Customer Reviews

Nonviolent People

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David Atwood has gathered both historical and contemporary words of wisdom on the spirituality, as well as the practicality, of nonviolence in today's world. The book serves both for short meditation and for longer study into the lives of those who preach and live the gospel of peace and life-affirming love for all people. Highly recommended!

All of the spiritual leaders whose works are sources for David Attwood's small collection are well-known to the world community. Volumes have been written about each, analyses of their writings abound, and their impact on world history well-documented. The temptation is to read and analyze them to the point of intellectual indigestion. But Atwood's format focuses on carefully chosen brief passages from each, followed by a short reflection and prayer. Thus, it provides the reader with the opportunity to sample and savor the wisdom of each great mind, allowing it to nourish one's own spiritual life. It is like enjoying a fine meal, one bite at a time, avoiding the experience of gluttony. The format, therefore, makes this jewel of a collection an ideal resource for stealing time out of one's day to pray. Teachers looking for brief prayers for their classes, prayer groups searching for new material for personal reflection and sharing, or anyone struggling to be faithful to personal meditation and prayer in the midst of a busy workday saturated with sound bites, news headlines, reports will find in this small book a treasure-lode gleaned from some of the greatest spiritual leaders in human history. It also provides a glimpse into global spirituality and some common ground for building bridges of understanding and exploring common values. Soccer moms and dads in a school wait-line can make of those few minutes times of soul-comforting nourishment, with this small book that will fit neatly into the glove compartment of any car or one's purse. Pastors or Directors looking for small gifts for their staff will find this book to be a small investment in a wealth of spiritual richness. Indeed, the $10.00 price is not a true indicator of its real value, but then who can put a dollar value on such spiritual wealth? Atwood has proven true the old saying, "Great treasures sometimes come in small packages." The cost of this book should not be calculated as an expense, but as an investment in one's spiritual health.

This is a deceptively simple book, small enough to carry around with you for a dose of inspiration when you need it most, but also suitable for group study and discussion.