Myth and Ritual In Christianity [Paperback]

Alan Watts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1971

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (June 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807013757
• ISBN-13: 978-0807013755
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth a careful reading and pondering, July 24, 2006

By 

Charlie Brown "djholman2002" (Mars, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Myth and ritual in Christianity (An Evergreen book) (Paperback)

Alan Watts, as many readers know, was a famous popularizer of Asian spiritual traditions (particularly Zen Buddhism) in Britain and America. At least this is the common conception of him. Actually he was also a compelling popularizer (in the best sense) of comparative religion. He often contrasted "Western" religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) with "Eastern" ones (Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism). Of course the first group are also Eastern - West Asian (Israel and Arabia) in their origins. But some readers may not know that Watts was raised as a Christian, and returned to that faith at least once in his later years. In fact, his greatest contribution may be the one he made to Christian spirituality, a tradition he knew even better than Zen Buddhism. His critiques of Christian doctrine as usually (mis)understood are profound and potentially transforming. Therefore I feel that this work "Myth and Ritual in Christianity" and the earlier "Behold the Spirit" are two of his very best. If you have read only his later and better-known works, you may be very surprised by this. But his message of joy in life, consciousness-expansion, and love were never better expressed. This book is particularly recommended to those who (like Watts himself) were raised as Christians but who since have explored Eastern Asian spiritual traditions. All the great truths are hidden in your own back yard - you just have to find them.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity liberated from the merely parochial, January 16, 2005

By 

Robert L. Rose (Blooming Glen, PA, 18911-0064, Bucks County,United States)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Myth and Ritual In Christianity (Paperback)

I first read this book in 1976, after a few years of Christian fundamentalist practice, and it revolutionized my understanding of faith, Christianity and religion. After the demonization of sacramental or liturgical traditions I accepted for a time in Bible-believing circles, Watts enabled me to appreciate the Catholic tradition of my youth as a mystical, universal, even alchemical source of wisdom and liberation for those in search of wisdom.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exhaustive study of Catholic ritualistic practices, May 13, 2003

By 

Ross James Browne (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Myth and Ritual In Christianity (Paperback)

This book is a comprehensive and thorough, yet narrowly focused study on Christial ritual - specifically the gesticulations and gyrations associated with the Catholic mass. Protestants have always had a very difficult time understanding why Catholics do things the way they do, and now this book might help shed some light on this mystery. Even as a non-Catholic I was able to get a lot out of this book, but it must be approached with an open mind. Anyone who is dead set against the idea of elaborate, symbolic church rituals might find this book to be unfathomable. But if you look into the symbolism and psychological parallelism of these rituals, you will find that there is profound meaning and significace to what might have earlier appeared to be mere suprstitious incantation. This book is worth reading if you are curious as to the deeper philosophic significance of the actions performed at the Catholic mass, and non-Catholic Christians will be able to look into some of the religious secrets they have been missing.