I wrote this book with an old friend and colleague, Dr. Harold Bloomfield. Each of us brought to it over 30 years of experience, both as spiritual seekers and spiritual teachers. Harold's clinical background as a psychotherapist and my background as a teacher, interfaith minister and writer were perfectly matched for what I believe is a profound psychospiritual work.
“What is more important than making peace with God? Drs. Harold Bloomfield and Philip Goldberg give us a wonderful opportunity to find our own unique path to the Divine and rediscover ourselves in the process.”
- Spencer Johnson, M.D., author of "Who Moved My Cheese?"
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It's for anyone who wants to create an intimate relationship with the Sacred, or deepen one that already exists. It’s for anyone who struggles with the Big Questions: “Who am I? Who or what is God? What’s it all about?” It’s for anyone who wrestles with issues of doubt and faith, whether they’re long-time followers of a religious tradition or newcomers to the spiritual path. It’s for anyone who feels disappointed by God, or wounded by religion, or unworthy of divine love. It’s for anyone who yearns for what the Bible calls “the peace that surpasses understanding”—even those who say they don’t believe in God or religion, for everyone longs for higher meaning and a deep connection to the larger whole.
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, the book is for you:
· Have you ever turned away from God—or thought God turned away from you?
· Do you sometimes feel guilty for betraying any of your spiritual values?
· Do you ever feel unworthy of receiving God’s love?
· Do you ever wonder if your life means anything in the great scheme of things?
· Do you sometimes get angry at God?
· Do you sometimes feel that God has disappointed, or even betrayed you?
· Have you ever doubted God’s existence?
· Do you sometimes feel bitter toward religious leaders or institutions?
· Do you ever feel afraid of God’s wrath?
· Do you ever wonder why God allows evil, natural disasters and the suffering of innocents to happen?
· Are your spiritual beliefs in conflict with those of your family or your religious heritage?
· Are you struggling to find purpose or meaning in your life?
· Are you afraid of death and what comes after it?
· Are you often frustrated by your lack of spiritual progress?
· Do you yearn to experience—or re-experience—God’s presence?
If you bring to the book your highest intention and your full attention, you will, on your own terms, be able to:
· Become partners with God in co-creating your reality
· Clarify your understanding of God
· Resolve your doubts and restore your faith
· Look God in the eye without guilt or shame
· Resolve your anger, even your rage, toward God
· Forgive God (and yourself for breaking with God)
· Create a mature relationship with God, based on dignity, integrity and truth
· Accept yourself and be what you truly are
· Come to terms with your mortality
· Resolve your feelings toward spiritual institutions and authority figures
· Transform your fear of God into awe and wonder
· Lose your terror of the inner depths
· Renew your sense of meaning and purpose
· Strengthen your commitment to your spiritual path
· Draw closer to the pure light and love of the Divine.
· Live your spirituality and keep your promises to God and yourself
· Discover your fundamental covenant with God
· Enjoy the bliss of deep peace
And remember, you don't have to believe in God to make peace with God.
No matter what our faith—whether we are Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim; whether we think of God as masculine or feminine or neither or both; whether we are formally religious or spiritual independents; even if we don’t like the word God at all—we are each seeking the same thing: To make peace with the supreme mystery we call God—and finally be at peace with ourselves.
To many of us that seems like an impossible goal. Perhaps we’re enraged at the seeming injustice of an illness, a financial loss or the death of a loved one. Perhaps we are facing our own mortality. Perhaps we are suffering from a crisis of self-worth: Do we measure up in God’s eyes? Or a crisis of faith: Does God really exist, and if so, why do terrible tragedies happen?
But that peace is within our reach. Drawing from depth psychology and the spiritual wisdom of all traditions, Drs. Harold Bloomfield and Philip Goldberg offer a practical, compassionate program for finding unity with God and experiencing the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical blessings that follow. In addition to exercises and reflective processes, readers can draw upon descriptions of nine religious “personality drives” to better understand their personal relationship with God.
Bloomfield, a renowned psychiatrist and author of the classic How to Survive the Loss of a Love, and Goldberg, a spiritual counselor and Interfaith Minister, address in depth all the major conflicts that come between us and the Divine. Chapters such as “Why, God, Why?” and “Am I Good Enough, God?” show how to deal with anger and disappointment toward God, feelings of guilt and shame before God, fear of God, resentment toward religious institutions, and other vital spiritual issues.
Making Peace with God leaves us with a renewed understanding of our place in this sacred universe and a clearer sense of our unique spiritual challenges. Most of all, it leads us to the peace that surpasses understanding, lifting the veils that separate us from the Holy. For we are each a piece of God yearning for the peace of God.
No matter what our faith – whether we are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Muslim; whether we believe in the Torah or the Tao Te Ching; whether we love Jesus or Buddha; whether we think of God as masculine or feminine or neither or both; whether we are formally religious or spiritual independents; even if we don’t like the word God at all – we are all looking for the same thing: To make peace with the supreme mystery we call God – and finally be at peace with ourselves.
To many of us that seems like an impossible goal. Perhaps we’re enraged at the seeming injustice of an illness, a financial loss or the death of a loved one. Perhaps we are facing our own mortality. Perhaps we are suffering from a crisis of self-worth: Do we measure up in God’s eyes? Or a crisis of faith: Does God really exist, and if so, how can events such as the tragedies of September 11 happen?
But that peace is within our reach – so say Harold Bloomfield, M.D. & Philip Goldberg, Ph.D. in their new book, Making Peace With God: A Practical Guide (a Tarcher/Putnam hardcover, January 27, 2003 $24.95). Evoking the wisdom of great spiritual leaders from all traditions, along with Freud, Einstein, Ally McBeal, the Rolling Stones, and others, Bloomfield and Goldberg offer a practical, compassionate program for getting from here to there – there being unity with God and the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical blessings that follow.
Bloomfield, a renowned psychiatrist and author of the classic How to Survive the Loss of a Love (over 3 million copies sold), and Goldberg, a spiritual counselor and Interfaith Minister, address in depth all the major conflicts that come between us and the Divine. Chapters such as “Why, God, Why?” and “Am I Good Enough, God?” show how to deal with anger and disappointment toward God, feelings of guilt and shame before God, fear of God, resentment toward religious institutions, and other vital spiritual issues.
Beyond that, the book speaks to the human longing to end our separation from the holy and become whole. For we are each a piece of God yearning for the peace of God.
Making Peace With God is not only good for the soul, it’s essential for good health. It can even add years to a person’s life. Scientific research cited in the book shows that religious and spiritual participation tends to enhance health and longevity. But it’s not enough to just profess belief in God. Studies indicate that a relationship with God marked by fear, anger, or frustration actually diminishes health and reduces longevity.
With exercises, self-assessment quizzes, though-provoking questions, and real-life anecdotes, Making Peace With God is for everyone who longs to resolve their doubts, restore their faith, renew their sense of meaning and purpose, strengthen their commitment to their spiritual path, and to reap the rewards of the peace that surpasses understanding.