Message That Comes From Everywhere is a fascinating book. It makes you think and will prompt readers to do further research into themselves and into the religious and scientific topics discussed in the text. Beckwith conveniently includes an index and an annotated bibliography for those wishing to learn more. However, a glossary containing brief background information about the persons and texts quoted throughout the book would have been extremely helpful. Without this information, some of the quotes lose context and meaning. Furthermore, the scope of the book needs to be better defined. Beckwith does say at the beginning that he focuses on fundamental and native religions but doesn't really explain why. For instance, he excludes Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology without explanation.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beckwith's book and recommend it to anyone curious about God or the possibility of God in today's technologically driven, violent world and how He can bring about peace and a brotherhood of man. Impossible? Ridiculous? Open your mind and read the book before you decide.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Thoughtful Treatise of Unity, November 19, 2001
This review is from: The Message That Comes From Everywhere: Exploring the Common Core of the World's Religions and Modern Science (Paperback)
Gary has written a very thought provoking book. Although somewhat controversial in content, he presents a well thought-out treatise on the commonalities of many of the world's religions. His book is exceptionally easy to read, and entices the readers to reexamine their old dogma. The book does not try to force the user in one way or another, but effectively promotes the idea of "unity of kindred". I recommend this book for those who have lost interest in the religions, and as a supplement for those who have embraced one religion or another, and want to further their understanding of how all the various religions have an elemental tie into each other.
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