The Left Hand of God

出版者:Michael Joseph

作者:Paul Hoffman

页数:436

出版时间:2010-1

价格:120.00元

isbn号码:9780718155193

具体描述

The unholy alliance of the Political Right and the Religious Right threatens to destroy the America we love. It also threatens to generate a popular aversion to God and religion by identifying religious values with a pro-war, pro-business, pro-rich, anti-science, and anti-environmental stance. Over the past few decades, the Republicans have achieved political dominance by forging a union with the Religious Right. This marriage has provided a sanctimonious veneer for policies that have helped the rich get richer while ignoring the needs of the middle class and the poor, dismantling environmental and civil liberties protections, and seeking global domination. The Right champions the materialism and ruthless selfishness promoted by unrestrained capitalism and then laments the moral crises of family instability and loneliness experienced by people who bring these commercial values into their homes and personal lives. In response, the Religious Right offers insular communities for the faithful and a culture that blames liberals, activist judges, homosexuals, independent women, and all secular people for the moral and spiritual emptiness so many Americans experience. Yet, however distorted both the Right's analysis and its solutions to America's spiritual crisis may be, it wins allegiance by addressing the human hunger for a life with some higher purpose. The Left, by contrast, remains largely tone-deaf to the spiritual needs of the American people. It is the yearning for meaning in life, not just the desire for money or power, that lies at the core of American politics. Addressing the central mystery of contemporary politics -- why so many Americans vote against their own economic interests -- The Left Hand of God provides an invaluable, timely, and blunt critique of the current state of faith in government. Lerner challenges the Left to give up its deeply held fear of religion and to distinguish between a domination-oriented, Right-Hand-of-God tradition and a more compassionate and hope-oriented Left-Hand-of-God worldview. Further, Lerner describes the ways that Democrats have misunderstood and alienated significant parts of their potential constituency. To succeed again, Lerner argues, the Democratic Party must rethink its relationship to God, champion a progressive spiritual vision, reject the old bottom line that promotes the globalization of selfishness, and deal head-on with the very real spiritual crisis that many Americans experience every day. Lerner presents a vision that incorporates and then goes far beyond contemporary liberal and progressive politics. He argues for a new bottom line in our economy, schools, and government. This is a fundamentally fresh approach, one that takes spiritual needs seriously in our economic and political lives. Presenting an eight-point progressive spiritual covenant with America, Lerner provides a blueprint for how the Democratic Party can effectively challenge the Right and position itself to win the White House and Congress. By appealing to religious, secular, and spiritual but not necessarily religious people, The Left Hand of God blazes a trail that could change our world and reclaim America from the Religious Right.

作者简介

Paul Hoffman studied English at New College, Oxford before becoming a senior film censor at the British Board of Film Classification. He lives in the United Kingdom.

读后感

在西方基督教的教义里，将基督视为上帝的右手，是上帝在人间的代理者，行使正义与公正，以拯救受难的世人。做为一种微妙的平衡，上帝的左手则并不常常为人所提及，一般将之视为上帝的惩罚，做为人类罪恶之审判者的威慑令人胆寒。据说印度诗人泰戈尔也曾经有过类似的表达，即：...  

故事的开始，就被毫无头绪的黑暗牵扯着，看的我一阵头晕目眩，烦躁的不得了。没有历史背景的描写，没有故事缘由的交代，一开场，扔给读者的就是一个充满绝望毫无生气的圣殿。然后是对圣殿这个地方冗长繁复的文字描述。我向来对这样的句子没有抵抗力，很难快速消化。 还好，主...

故事的开始，就被毫无头绪的黑暗牵扯着，看的我一阵头晕目眩，烦躁的不得了。没有历史背景的描写，没有故事缘由的交代，一开场，扔给读者的就是一个充满绝望毫无生气的圣殿。然后是对圣殿这个地方冗长繁复的文字描述。我向来对这样的句子没有抵抗力，很难快速消化。 还好，主...

故事的开始，就被毫无头绪的黑暗牵扯着，看的我一阵头晕目眩，烦躁的不得了。没有历史背景的描写，没有故事缘由的交代，一开场，扔给读者的就是一个充满绝望毫无生气的圣殿。然后是对圣殿这个地方冗长繁复的文字描述。我向来对这样的句子没有抵抗力，很难快速消化。 还好，主...

故事的开始，就被毫无头绪的黑暗牵扯着，看的我一阵头晕目眩，烦躁的不得了。没有历史背景的描写，没有故事缘由的交代，一开场，扔给读者的就是一个充满绝望毫无生气的圣殿。然后是对圣殿这个地方冗长繁复的文字描述。我向来对这样的句子没有抵抗力，很难快速消化。 还好，主...