A thousand years ago, the church experienced a time of tremendous upheaval called the Great Schism. The one faith became two churches, East and West, and the course of world history was forever changed. And it all swirled around one Latin word in the Nicene Creed, filioque, that indicated the Holy Spirit proceeded both from God the Father "and from the Son." From the time that phrase was officially instituted onward, the Holy Spirit's place in the...

This book covers one of the world's newest religions. Scientology, founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard, has become a controversial faith. Followers believe its philosophies can change the world for the better. Critics point to the religion's legal troubles and alleged misdeeds. Features include a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.

Greeley discusses the central themes of Catholic culture: sacrament, salvation, community, festival, hierarchy, erotic desire, and the mother love of God. Ranging widely from Bernini to Scorsese, Greeley's discourse distills these themes from the high arts of Catholic culture and asks: Do these values really influence people's lives? Using international survey data, he shows the counterintuitive ways in which Catholics are defined. He goes on to root...

Based on more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former scientologists, both famous and less well known, and years of archival research, Lawrence Wright uncovers the inner workings of the Church of Scientology, from its founding by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard to its current leader, David Miscavige.