For the Love of God (Hardcover)


The soul’s yearning and heart’s devotion find voice in over two dozen original essays by many of the world’s most respected religious thinkers, here discussing their own personal relationships with the Divine–how it manifests in their lives and work, and how that relationship first developed.

Introduction

The main purpose of the anthology is to reaffirm the common denominator of all religious teachings: an individual’s personal relationship with God. To do so, we have approached some of the world’s leading spiritual and psychological figures to write not about their religion, but about their personal relationship with God; their day-to-day, moment-to-moment experiences.

We have been blessed, as have many readers of this anthology, with the lifetime adventure of seeking a spiritual journey. It has led us to teachers and gurus, churches and synagogues, books to be poured over, lectures to be attended – to do, in short, what we could to learn more about God and ourselves. We found that many of these teachers and institutions try to help individuals develop a personal relationship with God, but, despite their best intentions, the very nature of the organizations and schools can interfere with that relationship. Our intention in bringing together this labor of love is to help foster an individual’s ability to realize and cultivate a personal relationship with God in his or her life.

For the Love of God was written with the premise that a spiritual foundation is the basis on which all the elements of our lives rest. Strengthening this foundation does not necessarily derive from being more pious, dogmatic, or sacrificing, but from an intimate understanding of our connection with God in every aspect of our lives.

With this in mind, each author in this collection has created an expression of personal spiritual vision. Each has shared what it is like to have a personal relationship with God, how this relationship developed, and how it manifests in his or her life, relationships, and career. Most significantly, the authors offer their insight as to how readers may enhance their connections with a higher source.

Although some authors use the name God, others the Great Spirit or higher power, and others the Dharma, readers can clearly understand that underlying almost all of the multitude of spiritual followings, a common denominator unites what may otherwise be seen as divergent beliefs. It is at this fundamental level that this book is aimed: a unifying foundation of spirituality that unites each of us.

What a wonderful experience it has been to be associated with the authors of this collection and to discover that they are living examples of their basic teachings. The contributors gave freely of their time, their thoughts, and, in many instances, their patience. They asked for nothing in return but the opportunity to share with readers what they have discovered to be true for themselves.

We created this anthology not in an effort to put forth a particular point of view, but rather as an expression of our desire to grow as individuals and to cultivate a greater understanding and sense of beauty of the universe we live in.

A significant portion of the profits fro For the Love of God will be donated directly to a United Nations charity. We hope it will affect many lives in a positive way.

– Benjamin Shield, Ph.D.
– Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

Afterword

The contributors of this anthology share with us the understanding that our experience of God is a process of continual unfolding. We are daily recreation our relationship with God with our faith and in our actions. It is a process of allowing ourselves to be clear, seeing God reflected in all the experiences of life and its creations, especially ourselves. For some of us, a single event acts as the catalyst and major source of insight to our spiritual dimension. For others, a more gradual awakening takes place over a lifetime. In either case, every activity, every communication, and every venture is a reaffirmation of our personal relationship with God.

Rather than attempting to define God, we may cultivate an observance of God in action in our daily lives. God can be seen all around us when we quiet our minds enough to listen – when we open our hearts to the beauty that is before us. God doesn’t change, for it is what it is. What does change is our own understanding. In one instant we can see God in a child and in the next, a beautiful sunset. Everything within us as well as everything around us becomes a mirror of God.

We may consider the possibility that God is not something separate from ourselves, but a part of us. As the authors in this collection explain, God is always present and does not need to be “found,” but rather the obstructions keeping us from experiencing God need to be taken away. There is not place and there is no time that God is ever absent; just places and times where we may fail to be aware of God’s presence. We find God by looking within and looking all around us.

Embracing God is an act of embracing ourselves as well as embracing the circle of life all around us. We will all find our personal truth as how to best do this. We do not have to search to embrace God, for God’s presence is already with us. The authors suggest that we can embrace God through presence, kindness, work, love, compassion, humility, prayer, community, and gratitude. We do not have to wait for a particular time or place to best embrace God, but simply create the space in our lives for God to enter. There is no less of God found in a single flower than in a church or synagogue. We need not embrace God out of a sense of fear or dogma or reward, but to realize the divinity that we are a part of and that is a part of us. We find that each activity becomes a prayer and that, through us, God is always present.

There are many paths to discover what some may call God, others the dharma or truth, and others the Great Spirit. The contributors suggest that the quest for this discovery may best be sought through our own inner experience. The tools for discovering God exist for us at every moment: by being present and mindful, by opening our hearts, by softening our ego boundaries, by being aware of our senses and emotions, we can discover the truth and the divine that has always existed for us. No two persons will travel the same path of discovery. However, there will be much common ground as we leave ourselves open to discover the wonders and beauty of God. With time our understanding of God increases to include all of humanity, even cultures and people who are vastly different from ourselves. And as each of us travels on our separate journeys, we may realize that this is the purpose for which we took birth: to discover God, to discover truth, to discover ourselves.

– Benjamin Shield, Ph.D.
– Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

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