Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God

Portrays God as a loving parent. We are told we cannot parent with the philosophy "Do as I say, not as I do", but the God that has been portrayed to us is exactly that type of parent "You forgive, but in the end I won't. Do not punish - that is my job." We have been told God loves us, but we are going to hell if we make a mistake-schizophrenic, right. No matter what your child does, you would not wish hell upon him/her. If you were all loving, powerful and knowing, you would find a way to save your child. This book explains that God has done that. The book quotes Meister Eckhart: "The seed of God is in us. The seed of a pear tree grows into a pear tree...a seed of God grows into God." A MUST READ if you are not convinced God has already won salvation for you. No fear-just live your life with love. You naturally conform to whom you worship-if you worship a loving, forgiving, caring God, you will become a loving, forgiving and caring person. That's how the saints did it; naturally, effortlessly. HOORAY FOR THE LINNS!

"Good Goats" is a gem of a book. First loaned to me by my spiritual director, it takes on the very reasons people should fuss with God. The Linns argue that the guilt of sin and the fear of hell are two very BAD reasons to give for believing in God - all that does is drive people away. They also grapple lightly but thoughtfully with Anselmian atonement (substitutionary atonement)as understood in today's religious environment, arguing that this theory simply makes no sense if God is indeed Love. Hooray! Excellent book for teaching. Authors are Roman Catholic and it shows, but this Episcopalian found this not to be an obstacle but a blessing in this Ecumenical Age.

This book lovingly and insistently reveals the fatal flaws--and the societal dangers--associated with the the all too popular notion among many Christians that God is love, and God is good. . . and yet God will banish most of humankind to eternal damnation. The book is written from a Roman Catholic perspective, but it also provides a wonderful antidote to the vengeful God of Protestant Fundamentalism. The book is simple and direct, and it provides solid scriptural and contextual bases for its thesis that God loves each one of us immeasurably and will never give up on any of us. What a concept! Although the authors' views are well grounded in scripture and are supported by highly respected scholars, they seem to remain largely hidden from mainstream popular Christianity. This will be a wonderful book to share with people who are sincerely struggling with these issues !

All my life I've been burdened by a punishing and vengeful image of God. After reading this book, I feel that for the first time, I actually drew a peaceful breath. This book has given me a wonderful feeling of hope that I too will be saved. I think that no catechism should ever be distributed without a copy of this book. I love my new "God", even if he/she is just a cartoon image of love.

I discovered this book by accident and am SO glad I did. While it was written by Roman Catholics it certainly is not exclusive to them. I am a Presbyterian and I have shared it with people of other faiths who enjoyed it as much as I did. "God loves us at least as much as the person who loves us most." This is the jumping off point for this book. If we can accept this idea then it follows that we need not fear divine retribution. God has and will continue to make an infinite number of attempts at reconciliation with us. Because He loves us. This is the only book I have ever felt compelled to share with my co-workers. Give it a shot. You won't be dissapointed.