God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

by Mirabai Starr

Overview

God of Love is Mirabai Starr’s passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths. She shares an overview of essential teachings, stories of saints and spiritual masters, prophetic calls for peace and justice, and for the first time in print, deeply engaging narratives from her own spiritual experiences. She guides readers to recognize the teachings and practices that unify rather then divide the three religions, and sheds light on the interspiritual perspective, which celebrates the Divine in all paths. It is Mirabai’s hope that this book will serve as a reminder that a dedication to lovingkindness is the highest expression of faith for all three religions.

EARLY REVIEWS FOR God of Love

“Mirabai Starr takes us out dancing with the One. God of Love is a confluence of the currents of Judaism, Islam and Christianity all emptying into the great ocean of Love.”
—Ram Dass, Author Be Here Now

“In a time of division between people, this book — which is a masterful blend of research, storytelling, poetry, and memoir — is like a sacred magnet, pulling on the spiritual heart of all seekers.”
—Elizabeth Lesser, Cofounder, Omega Institute; Author, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

“Mirabai Starr writes of the divine from a luminous gene inherited by only a few. We hear The True Song in each word she attributes to the holy. It is more than just her song; it is the Melody of the Spheres translated by an astute musician. We are always touched by the genuine in her call to the reader to love and love well, to see with the sacred eye of beauty.”
-Ondrea & Stephen Levine, Authors Embracing the Beloved

"Mirabai's book has brought me great consolation."
-Daniel Berrigan, S. J. activist-priest; Author, No Gods but One

“This book brilliantly reminds us that in the heart of the Abrahamic traditions there burns a singular divine flame.”
-Rev. Robert V. Thompson, Author A Voluptuous God

“A wonderful and ‘perfect’ book. Highly recommended.”
-Rabbi David A. Cooper, Author God Is a Verb

“[God of Love] will expand your vision and inspire your search; I recommend it with great joy.” -Andrew Harvey, Author The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism

“At home in the three great Abrahamic traditions, Mirabai Starr takes us on a deeply personal journey 'Toward the One,' exploring aspects of the 'God of Love' as seen through the eyes of Jewish, Christian and Muslim mystics. This is a book which will delight the seeker of sacred connections between these traditions and those who look forward to a day when Jerusalem, the city shared by all these faiths, will be a house of prayer for all people."
-Reb Netanel Miles-Yepez, Co-Author A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780983358923
Publisher:	Monkfish Book Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/30/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	176,241
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

MIRABAI STARR is an adjunct professor of philosophy and world religions at the Universityof New Mexico-Taos. As a teenager, Starr lived at the Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community that has honored all the world’s faith traditions since its inception in 1967. At Lama she encountered many of the leading teachers and timeless traditions of diverse spiritual paths: Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Jewish, Christian, and Native American. This ecumenical experience was formative in the universal quality that has infused her work ever since. Starr is best known to readers for her acclaimed translations of Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross, and The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life by Teresa of Avila.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

The Interspiritual Quest

Toward the One 11

The Unity of the Divine

All Creation Praises God 23

Stewardship of the Earth

Reluctant Prophets 37

The Divine Summons

Longing for the Beloved 55

The Illusion of Separation

Radical Wonderment 69

Faith in the Absence of Proof

Welcoming the Stranger 83

Table Fellowship

Sacred Service 103

Compassionate Action

Mercy 129

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Indwelling Presence 153

The Feminine Face of the Divine

Still Small Voice 171

Contemplative Life

Fire and Wine 191

The Path of Suffering and Exaltation

Afterword 209

Walking the Interspiritual Path

Gratitude 221

Notes 225

Recommended Reading 229

Editorial Reviews

Maybe if Starr (Dark Night of the Soul) were less of a storyteller, her style would be less invitational, but she writes about the three Abrahamic religions as a woman in love, not as a tenure-hungry prof. The result, bearing the brilliance of her surname, plaits a strong braid from the essences of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: God is love. Starr’s interspiritual quest (a birthright, she asserts) follows the same formula in each chapter, covering topics such as suffering, silence, and the feminine. Each begins with quotations from the three religions’ holy books and seekers, then follows scenarios that define the theme in a warm second-person voice; for example, in the chapter “Welcoming the Stranger,” Starr, a workshop and retreat leader, describes doors you open—or do not. After knowledgeable and humbling descriptions, she lays out the religions’ teachings and profiles practitioners, for example, Christianity’s Dorothy Day, Judaism’s Baal Shem Tov, and the Sufi ecstatic Rabia Al-Adawiyya. In the nonfluffy afterword, Starr nudges travelers on the three paths, following her sure-footed approach. (Apr. 24)

Publishers Weekly

“God of Love celebrates the mystical and social justice teachings of the world's three monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This is a passionate defense of the hidden and often unacknowledged treasures of these complex and volatile paths.”—Spirituality & Practice, Awarded one of S&P’s Best Spiritual Books of 2012

“Maybe if Starr were less of a storyteller, her style would be less invitational, but she writes about the three Abrahamic religions as a woman in love, not as a tenure-hungry prof. The result, bearing the brilliance of her surname, plaits a strong braid from the essences of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: God is love. She writes about the three Abrahamic religions as a woman in love, not as a tenure-hungry prof.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“The radiance of this book lies in the heartfelt and intelligent way it constructs a bridge not only between the three religious traditions but, equally important, a bridge between the moments when we recognize and know this God of love in our own lives and the moments when that love becomes invisible—obscured by clouds of anger, disbelief, sorrow, or despair.”—Tikkun.org

“Mirabai Starr’s new book, God of Love – A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, will be disconcerting to many in an arena that seems sometimes to have been written to death – the complexities of the Abrahamic faiths. The interconnections Starr explores seem novel but obvious at first. As the interconnections accumulate, though, familiar sacred texts become powerful and compelling in new ways, a source of hope for those who’ve concluded that Abrahamic violence is forever intractable.”—The Interfaith Observer

“As a writer Starr is bold and daring and her love for God comes leaping off the pages. Her enthusiasm is so great, it’s hard not to get caught up in it.”—Patheos.com

From the Publisher