In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.

John Paul II has made greater strides toward understanding and atoning for Rome's complicity in anti-Semitism than any other pope in history. The Hidden Pope shows how and why this rapprochement is taking place by telling the story of John Paul's lifelong friendship with Jerzy Kluger, a Polish Jew.

One summer, a Jewish man moved into a Catholic neighborhood. Every Friday the Jew would drive the Catholics crazy because, while they were eating fish, he would be outside grilling steaks. The Catholics asked him to stop, in fact, they tried to convert him.

 Finally, by threats and pleading, the Catholics succeeded. They took the Jew to a priest who sprinkled holy water on the Jew and intones:

 ...."Born a Jew.....Raised a Jew.....Now a Catholic."

 The Catholics were ecstatic. No more steak aroma filling the air every Friday evening. But the next Friday evening, the scent of barbecue once again filled the neighborhood. The Catholics rushed over to the Jew's house in order to remind him of his new Catholic "diet." When they arrived, they saw him standing over the grill. He was sprinkling water on the meat and they heard him say...

 ...."Born a cow.....Raised a cow.....Now a fish."

Some Christians can view other religions as anti-Christian whereas others see them as un-Christian. Kerr Cuhulain, a respected Neo-Pagan, wrote about the attitudes of some Christians towards his religion of Wicca: "This is exclusivism: the idea that there can only be one true faith. The same individuals who make this suggestion usually accuse any faith or Christian denomination other than their own of being anti-Christian or Satanic...We are not anti-Christian. We are simply different." Problems can occur when individuals convert their beliefs into practice. Religious minorities in Canada and the United States have been heavily discriminated against. Anti-Semitism is believed to be responsible for the largest number of serious religious attacks in these two countries. However, the Wiccan community has probably suffered the greatest on a per-capita basis. There have been incidents of lynching, attempted mass murder by stoning, shooting, assaults, firebombing and other criminal acts.

Episcopalian Matthew Fox teaches about Goddess religions.

"Matthew Fox is the only man who dares to find the connections between seemingly conflicting dogma. He is the freshest voice. He is a true Christian - one who loves, who accepts, one who ministers. The hate ridden religious right has a lot to learn from Matthew Fox. Jesus never hated anyone."

The  Gospel of Thomas supports reincarnation.

Amber called her uncle, said, "We're up here for the holiday, Jane and I were having Solstice, now we need a place to stay."

And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,

He watched his son hang candy canes all made with red dye number three. He told his niece, "It's Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style,"

She said, "Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and it's been awhile."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,

Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,

And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said,

Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch,

Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, "Is it true that you're a witch?"

His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning," and she hit the kitchen,

And it was Jane who spoke, she said, "It's true, your cousin's not a Christian,"

"But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share,

And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,

Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,

And where does magic come from? I think magic's in the learning,

Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother."

Amber's uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father.

He thought about his brother, how they hadn't spoke in a year,

He thought he'd call him up and say, "It's Christmas and your daughter's here."

He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying,

"Can I be Pagan?" Dad said, "We'll discuss it when they leave."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,

Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,

Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and

"Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ" by Andrew Harvey

Andrew Harvey's "Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ" is a strange and wonderful book about learning to become like Jesus. Harvey, a scholar, poet, novelist, and translator (he's perhaps best known for helping incite a resurgence of interest in the 12th-century Turkish poet Rumi), draws on his extensive knowledge and experience of Christian and Eastern spiritual practices to create a profound and wide-ranging meditation on who Jesus was and why Jesus matters today. The connection between this book's beginning (a summary of historical-Jesus research) and its end (a series of meditations to help believers grow more Christ-like) is perhaps best summarized by the following passage, which also conveys the sweeping momentum of Harvey's prose:

Paying attention to how Jesus acted and in what context and to what he really said--and not on the dogmas surrounding his divinity--can have the paradoxical effect of making us take him and his actions and words even more seriously and, above all, and in the highest, most urgent sense, practically.

In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.