Rating: 
Summary: Gently moving
Review: The book JOSHUA changed my life. That's a simple but powerful statement and that is exactly what this book is: a simple but powerful book. It seems to be divinely inspired and written with devotion and love. It was obviously Fr. Girzone's first attempt at writing for it often read like the way a child speaks but I found that to be charming instead of annoying. The book was pure in its voice and pure in its motive to communicate how organized religions can often move away from the true message and character of Christ. Joshua, like Jesus, is a man with human flaws but who has attained a level of love for God that most of us aspire too but fall far short of achieving. Joshua doesn't go around rigidly preaching the word of God so much as he lives his life according to the word of God--his life is a sermon and example to us all, like Jesus'life was. Fr. Girzone seems to be trying to show us how Joshua (Jesus) was a simple man who led a compassionate life devoted to a loving God. His life and message were not bogged down with rules and an inhuman ideal of perfection. Joshua could worship in any temple, any church, on any hilltop because God can be found anywhere and, at the same time, his love for God allowed him to worship with Christians, Jews or simply all by himself. God is too great for any one religion to corner the market on understanding Him and our quest to please Him. We still can't explain the size or the birth of our universe so how can we be expected to be all knowing about God? Joshua attempts to bring that thought to light. Learning and loving God is a journey that spans many lifetimes but Joshua shows us that compassion and love will put us on the right path. The book MY ISHMAEL rattled my universe and left me feeling like an earthquake had just pulled the ground out from under my feet. My faith was enhanced, but it took me days to calm down from the experience. JOSHUA, on the otherhand, was like being rocked in the arms of heaven with an angel whispering the Secret of Life in my ear.
Rating:
Summary: Not "Life Changing" but Inspiring Nontheless
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Joshua however I would not call it life changing as many of the other readers did. It was moving in that it made me realize how lonely Christ must have been during his lifetime. I did not appreciate the jabs at organized religion, especially Catholics even though I am not a Catholic. While the book tore away at organized religion it idolized the Jewish and never addressed the fact that the Jewish were the only religious group in the book that were Non-Christians. All of this I could have done without but these drawbacks did not ruin the overall message of the book for me -- that Christ was sent here by God because of love. I would definitely recommend it as an enlightning and inspiring book.
Rating: 
Summary: faith and religion
Review: The novel, Joshua adds a new demension of understanding to the spiritual aspect of religion. Joshua, the main character closely resembles the biblical figure, Jesus. Joshua is just an implied allusion to Jesus and is constently alluding to the life and teachings of Jesus. This book makes a true connection with the actual meaning of faith and religion that Jesus tried to bring about by example. Joshua forces one to think about the state of religion and the impact that it makes upon people. Joshua also forces those that use religion as a means of power to become uneasy in their deivation from Jesus' origional words. In this book Joshua brings about many prevlant questions about organized religion that are answered only through his simplistic and adimate faith
Rating:
Summary: A Parable For Our Times
Review: After the publication of Joshua, Father Girzone retired from the priesthood due to reasons of health. I bet the Vatican told him that if he stayed on, he wouldn't be healthy for long. :o) Seriously though, this beautiful novel is a must-read for everyone, regardless of religion. Joshua is a woodworker who sets up shop in a modern suburban town. His amazing craftsmanship, kindness and down-to-earth spirituality earn him many friends in both the Christian and Jewish communities, while at the same time earning the wrath of religious leaders. As Joshua works his subtle miracles, the modern-day Pharisees of the Catholic Church conspire to silence him. Joshua is censured by the Church and ordered to appear at the Vatican. Unable to afford the cost of a trip to Rome, Joshua is forced to work on a passenger ship, where he performs yet another miracle. When Joshua appears at the Vatican, the Cardinals are ready to excommunicate him. Only then - and after one final miracle - do they realize just who Joshua really is. I'm an ex-Catholic myself, and I have no use for organized religion. That's one of the reasons why I loved this book. Christ sought to free people from relgious tyranny, and what happens? Tyrants even more ruthless than the Pharisees of old exert their spiritual slavery in Jesus' name. In the Bible, a man asks Christ how he should go about worship, and Christ tells him to go to his bedroom, close the door, and pray in private. In 1946, a long lost gospel was discovered, the gospel of St. Thomas. In this gospel, Thomas records verbatim the exact words of Jesus. In one of his sayings, Christ states that the Kingdom of God lies in your heart, not in buildings of stone and wood. He tells a parable whereby he rejects capitalism, stating that "Businessmen and merchants will never enter my Father's house". Of course, The Catholic Church immediately declared this gospel to be heresy. Nuff said. In Joshua, Father Girzone has given us a brand new gospel, one that really shows us the true mission of Jesus. You may find yourself losing faith in religion, but your faith in Jesus and in God will be renewed. Amen!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and moving but flawed
Review: I had very mixed feelings about this book. I was very moved by the simple message of the love that God has for us. However, I suppose that ultimately that I would rather that Joshua not be Jesus himself. It is obvious that the main purpose of this book is to show that the Church has perverted the word of God in a way leads people away from God, in much the same way that the Pharisees did 2000 years ago. This is a true statement that I agree with 100%. It is our own human nature plus the influence of Demons that has allowed this to happen. However, there are so many things about this book that are just plain wrong that I would not see it much more than a simple lesson on how God wants us to live our lives. For example, one of the statements the book makes is that Jews are no longer under the law while Catholics are under laws that restrict their freedom. This is not true! Many Orthodox Jews keep the Law and also have made Traditions equal to the Law so they must be kept also. This is ultimately bondage and not freedom and yet the Jews are portrayed as being free. What I had the hardest time with was that Joshua never really preached the salvation message to anyone! I wonder if the author truly knows the simple salvation message. This book would not lead an unbeliever to salvation in Jesus. Joshua should have been most concerned about the salvation of everyone. Look what Jesus says in Luke 10:20 after he has sent out the 72: "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven". I believe that the author was so concerned about making Joshua confront the problems in the church that he forgot (or doesn't know) that Jesus would be most concerned about the eternal destination of everyone he would meet. That is why I wish that Joshua was not really Jesus, because this is not ultimately how Jesus would have acted. It would have been much better if Joshua stayed mysterious but only a man. Jesus was in constant communcation with his Father through the Holy Spirit, but Joshua only seems to speak to his father before bed. I am sorry to sound so harsh, but I believe that the author betrays himself as not really understanding who Jesus really is! He is God the Son who is our Savior and who intercedes on our behalf to God the Father. With his great love for us, he is only concerned about his Father's Kingdom and bringing us into the Kingdom.
Rating:
Summary: too simplistic for such a complex concept
Review: I found this book to be not too particularly well-written. The dialogue was forced and contrived to say the least. If you were to compare it to the beautiful language contained in the Bible or other great pieces of literature, then this book falls way short of being a masterwork. Having said this however, I must say that I happen to agree with a lot of the messages contained in the book. Religion has become too structured and free will seems not to be stressed as much as dogmatic teachings in most organized religions. Many religious leaders seem to have somehow lost the true message of Christ and seem to be more concerned with what ends up in the collection plate at Sunday Mass,at least in my experience. While I did enjoy many of the messages contained in the book, I just feel it was too simplistic to be a truly effective book.
Rating:
Summary: Complex Beauty In Profound Simplicity
Review: As a seminarian and a follower of Jesus Christ, I found this book to be one of the most profound and best fictional books I have ever read. I was so impressed with it that I purchased many other copies to give away to others trying to find their faith. I bought copies for my family. I bought a copy for my best friend. He,his wife and two daughters were so taken with Joshua that they went out and bought the whole series. Ignore the (very few) naysayers and modern day Pharisees that cannot appreciate the profound simplicity.... a trait that is found in our Lord, Jesus!
Rating:
Summary: Profound in it's simplicity
Review: My wife and I were introduced to this book by very good friends in the mid 1980's. Since then we have given dozens of copies away to friends, and introduced many others to the book. It is profound in it's simple messages, and will surely strike a chord with most people in their views of religion and the teachings of Jesus. It did for me and it continues to through the years.
Rating:
Summary: This is the real Jesus
Review: There is no doubt in my mind that this book was meant to be written. I will never be the same again after reading this. The love that flows from these pages to the reader is awesome. Father Girzone has been allowed to give us all another chance. You get the feeling that the author is none other then Jesus Himself.How beautiful! Don't miss the other Joshua's as well. It just gets better.
Rating:
Summary: Modern day intrique from long ago
Review: I found this to be both exciting and involving. I found myself becoming a part of the entire story line throughout this wonderful book. I felt happiness, sorrow, joy and sadness just as did the characters of this book. And being a believer in God our Father, I found this to be something that had the connection with modern day and olden times tied together. He traveling and living as he did long ago and being able to bring a people together that had long since made major splits in their loyalities. Can't wait to read more, Mr. Gizone has a feel and understanding of Joshua and I feel he was able to give that to his readers. Very exciting.
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