Beyond the Threshold is the first book to seriously consider the interplay between traditional world religions and metaphysical experiences in exploring the timeless question of what happens when we die. Christopher M. Moreman examines and compares the beliefs and practices of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, as well as psychic phenomena such as mediums and near-death experiences. While ultimately the afterlife remains unknowable, Moreman's unique, in-depth exploration of both beliefs and experiences can help readers reach their own understanding of the afterlife and how to live.

"This is the story of a religiously motivated young woman who was manipulated, turned into a fanatic, and only gradually came to her senses - all because of a religious organization working in the highest echelons of the Roman Catholic Church: Opus Dei, "God's Work." Much has been written about Opus Dei, which during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II has become the most powerful organization in the Roman Catholic Church. Described as a "Holy Mafia" by its critics, "The Work," as it is known, has been charged with secrecy, elitism, reactionary politics, and questionable financial practices. But no one until now has described the inner workings of Opus Dei, from its goals and methods to the actual day-to-day activities of it members, with as much thoroughness and detail as Maria del Carmen Tapia." "The author describes what she calls the making and unmaking of a fanatic. There is the devious recruitment, the forced estrangement from her family, the indoctrination, life in the "Golden Cage" of Opus Dei's governing center in Rome, her years as head of the women's section in Venezuela, her sudden recall to Rome, where for seven months she was held virtually prisoner, and finally the reprisals after she left the organization." "In this strongest indictment of Opus Dei to date, Maria del Carmen Tapia reveals the dark side of "The Work": its duplicity, questionable recruitment practices, shocking disregard for human rights, and the unwholesome cult of its founder."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Rue Claridge's cousin Elisabeth had disappeared, and Rue was determined to find her. But she never dreamed that when she followed Elisabeth's footsteps, she would find herself more than one hundred years in the past…and in jail, courtesy of Marshal Farley Haynes. She knew Farley was baffled but intrigued by her modern ways—and Rue was just as fascinated by the rugged marshal. Enough to dream that maybe he could live in her modern world and find a place with her on her Montana ranch. But could she ask him to choose between everything he had ever known…and a future with her?

In The Threshold of the Visible World Kaja Silverman advances a revolutionary new political aesthetic, exploring the possibilities for looking beyond the restrictive mandates of the self, and the normative aspects of the cultural image-repertoire. She provides a detailed account of the social and psychic forces which constrain us to look and identify in normative ways, and the violence which that normativity implies.

A great international bestseller, the book in which, on the eve of the millennium, Pope John Paul II brings to an accessible level the profoundest theological concerns of our lives. He goes to the heart of his personal beliefs and speaks with passion about the existence of God; about the dignity of man; about pain, suffering, and evil; about eternal life and the meaning of salvation; about hope; about the relationship of Christianity to other faits and that of Catholicism to other branches of the Christian faith.With the humility and generosity of spirit for which he is known, John Paul II speaks directly and forthrightly to all people. His message: Be not afraid!

This collection brings together a wide range of views on the conceptualization and measurement of social exclusion and the indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of policies for combating social exclusion.