Conferences Books

I bought this book at the Harpers Ferry Park bookstore. It is a great book that tells you anything you need to know about the Harpers Ferry area. Everything from memorable floods, to the Civil War, to the buildings, and people that shaped the town. It includes great photos and maps. It was first written in 1983. The 20th Anniversary edition is the one I own. It's a shame Amazon no longer carries it. If you ever visit the park, you must get this book!!

All of the books from the BYU Women's Conference are wonderful, uplifting, entertaining, and surprisingly candid.

This is one of the latest collections of papers dealing with the global spread of English and thus offers some interesting papers by the most notable scholars in the field. Particularly interesting is Kachru's collection of resources for teaching and research which I used extensively for my own work.

This is a collection of papers delivered at a conference held at the Library of Congress May 5-6, 2005 commemorating the bi-centennial year of Joseph Smith's birth. The seventeen papers are divided into five parts. Each part, except the third, presents a main paper with other scholars, many of them non-Mormon (but not hostile), discussing the points made in the first paper and providing additional points about the topic. The overall theme of the conference is captured by the title, Joseph Smith has become an even larger figure in American (and World) History and has to be understood in multiple ways and in many contexts. He defies the simple dismissal that many of his critics have used to avoid dealing with him in a serious way. These dismissals have failed for more than a century and a half and continue to lose power and momentum.

The five sections are:

1) Joseph Smith in His Own Time. Richard Bushman presents his reasons for seeing Joseph as a world figure and one that must be seen other than the tiny boxes of his past critics. He discusses many authors and their views, but uses the arguments of authors Fawn Brodie and her derivative views, John Brooke and his hermetic gnosticism ideas, Jan Shipps with her insider-outsider status, and Harold Bloom and his literary critic approach to Joseph and what Bloom sees as a brilliant resuscitation of gnosticism.

Robert Remeni, Richard Hughes, and Grant Underwood provide commentary on these ideas that are enlightening, informative, and at the end each reader can choose what ideas and arguments he finds persuasive and which he can set aside, at least for now.

2) Joseph Smith and the Recovery of Past Worlds. While this section centers on the Book of Mormon, but also of his translation of the Bible, the books of Moses and of Abraham, and so forth. Terryl L. Givens provides a very interesting opening paper and Margaret Barker provides additional insights that are even surprising coming from a non-Mormon. For me, however, the most important paper and the one with the strongest points is provided by John Clark, an archaeologist and anthropologist from BYU whose Ph.D. is from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Clark's paper lays out the powerful notion that a work of fiction should correspond to nothing in the real world and get less true over time. He shows what the early critics of the Book of Mormon said and how the subsequent evidence as required multiple revisions in the critics' arguments. Clark also shows how supporters and critics have both done Joseph a disservice through misunderstanding the realities of the book and Joseph's role in bringing it forth rather than as its author.

John Welch also presents a powerful paper on how to weigh evidences in the Book of Mormon.

3) Is a paper given by Dallin H. Oaks who was a scholar studying the life of Joseph and his critics as a younger man, but who is now an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He talks about the personal life of Joseph and his life as a husband, father, and founding of the Church. There is also a picture section that shows us what materials were on display at the Library of Congress during the conference.

4) Joseph Smith in the Theological World. These papers discuss the doctrine that Joseph revealed and its relation to other religious traditions. How it challenges all of them in various ways, and yet includes so much. I enjoyed the examination of Mormon Christology. However, I do take exception with those who are basically advising the Church to moderate its doctrine and to become more "mainstream". Thanks, but no thanks.

5) Joseph Smith and the Making of a Global Religion. These papers, all but the last by non-Mormons, discuss Rodney Stark's famous claim from awhile back that Mormonism, given its range of growth trends, would have a membership of more than 250 million by 2080 and would be a world religion, the first to rise since Islam. The critics all take exception to these statements in various ways. One of them sees the LDS Church as comparing even unfavorably to the Jehovah's Witness movement. As usual, they see the growth of the Church slowing and becoming just another relatively small sect. Jan Shipps defends her statement that Mormonism does represent a new religious tradition and does so quite well. The last paper, by Roger Keller, who joined the Church as an adult, shows a different view of the growth and world significance of the faith.

While I found the papers very interesting and picked up some new views of some things that I am grateful for, I was also disturbed at the idea of the rise of Mormon Studies programs at various universities. Why would this disturb me? For several reasons that I can only state briefly. First, the gospel and its doctrines is not something that is subject to intellectual debate nor does such examination provide a road to improve the Church. Rather, it can lead to phony disputations and generate more discord than provide help. Second, providing tenured careers will inevitably lead to revisions and new arguments and approaches. This is simply because to get a tenured job requires an original piece of scholarship. Once the simple truths are all dug up, examined, and put down on paper, the next generation cannot exist to simply transmit that knowledge. The whole institution of intellectual examination and debate exists to overthrow the previous work with something "better". However, it often is nothing but different and too often destructive.

Third, and this is what bugs me the most, is that these degreed and tenured people will become authorities and consulted about the Church. And they will be forming the minds of young people for generations. Yet, in the reality of the Church, they have no authority and their opinions are actually meaningless. However, it will not be seen that way in the press and in academic circles.

This is a fine book that anyone interested in Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will want to read.

A delightful read! I started and couldn't put it down until I'd finished the entire book. It contains wonderful stories of an instution that began as an Orphans' Home right after the War Between the States. It has very detailed research that will more than satisfy the historian -- especially those interested in Georgia history, Methodist history, Civil War history, etc. Lister states that he has plans for follow-on volumes and hope this book prompts others to tell their Home-related stories. I do to; those stories were definitely highlights and put a human face / voice on what can sometimes be viewed as an impersonal institution. I look forward to much more from this writer!

Défrichant un domaine peu connu, cet ouvrage inverse la problématique courante en montrant l'imprégnation de la grande littérature européenne par le yiddish et les résurgences de ce dernier, souvent inattendues. Excellent ouvrage dans non moins excellente collection

Don't be fooled by the title, which was added by the editor of Midstream. This is basically Michael Melchior's statement to the infamous 2001 Durban Conference "against" racism. This statement was actually delivered on September 3, 2001 by Mordechai Yedid, the head of the Israeli delegation to the conference.

I've often pointed out that although Zionism is Jewish nationalism, it is in fact merely the application of human rights for all to a group of humans (namely the Jews). Well, if that's true, what did Zionists such as Herzl think of human rights for, say, Blacks? Melchior points out that Herzl was strongly in favor of such rights, and that he felt that Jews could empathize with Blacks in this respect as both groups had been slaves and both had been deprived of their rights.

Some folks at Durban pretended that they were "anti-Zionist, not antisemitic" but Melchior shows this to be a lie. He points out the "despicable caricatures of Jews that fill the Arab press and are being circulated at this conference." And he asks about modern ad hoc libels, such as Israel using poison gas, or depleted uranium bullets, or injecting babies with the Aids virus. Are they the same in spirit as ancient blood libels? It sure looks that way to me.

Melchior gets to the root of the problem, namely that today, generations of Arab children "are being deliberately and systematically indoctrinated with textbooks stained with blood libels and children's television programs dripping with hatred." And he reminds the audience that his own cousins, "two little daughters and their brother lost their legs only a few weeks ago in a terrorist attack on a bus carrying children to school." Clearly, the "vicious libels, the delegitimization, and the dehumanization" at the Durban conference will just make matters worse.

Melchior quite rightly fears deeply for the victims of racism. Such people had high hopes for the Durban conference, but instead saw it turn into farce. As he tells us, instead of learning from history, Durban buried history. The conference perverted the values entrusted to it for political ends. And instead of serving the victims of racism, it perpetrated yet another atrocity.

I AM IN RCIA AND THIS BOOK MAKES UNDERSTANDING THE INFO I AM GETTING IN CLASS MUCH EASIER.

recommended to those learning the catholic faith. very good contents according to tradition and scriptures

I teach theology. In my experience, the large, green, second edition is worth buying even if you have another edition. It alone contains a glossary of terms that richly pulls together many pages of text into 20 words to give a deep, complete understanding at a quick glance. If you intend to use the book more than two or three times a month, I strongly recommend the hard cover edition because the paperback binding begins to fail under frequent usage.

Peace be with you!
A Sinner

This book is a must have in any Catholics home library. It is definitely reader friendly!

As a very minimum, this book should be in every Catholic home, next to the Holy Bible. No more questions concerning the Catholic Faith, it's foundation and beliefs. Excellent teaching tool, and great reference for non-Catholics interested in researching Catholic beliefs, and the Church's foundation.

I picked up this book as next in a series of books looking at why countries go to war. Given Germany's propensity for such since it's unification, this material seems to fit my quest. Summarily this book covers the mood of the times closing out one war and at the same time laying the pretext for the next. WWI was the culmination of a new world order, one that like its beginning could not wait for diplomacy to work its magic. I say this with the understanding that war is the final step in diplomacy. This book describes the final phase of the Wars' diplomacy. With regard to German apt for WWII, the stab-in-the back, felt in 1919 is all the further you need to look. With regard for the apt for German apt for war, I must read on before I recommend the removal of the allied boot upon the German neck.

One by one Central Powers countries were laying down their arms. In September of 1918 when Austria- Hungry withdrew, the German generals sued for an armistice soon after. The Armistice was signed in November of 1918. Keep in mind armistice is a cessation of fighting not surrender. Treaties of some sort had to be hammered out in quick time as to alleviate a resumption of war. Ironically, troop withdrawal and a general consensus of the people of the world led to a fait accompli on unfinished business. The Treaty of Versailles was therefore a document to settle and end to a war that had a precarious beginning. A beginning that officially took place in 1914, but like a summer thunderstorm, was long in the making.

In the minds of the world and in particular the so-called "Great Powers" they saw the armistice and the world in their own self serving way. Their agenda had every appearance to secure a world order with their respective Empires in tact and their place as Great Powers in enforce. With such a daunting task of organizing a new world order the Great Powers created an organization where by they would meet daily through the first six months of 1919 and decide on boarders and mandates over the peoples of the world. There were planetary committees that were either self appointed and organized or directly assigned by the great powers to a specific study. Hence, not included in these six months of deliberation was Germany. They sat at home preparing to defend their stab-in-the-back.


[...]

A wonderful, well written, comprehensive history of the end of the Great War.More importantly, a great review of the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, the result of the Paris Peace conference causing perhaps most of the problems facing us today. An extensive looke at Palestine, the Balfour agreement and the existance of Isreal today.

Insights and shortsights leading to our current situation, in the Orient.

http://cigarroomofbooks.blogspot.com/2007/12/paris-1919.html

There is no shortage of books that cover the post-WWI peace process. There isn't much to distinguish this one from the rest. As a generalist history, it doesn't have much depth to it or much new insight. The writing is good but not great. There is no new ground uncovered. And I suppose it can serve as a replacement for libraries who have thrown out or sold the older books on the topic.

But the special flaw of this book is with regard to Lloyd-George and his government. The book is almost delusional on the subject and the author is seemingly incapable of showing any reasonable perspective on the subject. Its almost at the level of attempting to rehabilitate a man and a set of policies that were buried in disgrace eighty or ninety years ago.

The author's understanding of post WWI germany is poor. She seems in places to be rather unaware of the civil war in germany after the war. She also seems not to understand that a peace treaty that banned civilian aviation and the construction of tractors in germany wasn't remotely possible. She also wants to assert that the peace process actually made germany stronger in europe and that any german complaint about the process was unjustified.

The ultimate conclusion the author wishes to make (on poor evidence) is that Lloyd-George was a great hero of history, the treaties that ended the war were flawless and that nothing that happened after in history can be blamed on what happened in Paris in 1919. And of course that if only the United States had been tougher on Germany after the war, things would have been better.

And for a book so fanatical about LLoyd-George, its beyond odd that the conclusion deals with his post-paris career in four lines. Wilson gets pages, but there is scant coverage of the years of foreign crisis everywhere from Ireland to India to Russia to Turkey to Iraq to Palestine that plagued his government and which all had their roots in the peace treaties. For all of what was going on at the time in Ireland, the book offers no more than two sentances. Its almost a willful blindness.

One other note on the book. The introduction by Richard Holbrooke offers good insight into the mindset that led to and supported the US invasion of Iraq. It doesn't take much reading between the lines to see the allusions were drawing at that time. The first gulf war ended with a "mistaken" false peace with Iraq (just like germany) and the only solution was full occupation of Iraq. The wheel has however turned again and Wilsonian idealism has yet again been buried in America.

There is a certain breed of American history writer who likes to fill the narrative with gossipy things like the protagonists favourite breakfast food and whether they have a mistress. Margaret McMillan is such a writer. One can see this as making a human connection filling out a dull historic narrative or simply padding.

Between the wars the discussion about the Paris peace treaty was whether it was to punitive and if it led to the rise of Nazism. Maynard Keynes in fact wrote a book on the topic. The book is an attempt to revisit that issue and to also talk about the changes which remade the map of Europe.

In 1917 the Russian Empire was overthrown and the Bolsheviks took power. The Austo-Hungarian Empire collapsed and Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland emerged as independent nations. The Ottoman Empire was occupied and the remaining imperial powers Britain and France carved up its territories.

The reality is of course that it was not Versailles that led to the Nazis taking over. The German conservatives rejected the move to a democratic state. It was only after the disaster of the second world war and the enormous loss of lives and territory that all Germans rejected war and moved to accepting that the future lay in developing as an industrial rather than a military power.

One debate that would be interesting but is not touched on in the book is how idiotic Wilson's ideas were. He believed breaking up states on the basis of the ethnic base of the people living there. Hungary for the Hungarians that sort of thing. This was meant to end conflict and lead to a peaceful world. As an ideology it is repellent. It led to the justification by Hitler to destroy Czechoslovakia and the rationalisation for countless acts of aggression and border disputes. Rather than this racial approach the modern approach to the formation of states is to create democratic institutions and the protection of individual rights so that diverse groups can live together and resolve conflict through the state institutions.

Still most writers see historical debates through the prism of previous debates so that issues such as this are seldom discussed. Not a bad historical overview of the period

This is very good reading about the Catholic church Catechism. It very readable in a very simple language that everyone can follow.
Thanks.

This book is helpful in explaining the Catholic faith, what we believe and why we believe it. In addition to the Holy Bible this book will help you to deepen your relationship with God. It provides the reader with clarity and opens up a better understanding of Catholic tradition that has been handed down over the centuries.

I found this a balanced approach as well as a style which maintains interest, for the RCIA adult reader as well an RCIA Coordinator. Particularly well done is the lead in to each chapter, which contains the life of a saint, thereby providing the new Catholic reader with a form of Church history which inspires and educates.

The US Catholic Catechism for Adults provides an easy to read and thought-provoking introduction to the Catholic faith. As a person converting to Catholicism, I have found the chapters easy to read and short. Each chapter begins with a story about an American clergy person or saint. From here, the chapters discuss key issues related to faith, sacraments, or living a moral life. The end of each chapter offers interesting discussion questions and a summary of key points. This text can be used for RCIA programs or for individuals wanting an brief introduction to the Catholic faith. For those wanting a more definitive outline of the policies of the Catholic Church (and who have a little bit more reading time), the Cathecism of the Catholic Church (about 822 pages in lenght) should provide that and more.

This does not have all the doctrinal points of the stock CCC, but that's a good thing. This catechism is more like a high school history book which makes it easier (depending on how you did in history I guess) to get the nuggets of wisdom that we can apply to our every day lives, and to help us grow in the faith. At the beginning of each section is the story of a saint, and this story leads into the topic at hand. Following each topic is a review and quiz. Instead of bogging you down with doctrinal points it clearly and adequately explains several tenets of the Catholic faith in an easy to follow manner. This seems like it could be useful in a classroom setting. I enjoy studying it.