Poll: 70% Of Americans Believe In Heaven, Only 59% Believe In Hell

Randall Radic--

What Americans believe in is quite revealing.  The latest Harris Poll (2005) indicates the following:

*82% of Americans believe in God

*73% believe in miracles

*70% believe Jesus is God or the Son of God

Now this is where it gets very interesting.  70% believe in the survival of the soul after death.  Which explains why 70% of them also believe in Heaven.  But only 59% believe in Hell.  To me, that means most people believe their souls are bound for Heaven after they die.  Why?  Is it because they’re ‘good’ or because they are counting on ‘grace’ or because they have a problem with the idea of ‘Hell?’

Inquiring minds want to know.

A lot of people have had a problem with the idea of Hell.  Probably the most notorious was Origen who, stretching the idea of free-will into infinity, found the idea of an unending Hell implausible.  Next, he considered the idea of reincarnation, which was first put forth by Plato.  Origen thought the idea had some merit, but he would not bind himself philosophically to it.  Instead, Origen decided that sooner or later everyone would choose to repent.  An idea that had been put forward by Aristotle, who determined that the Prime Mover’s grace was ‘wide,’ which meant grace was so big that everybody would be saved in the end.  This kind of thinking, of course, totally trashed the concept of Hell. 

Others who thought along the same lines included:  Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazanzus.  Needless to say, the Catholic Church did not find this amusing.  The Church called this kind of thinking ‘heretical,’ which is a fancy term for wrong-think.  Protestants called it ‘backsliding.’

The great Bishop of Hippo, Saint Augustine, spent a lot of time and energy proving that Hell existed.  His proof rested on a comparison between the perfection of God and the contamination of Sin.  In other words, Perfection could have nothing to do with Sin.  Which meant that sinners went to Hell, where they were quarantined.  That way, none of the taint rubbed off on the Goody-Two-Shoes.   

It wasn’t much of an argument, especially when one considered the underlying principles of Christianity:  Jesus on the Cross and “God is Love” and Grace and all that stuff.  The Church, though, agreed wholeheartedly with Saint Augustine.  They thought his proof of Hell was hella-good.  And anybody who didn’t agree with it was already gone to Hell.

They made sure of it.  Anybody who didn’t believe in Hell got to go there and see it for themselves.   

Poor old Origen, who died around 254 A.D., was damned to Hell for putting out the idea that everybody might go to Heaven.  Of course, they waited until after he was dead to do it.  And not just once, but on five separate occasions, with a total of fifteen charges of damnation.  They excommunicated him in 543, 553, 680, 787, and 869.

Which probably explains where we got that saying, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

Randall Radic is a former Old Catholic priest. After a midlife crisis, he spent time behind bars. Today, he has emerged a changed man.  As the author of  Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press/ Oct 2009), Radic aims to warn the public of the sins committed behind the walls of churches every day.  Randall Radic is also author of A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail, and a controversial book about the Aryan Brotherhood—Blood In, Blood Out (Headpress/ 2010).

 2028: Priest Shortage In Catholic Church Looms, 800 Million Pound Settlements

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Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Book Review: Surviving Paradise By Peter Rudiak-Gould

By Alyce Reese

Peter Rudiak-Gould signed up with the WorldTeach volunteer organization and chose to spend a year teaching English in one of the most remote locations on the globe: The Marshall Islands. Not only that, but he picked one of the most remote atolls and islands in the country at which to teach--Ujae.

In the first chapters of Surviving Paradise (Union Square Press/ Nov 2009) he relates the many ways he experienced culture shock, from his lack of comprehension of the language, to his puzzlement with how the islanders distanced themselves from him. As he got to know the islanders more, he found that he admired them in some ways, yet there were also things that they did (like how they treated their children) which were quite offensive to him. He was also surprised to find that although Ujae is remote, it is not untouched by modern culture.

I personally liked how he went delved into the complexities of the language, and the unique expressions that can be found in Marshallese, some of which express very complex ideas in a short word. There are a lot of fun and interesting definitions given in the book. But the linguistics is really only a small part of the book. The bulk of Surviving Paradise deals with Peter's struggles to come to terms with the differences between his culture and that of the people of Ujae.

This is an enjoyable and educational memoir about The Marshall Islands, the Marshallese, and one man's attempt to learn about the people, try to fit in with them, and educate them all at the same time. It is filled entertaining stories, most of which are the kind that would make you thank God that you weren't the one in those situations, but others are filled with the beauty of the land and the people.

Rating: 4/5

Peter Rudiak-Gould is currently pursuing a doctorate in anthropology at Oxford, focusing on Marshallese understandings of global warming and sea level rise. In the summer of 2007, he interviewed the President of the Marshall Islands regarding the effects of climate change. Proficient in Marshallese, the native language of the Marshall Islands, he is the author of the language textbook used by the WorldTeach volunteer organization as its official language manual for the Marshall Islands program.

Book Review: Brain Surgeon by Keith Black, MD

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Bipolar Disorder Increases 4,000 Percent In Children And Adolescents

By Lynette Fleming

What do you think would happen if childhood leukemia increased by more than 4,000 percent in children and adolescents over an eight-year period?  I imagine medical experts everywhere would be scrambling to find out why.  Yet diagnoses of bipolar disorder did just that in a recent eight-year period, mostly in boys, and no one is asking why. 

Boys at younger ages than ever before are being labeled with ADHD, Asperger’s (autism), and bipolar disorder at alarming rates.  Medication begins, often for behaviors which are simply a part of normal boy development.  The criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, provided by the American Psychiatric Association to help physicians diagnose ADHD, make it very easy to hand out this diagnosis and the medication which accompanies the condition.  The checklist of symptoms applies not just to kids who do have ADHD, but also to many who do not.  Since no adjustment is made for a child’s age, younger and younger kids who are active and inquisitive are stuck with a tag and medication which may follow them the rest of their lives.  Many of these “symptoms” given time and parental guidance would soon dissipate on their own and be forgotten.  But in today’s “pill” mentality, we are medicating (mostly boys) at younger and younger ages with common side effects of stomach upsets, weight loss, and insomnia.

Bipolar disorder is even more difficult to diagnose and to control.  When my daughter was a teen, one of her “boy” friends sat on his parents' bed and shot himself in the mouth with his father’s shotgun.  Popular, a great football player, and handsome, this young man seemingly had everything going for him.  My daughter and I stood in line three hours at his visitation, waiting to give our sympathy to his brother (who had found him) and parents.  We later learned that he had been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, for which he was taking medication.  Dr. Rao tells us, “Pills are not the only treatment for behavioral problems, let alone developmental challenges.  Nor are they always the best treatment.  Many boys respond extremely well to shifting their environment, tutoring, coaching, behavioral therapy, and changes in diet and nutrition.”

I really like Dr. Rao’s integration of cases from his clinical practice into the body of the book, as well as useful suggestions for behavior modification.  Concerned about your boy?  Before you go running to the doctor to find out whether he has ADHD, like most of his friends, read this book.  You just might find the magic pill is not a pill at all.

Anthony Rao, Ph.D., has more than twenty years of experience working with young boys from all over the country, both at Harvard Medical School and in his own practice, Behavioral Solutions. He holds a doctorate in psychology from Vanderbilt University and has trained medical residents and interns at Children's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Rao lectures nationally on topics related to kids and parents. You'll find the author online at www.anthonyrao.com

The Way of Boys by Anthony Rao, Ph.D. and Michelle Seaton

Lynette Fleming Is Coauthor of Lunch Buddies: Buddy Up for a Better Diet

Youth Suicide: 4,500 Preventable Deaths; 149,000 Self-Inflicted Injuries

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Book Review: The Unforced Error By Jeffrey A. Krames

 By Randall Radic

Zippy business books were all the rage in the 1990s.  They took some famous historical figure – a successful one – and made a connection between the historical figure’s application of some business technique and their success.  This business technique was first analyzed and then broken down into a number of precepts.  The implication was that if the reader applied the precepts to his/her business or career or managerial style, then he/she would be successful too.

It was a simple, effective and popular formula for business books.  And it resulted in some interesting titles, which the reviewer won’t mention.  Needless to say, they were innovative and catchy.  In each case, the books followed the same writing formula.  And in each case the result was the same.  The great machine ponderously devoured its bales of business lore.  Grinding, groaning, shuddering, it spewed forth its literary product:  small puffs of rainbow-hued nonsense, which was passed off as wisdom. 

What it really was, was page after page of rhodomontade and piffle.  The information disseminated was artificial, shrill, shallow and insincere.  It was simply common sense dressed up in gossamer haute couture.

Zippy business books never go out of style. 

The latest such offering is The Unforced Error (Portfolio/ 2009), which is a kind of Ten Commandments for determined business people.  It sets forth the prevailing mistakes business executives make.  And these mistakes “sabotage one’s career.”  The title of the book refers to the game of tennis.  This sporty metaphor – supposedly – aids the reader in comprehending the erudite and esoteric career advice being dispensed in the text of the book.  The author maintains that business and sports are similar endeavors, because peak performance is the goal of both.   

According to the introduction, an unforced error is one that is “committed without a cause.”  In other words, it’s a blunder.  And in tennis, just as in business, the player who makes the “fewest unforced errors usually wins.”  This statement sounds true, but closer inspection reveals it to be specious.  Because it assumes that both players are of equal ability.  Which is rarely ever true in either tennis or business. 

Sports and business do not operate in a linear, logical manner. 

The Unforced Error lists all the desirable characteristics business people should strive to attain.  Which means it’s just a rehashing of the habits of successful people – a visitor’s guide to the secrets of success.  Only Unforced Error packages these habits in tennis terminology.  For example, “keep your eye on the ball.”  One of the suggestions for accomplishing this is to “manage your time.”  In other words, know what it is you want to get done on any particular day.  Which means have a plan and prioritize. 

If that’s not patronizing enough, the book goes on to suggest the errors business people need to eschew.  Things like “don’t make the mistake of thinking you can succeed all alone.”  Or hiring, firing and promoting the wrong people can prove disastrous.  Or assume responsibility for what you do, including owning up to your personal mistakes.  Last but by no means the least is this piece of advice:  going with your strengths is more efficient than trying to fix your weaknesses.  Which sounds as if tennis players and business people shouldn’t waste their time trying to improve.  In other words, a quixotic attitude is the best one to adopt.

To the reviewer, who readily confesses he has no athletic or business talents, such advice seems implausible.  Just going with one’s strengths resembles a form of denial, which seems like a recipe for disaster. 

This sort of superficial advice, which is suggestive of a deeper wisdom, populates the book.  However, it is not deep wisdom.  It’s nothing more than Business 101 jazzed up in tennis-talk so it sounds new and indispensable. 

The modern world loves formulas for success.  They want 12-step programs for everything.  If the reader just follows the steps, they will soon be rich and famous and successful – the envy of all their peers.  Sadly, it doesn’t work that way.  And neither does The Unforced Error.

However, there is one piece of good advice in the book.  Plan ahead and prioritize.  Plan not to read The Unforced Error.  For on the Read-O-Meter, which ranges from one star (faulty) to 5 stars (ace), The Unforced Error only manages 2 stars.

Jeffrey A. Krames is the author of Inside Drucker's Brain, The Welch Way, Jack Welch and the 4E's of Leadership, and other books. He has written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, and other publications, and has also been a book editor for the past twenty-five years.

Randall Radic is a former Old Catholic priest. After a midlife crisis, he spent time behind bars. Today, he has emerged a changed man.  As the author of  Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press/ Oct 2009), Radic aims to warn the public of the sins committed behind the walls of churches every day.  Randall Radic is also author of A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail, and a controversial book about the Aryan Brotherhood—Blood In, Blood Out (Headpress/ 2010).

Nordstrom's Handbag Salesman Tells All In Retail Hell

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Book Review: The Power Of Your Child's Imagination By Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D.

Reviewed By Kendra Fleagle Gorlitsky, MD (Family Physician)

Is there a boogie man under your child’s bed? If you’re a savvy parent looking for creative and effective ways to help your child navigate the sometimes choppy waters of childhood, grab a copy of Charlotte Reznick’s recent book and keep it handy for late night frights and other childhood troubles.

Published just in time for worried parents to address their offspring’s school year struggles, it’s chock full of innovative ideas and practical strategies that harness the child’s own imagination to help solve vexing problems. For example, a frustrated kindergartner can learn to calm his anger with a special “Balloon Breath.” A seven-year-old can have a conversation with her heart to teach her to be proud of herself. Visualizing an ice-blue pillow is a technique an 11-year-old can use to cool a hot headache. And a fretful 9-year-old may get homework help from a “Personal Wizard.”

Dr. Reznick presents nine imagery techniques developed in her work as a child educational psychologist that children can access whenever they need help. Included is a mini-primer for each tool—a sample script for parents to follow, troubleshooting tips, and real-life examples. The tools are adaptable to all ages (perhaps even adults can use them!), and it’s easy to assume that their benefits will accumulate over time. She suggests that solutions are right there for the taking—in the child’s own head, full of the clever images and mysteries that children still have easy access to through their own imagination. Learning to mine that rich resource is what Dr. Reznick’s book is all about.

Having worked with children in settings from South Central LA to privileged households, Dr. Reznick provides snapshots of her clients who, surprisingly, have much in common. They are all struggling with typical childhood challenges—e.g., fear, loss, low self-esteem, peer pressure, sibling squabbles, homework problems, moodiness, and stress-related symptoms. They all have the ability to comfort themselves and help resolve their own problems if encouraged to tap their own imaginations. Kids can learn new ways to use guided imagery, writing, drawing, role playing, music, and other creative techniques, with the parent’s help, to find answers, develop coping skills, and ultimately, to be happy.

A terrific writer, Dr. Reznick guides the reader with a style that is both encouraging and understandable. Step by step, as if she is taking the anxious parent or child by the hand, she leads them where they once knew how to go and will, forever after, remember the way.Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D.

Buy the book in time to share its concepts with your friends around the Thanksgiving table. Surely all of us have relatives with a challenged child, whether it is bedwetting that keeps them from sleepovers, confused emotions over a recent divorce or death of a family member, phobias about athletic performance, or just garden-variety school avoidance—and the frequent stomachaches that go along with it. While Dr. Reznick’s material is aimed at the elementary school age group, her clever and interesting techniques have a wider application and can be used with teens. (I’m hoping there will a sequel directed at this age group.) In the meantime, share it with your friends raising, teaching, treating, or guiding children. Give it during the holiday season. It just may be the gift of a lifetime—a lifetime enjoying the power of the imagination to heal. 

Charlotte Reznick Ph.D. is an internationally recognized child educational psychologist, an associate clinical professor of psychology at UCLA, and author of a new book, The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success (Perigee, 2009, $14.95). Learn more at www.imageryforkids.com.

RTI: Substance Abuse Affects 22 Million, $9 Million Evaluation Intervention Project

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.