Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship Book

SECOND REVIEW, MARCH 2008:
There will be many revisions of this review because I will probably have to read and re-read this book for my entire life just to fully absorb it.

Freaking Thomas Moore. He grabs my soul where no other nonfiction spiritual author has managed. The other night, I craved some spiritual comfort (don't' even talk to me about opening my bible right now! :), and his words jumped from the pages and balmed my broken soul. Let me share some of my favorite passages from the last chapter i read:

On page 258, he just finishes a story about a nun who "lost her faith." To sum up he says something profound.

"There is a Job-like mystery in human suffering and loss that can't be comprehended with reason. It can only be lived in faith. Suffering forces our attention towards places we wound normally neglect. The nun's attention had long been focused on her spiritual practice, but then she was forced to look at her own heart without any spiritual props or lenses. She had to learn that faith comes not only from the spiritual life and high revelations, it also comes as an emanation from the depths, a starkly impersonal reality from the most personal place...we have to arrive at that difficult point where we don't know what is going on or what we can do. That precise point is an opening to true faith."

On page 260, "This is the goal of the soul path - to FEEL EXISTENCE; not to overcome life's struggles and anxieties, but to know life first hand - to exist fully in context."

on page 262, after embracing your soul work..."Then your soul, cared for in courage, will be so solid, so weathered and mysterious, that divinity will emanate from your very being. You will have the spiritual radiance of the holy fool who has dared to live as it presents itself and to unfold personality with its heavy yet creative dose of imperfection."

FIRST REVIEW, MARCH 2007:
Being a student of classical literature, I have very rarely found nonfiction that can speak in the same language to which I am accustomed. This book is deeply profound and challenging--perhaps the most evocative approach to psychology, philosophy, and mythology that I have ever encountered.

It is especially helpful to those who enjoy literature. It is artistic and aesthetic, yet still very, very helpful for practical use and everyday living. I have found myself challenged deeply towards personal and spiritual fulfillment, and have been recommending the book to everyone that I know.

My husband and I read it together and are continuing to sift through its richness. No other book has been able to so completely shift my spiritual and psychological paradigm effectively. This is a must read.