127 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, November 24, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying (Paperback)
I've read both of Dr. George G. Ritchie's books. His first one Return From Tomorrow, co-authored with Elizabeth Sherrill, was powerful, enthralling, positive and full of hope. I was so inspired by chapter four, when he was visited by Christ, that I completed the book in one sitting. It was with the expectation of furthering this experience that I purchased his second book, Ordered to Return.
It soon became evident, this book was not written by Sherill. The first half of the book repeated parts of his first book, giving his life after death experience. This was followed by his interpretation of that experience as he lived the rest of his life. This was interesting, but possible to put down and return to. Through a sentence here and there, his disappointments with persons and religions, that in his opinion failed to lead followers toward a loving God, began to show.
His chapter on addictions, "The Healing of an Alcoholic," was very inspiring. It described how he encouraged one alcoholic, to find God and be delivered when she didn't want either. He credited this to divine intervention.
In section three, "Searching for the Truth that Can free us to Live," he revealed his belief in reincarnation. In several places Dr. Ritchie expresses his belief in the forgiveness of all sin through Jesus' Crucifixion, but of what value is reincarnation, or to whom, was not addressed. Chapters 13-15 were depressing with rambling, disconnected thoughts, expressing his rage with organized religions and the bible, for the destruction (judgement, guilt, shame, etc.) they had caused to the patients he had been treating. This may have been good therapy for him, but a poor read for us. Since his point had been made earlier, to expand further was to belabor this point. All the good work done in the previous chapters was undone here. The reader finds himself being drawn back to antiquity to review the sins of religion, thus negating the Father's promise in the old testament not to visit the sins of the fathers on the children.
The kind gentleness that the forgiving Jesus extended to him in his life-after-death experience was not carried over by him to the sins mentioned above. This upset me a good bit. What he wrote was true but lopsided, void of the good and healing done by these same groups and writings. The effect was that I wanted to remove them and not read the book again. He wrote that his publisher asked him to rewrite these chapters when they were first submitted. One can only imagine the anger expressed in them, if the rewrites were an improvement. When Elizabeth Sherrill did the writing in the first book, Return From Tomorrow, the thoughts expressed were clear and penetrating. I highly recommend it as well as the other books she has co-authored.
If you are weak in faith or confused about God, this book will probably leave you feeling it's useless looking to any religion or to the Bible to find God or truth, which I don't think was Dr. Ritchie's intention. Dr. Ritchie does state he is a member of a church and he quotes scripture, causing confusion in a cross-purpose of ideas.
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42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must Reading!, September 9, 2001
This review is from: Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying (Paperback)
This book presents Dr. Richie's experience and what he has learned from it after a lifetime of living what he saw at age 20. His insight into today's problems and the cure is as accurate and simply put as any I've ever read. I strongly recommend you read his first book ("Return from Tomorrow") which describes his initial experience in detail before reading this one as it will give you better background information and have a deeper meaning for you. This is the book that confirms what I have felt in my heart for years. If you are searching for simple truths and answers, this is the book for you. It's sensible, matter-of-fact, down-to-Earth, and not some off-the-wall description of an after-death experience that's difficult, if not impossible to believe!
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Believable and Human, November 11, 2005
This review is from: Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying (Paperback)
Dr. Ritchie's books are some of the most believable and rational of all the books on near death experience that I've read. He passes away at age 20 while not having realized his dreams as a young man and as his spiritual self as Jesus tells him during the near death experience. "What have you done"? Jesus asks him and it becomes evident that earthly accomplishment isn't what's at stake but what has Ritchie done for others in Jesus' name and spirit. He is sent back to and given a number of years to to accomplish more spiritually motivated things.
The author goes on to relate the trials of his young life which include having to struggle to get into and complete medical school. It's such a profoundly human story and Dr. Ritchie candidly shares his imperfections and mistakes.
He then goes on to put what he learned from the death experience into his psychiatric medical practice: the acceptance of others, the desire to help and assist in healing, humilty and warmth. I liked this part the best.
What I found refreshing is that this story doesn't seem to be as "far-out" as some of the other ones I've read. It's practical and I came away feeling comforted and uplifted. It might not take a NDE to live such an inspired life but for the author, it was his best life experience. I bought the book while experiencing grief over a death of someone close and found comfort in it. I gave it to someone else who was also feeling the loss and she hasn't been able to put it down. Dr. Ritchie is a profoundly warm, humble and eloquent writer who can inspire a re-dedication of purpose defeating the seemingly destructive force of death.
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