Cultivating Belief

This book explores how a group of Victorian liberal writers that included George Eliot, Walter Pater, and Matthew Arnold became attracted to new theories of religion as a function of race and ethnicity. Since the early modern period, British liberals had typically constructed religion as a zone of personal belief that defined modern individuality and interiority. During the 1860s, however, Eliot, Arnold, and other literary liberals began to claim that religion could actually do the most for the modern self when it came as a kind of involuntary inheritance. Stimulated by the emerging science of anthropology, they imagined that religious experiences embedded in race or ethnicity could render the self heterogeneous, while the individual who insisted upon selecting his or her own beliefs would become narrow and parochial. By rethinking the grounds of religion, this book argues, these writers were ultimately trying to shift liberal individualism away from a classical Protestant liberalism that celebrated interiority and agency and toward one that valorized eclecticism and the capacity to keep multiple values in play. More broadly, their work offers us a new picture of secularization, not as a process of religious decline, but as the reinscription of religion as an ordinary feature of human life—like art, or politics, or sex—whose function could be debated.

This book was conceived out of numerous experiences with diverse groups of people I have met over the years. Most of my experiences stemmed from my extroverted personality, starting from my relatively big family of ten—Dad and Mom and eight children, four boy and four girls. And subsequent into my school with the belief that all humans are by nature good, I could speak with anyone, foreign students from all countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe, and of course, regardless of whether they are black or white or their genders or sexual orientations. As a result of my extraverted personality and the ability to engage in discussion with anybody, along with my friendly and inquiry-driven mind, those cumulatively provided me with the window through which I enhanced my interest and that fostered meaningful understanding of people from various cultures. Through collaborative engagement with people, I made great friends who trusted me and confided in me, and in return, I trusted and confided in them. We did a lot together; it was the best of times.

Based on author's thesis (doctoral)--Yale University.

Lived faith involves doctrines, evidences and rational coherence—but it includes much more. Philosopher Clifford Williams puts forth an argument as to why certain needs, desires and emotions have a legitimate place in drawing people into faith in God. Addressing the strongest objections to these types of grounds for faith, he shows how the personal and experiential aspects of belief play an important part in coming to faith and in remaining a believing person.

Self-doubt and negativity can be major roadblocks on the path to manifestation. "The Alchemy of Belief" equips you with powerful tools to transform doubt into unwavering faith in your ability to achieve your dreams. This book tackles the challenges of overcoming negativity, limiting beliefs that whisper insecurities, and the self-criticism that can hold you back. Learn how to cultivate unshakeable belief in yourself through practical exercises, build resilience against negativity, and develop the mindset of a true manifester. This book is your guide to becoming an alchemist, transforming the lead of doubt into the gold of unwavering faith.

"Living Beyond Belief: The God of No Religion" explores spirituality beyond traditional religious confines, advocating for a personal connection with the divine that transcends dogma. Through introspective reflections and philosophical insights, the book invites readers to embrace a liberated and inclusive approach to spirituality, emphasizing the universal essence of human connection and the limitless potential for personal growth outside the boundaries of organized religion.

Yoga Beyond Belief offers a unique vision of contemporary yoga. It integrates scientific and practical approaches providing a much-needed integrative perspective that complements existing yoga books for all levels and styles of yoga students. Serving up a collection of valuable insights gleaned from a lifetime of exploration, practice, study, and teaching by one of America’s pioneering and leading teachers of yoga, the book assists readers in making sense of the many discordant claims and teaching techniques that currently exist in the yoga world, freeing readers to pursue their own individual paths of yoga and personal practice. This is an essential text and reference for all yoga practitioners. The book first sets a context for an open-minded and evolutionary approach to yoga practice, and then explains the core principles of the many branches of yoga. A clear foundation is given for how the physical practices of yoga work to produce remarkable results of health and well being. The chapter Injury, Pain, and Healing shows how to prevent injuries and how to heal injuries should they occur. The reader is given a wealth of sophisticated of tools, insights, and anecdotes gleaned from a lifetime of practice and teaching to develop, hone, and tune his or her personal yoga approach. This book makes yoga come alive for the reader. The book concludes by going beyond the physical aspects to the heart of yoga. It illuminates and gives insight into the discovery of non-dogmatic forms and evolutionary approaches to meditation and spirituality. It presents a clear argument showing the pitfalls of regimented systems and how to make everything in daily life part of yoga practice and spiritual development. Ganga White gives us his unique and creative perspectives on a time-tested discipline for a healthy and vital life. Entertaining and thoroughly readable, this book offers a coherent explication of yoga, its philosophy and practice. White’s integrative views will inspire beginners and accomplished yogis to trust their inner wisdom and creatively reassess their practice. He is a great storyteller and gives us his personal and creative perspective, breathing fresh air into an ancient discipline. Yoga Beyond Belief offers an original, integrative approach to body, mind, and spirit that is practical, inspiring, and full of valuable insights to enliven and inform anyone’s yoga practice.

Wie beeinflussen Botschaften aus dem Fernsehen unsere Wahrnehmung über die soziale Realität? Meistens konzentrieren sich Kultivierungsstudien zu dieser Frage auf die Medieneffekte. Doch das vorliegende Buch wählt einen neuen Ansatz und stellt die kultivierenden Botschaften in den Vordergrund. Das Buch behandelt, was Botschaften sind und wie sich uniforme von genrespezifischen Botschaften und Metanarrativen unterscheiden. Es werden verschiedene theoretische und fachliche Perspektiven zusammengebracht und das neue Botschaftskonzept 'Subgenre-Botschaften' vorgestellt, welches die Veränderungen der Medienlandschaft hin zum Online-Fernsehen berücksichtigt. Die computergestützte Simulationsstudie zeigt, inwiefern sich manche Botschaftskonzepte mehr ähneln als andere, und demonstriert, dass Subgenre-Botschaften am robustesten gegenüber Verzerrungen sind.