Angry With God

Rating:
Summary: An Honest Look at a Neglected Problem
Review: "Angry with God" by Novotoni and Peterson is a refreshingly honest look at a long neglected problem. The story of Novotoni's grandmother is a very powerful example of a woman who suffers numerous atrocities and is very angry with God for not answering her prayers. Her story is compelling and entices the reader to examine a very sensitive and difficult issue. I loved the way Grandmother's story was woven with biblical and psychological explanations. This made the book easy to read but substantial in content and without an intimidating tone. This book does not preach at the reader. Instead, I felt as if the authors were sharing a story while we sat on the back porch. There are no simple or easy answers like many other religious or self-help books. They recognize the sensitivity of the issue and offer suggestions for reconciliation that are honest and healthy. That is what I appreciate in a book. Refreshingly honest, easily read yet good content. This is a "must read" book for the serious and estranged believers. I sense that these authors have much more to say on this subject and I am anxious to see what they write next.

Rating:
Summary: Angry with God
Review: "Angry with God" by Novotoni and Peterson is a refreshingly honest look at a long neglected problem. The story of Novotoni's grandmother is a very powerful example of a woman who suffers numerous atrocities and is very angry with God for not answering her prayers. Her story is compelling and entices the reader to examine a very sensitive and difficult issue. I loved the way Grandmother's story was woven with biblical and psychological explanations. This made the book easy to read but substantial in content and without an intimidating tone. This book does not preach at the reader. Instead, I felt as if the authors were sharing a story while we sat on the back porch. There are no simple or easy answers like many other religious or self-help books. They recognize the sensitivity of the issue and offer suggestions for reconciliation that are honest and healthy. That is what I appreciate in a book. Refreshingly honest, easily read yet good content. This is a "must read" book for the serious and estranged believers. I sense that these authors have much more to say on this subject and I am anxious to see what they write next.

Rating:
Summary: more angry...
Review: Raised as a roman catholic, I spent my early years thinking that there was a venegeful, punishing 'god' up in the skies who was going to get me if I made the wrong move. Going to church always filled me with dread and anger. I hated being told how and what to believe. As I got older, it also angered me as I started to see the inequality between men & women in the church, but I was scared to acknowledge these feelings. As an adult, I moved away from the catholic church, and learned about the origins of christianity, horrified that my ancestors were subjected to these believes by force. It angered me beyond belief that the church orchestrated the mass murder of millions of people, mostly women, and that the history of these pagan, earth based religions were destroyed. To add insult to injury, I found that most history books brushed off the cultures that existed prior to christianity, glossing over them and presenting a false history stating that these cultures welcomed christianlity with open arms. I struggled for years with spirituality, cutting off that part of myself because I thought to acknowledge it, it would mean having to join an organized religion. Slowly, I began to understand that this angry, punishing 'god' that was presented to me when I was a child was only one interpretation of who/what 'god' is, but my fears still lingered, deeply ingrained in me from childhood. When I saw this book at the library, I grabbed it and was excited to read it.

Imagine my disappointment when I realized that this author was really advocating for a relationship with a christian god. The story of her Armenian grandmother was touching, I must say. The horrors that this woman endured during the Armenian genocide were unspeakable, and it was important that the author passed on her story. I also appreciated having my feelings of anger validated. However, I found that this book had a very narrow, biblical based view of who/what 'god' is. This may be comforting to someone of christian faith, but not for someone who wants to look beyond any one religion. This book only added to my anger.

"Fire in The Soul; A New Psychology of Spiritual Optimsim" by Joan Borysenko was much better in explaining 'god' to me. It can be read by anyone of any faith (or non-faith), without making you feel like you have to believe in the bible or any one specific religion in order to be connected to 'god'.

Rating:
Summary: Angry with God
Review: This is a very good book. It is short and easy to read (I finished it in a day) but it covers a lot of ground.
It has some good analogies for mistaken ideas we might have about Gods nature (such as His being a traffic cop or a genie).

Although it is written from more of a psychological background, it is biblically based, and gives good, practical advice on why we should want a better relationship with God, as well as how to go about improving the relationship we have.

Rating:
Summary: Angry with God
Review: This is the first book which has addressed the spiritual problem I've been experiencing for over 3 years now. The authors use a most interesting format of sharing the personal story of Novotni's grandmother and then spinning off aspects of this story to apply to the reader's life. I've searched and searched for a book like this to no avail until I discovered Angry with God. It's given me the first glimpse of hope on how to reconnect with a God I thought either no longer cared or didn't even exist.

Rating:
Summary: Finally being honest about being angry with God!
Review: You do not have to be a clergyperson to hear the oft-repeated question "Why did God allow this to happen?". Behind the question is often anger with God. The death of a child, an incurible disease, the act of a madman, or the euphamistic "act of nature" all evoke the existential question of "why?". Certainly the past century has offered a full measure of anger towards God as the authors of Angry with God demonstrate.

There are many responses to being angry with God. There is the shaking of the fist in defiance, there is simply the turning and walking away, and there is the silent, guilt-ridden defection in place. Each response to anger with God has its consequences.

This well written book explores all the dimensions of being angry with God. Michele Novotni and Randy Petersen have taken us beyond victimhood. What a welcome book!

Novotni is a psychologist who grew up with the stories of her grandmother who was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. She heard the anguished stories of betrayal, loss, torture, and death all in the name of God. Up to her deathbed, Novotni heard over and over again her grandmother's anger with God --- an anger she could not resolve or release. In her practice as a psychologist she began to hear the same issues of unresolved and unforgiveable anger with God from her clients. It is out of this clinical experience that this book is rooted and takes flight toward resolution, release, and health.

Novotni teams up with a talented and creative educator, Randy Petersen, to present an honest, reflective, and imaginative approach to deal with anger with God.

This book will be welcomed by counselors. It will be treasured by those angry with God.