The Other Side of the Story

This volume, which contains work covering a period from the 1980s into the second decade of the 2000s, is necessarily only a selection of the larger set of observations on topics I have written about. Unavoidably there is some repetition, as some figures and topics were especially influential and recurring, but I hope that each essay provides an opportunity for deeper engagement with the issues and ideas discussed. Indeed, they remain relevant to our time whether the subject is Jewish Christian relations, the study of cults and the new age, the popularity of atheistic critiques of religion, the reformative experiences of women, the distinctive Jewish mindset and its approaches to science and spirituality, and finally art as the last refuge of the spiritually inclined yet traditionally challenged. Finally, a word about the title, Another Side of the Story. It should be apparent that I have not taken the route of examining religion as 'sacred literature,' the compendium of stories and wisen sayings which one may reflect on in a comfortable chair under a lamplight. On the contrary, the words on the page only become 'religion' in the strong light of day, when interpreted by current leaders and enacted by living beings, through a constellation of practices that are usually held in place by organisations that ensure their survival. Unavoidably, their expression is not perfect, sometimes it is misguided and even contrary to the tradition's original intention, but in all cases it is a matter of discussion and debate. In most of these essays, I bring 'the other side of the story' to that being propounded or popularly assumed about the subject, which I hope adds to the record of understanding of religion as lived in the light of historical and current events, scholarship and the spiritual aspirations of our time.