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Of God and Pelicans: A Theology of Reverence for Life
Jay McDaniel's book discusses the understanding of God's relationship to all living things, the foundations and guidelines for a life-centered ethic, the understanding of Christian spirituality, and feminism. It is a powerful statement on justice, peace, and respect for the integrity of all creation.
- GenresTheology
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 21, 2017
The first half of this book was quite interesting, including panentheism ( the notion that the universe is "in" God, though God is also more), divine empathy, the nature of creativity, life centred ethics, and a thought-provoking discussion on animal rights.
I was unsatisfied by a watered down idea of the possible redemption of suffering as "...continuation of a sentient being's journey until completeness, shalom, is realized, after which death can be welcomed." (P. 47) Hardly sufficient justification for the extreme levels of needless or innocent suffering in this world.
The proposed solution of human vegetarianism to limit human-caused suffering is addressed in too simplistic a manner: increased grains and crops production at all costs, which might include clearing all natural woods and grasslands, is surely unacceptable, when cattle can graze certain properly managed areas so as to live in harmony with a wide variety of plant, animal, tree, bird, and other life.
But the book lost me at the description of the person who felt sorry every time she walked on grass because she knew the grass was screaming at her, and the labelling of this as a mode of spirituality. With this type of thinking, I felt too disoriented to continue, only skimming on to later sections that seemed ever farther from the type of reasoning that I could understand.
I was unsatisfied by a watered down idea of the possible redemption of suffering as "...continuation of a sentient being's journey until completeness, shalom, is realized, after which death can be welcomed." (P. 47) Hardly sufficient justification for the extreme levels of needless or innocent suffering in this world.
The proposed solution of human vegetarianism to limit human-caused suffering is addressed in too simplistic a manner: increased grains and crops production at all costs, which might include clearing all natural woods and grasslands, is surely unacceptable, when cattle can graze certain properly managed areas so as to live in harmony with a wide variety of plant, animal, tree, bird, and other life.
But the book lost me at the description of the person who felt sorry every time she walked on grass because she knew the grass was screaming at her, and the labelling of this as a mode of spirituality. With this type of thinking, I felt too disoriented to continue, only skimming on to later sections that seemed ever farther from the type of reasoning that I could understand.
July 2, 2016
Excellent review of the natural world through the lens of process theology. The last chapter, though, while very interesting is only tangentially connected to the main thesis. It is a good read if you are interested in the environment and our relationship to the world as humans.
December 6, 2009
A beautiful systematic theology that bridges the divide between panentheism and Christianity.
September 28, 2014
Very good read. The first chapter of the book basically lays out the nuts and bolts of it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews