Conversations with God

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Conversations with God
Conversations with God, book 1.gif
Book 1 in the series (North America book cover)
Author Neale Donald Walsch
No. of books9

Conversations with God (CWG) is a sequence of books written by Neale Donald Walsch. It was written as a dialogue in which Walsch asks questions and God answers. [1] The first book of the Conversations with God series, Conversations with God, Book 1: An Uncommon Dialogue, was published in 1995 and became a publishing phenomenon, staying on The New York Times Best Sellers List for 137 weeks.

Contents

In an interview with Larry King, Walsch described the inception of the books as follows: at a low period in his life, Walsch wrote an angry letter to God asking questions about why his life wasn't working. After writing down all of his questions, he heard a voice over his right shoulder say: "Do you really want an answer to all these questions or are you just venting?" [2] When Walsch turned around, he saw no one there, yet Walsch felt answers to his questions filling his mind and decided to write them down. The ensuing automatic writing became the Conversations with God books. When asked in a recent interview how he opens up to God, Neale stated, "I am reaching out to touch others with this information. When I reach out and touch others with this information, I reconnect immediately with the divine presence." [3]

Basis of the dialogue

The series contains nearly three thousand pages of material. The second and third books in the trilogy deal with political and social issues.

Themes

In Friendship with God, Walsch writes that God presents four concepts that are central to the entire dialogue:

  1. We are all one.
  2. There's enough.
  3. There's nothing we have to do.
  4. Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way.

Existence is essentially non-dual in nature. At the highest level, there is no separation between anything, and there is only one of us; there is only God, and everything is God. The second statement, following from the first, means that we, in this seeming existence, lack nothing, and if we choose to realize it, we have enough of whatever we think we need (or the means to create it) within us. The third statement combines the first two to conclude that God, being all there is and is thus always sufficient unto itself, has no need for anything and therefore has no requirements of humanity. The final concept puts an end to our need always to be correct. Given that we have and are everything, and there's nothing we have to do, there is an infinite number of ways to experience this, not just the one way we may have chosen so far.

According to the books, God recommends many economic and social changes if people want to make a more functional, adaptable, and sustainable world. The books recommend that more attention should focus on the environment. The conversations also speak of reincarnation and the existence of life on other planets.

God's motive for creation

In Walsch's first dialogue, God notes that "knowing" and "experiencing" oneself are different things. Before creation, there was only That-Which-Is, which cannot know or experience itself fully without something it is not. It cannot know itself as love since nothing exists but love. It cannot know itself as giving since nothing else exists to give to. It cannot experience itself in myriad ways because everything is one.

In Walsch's viewpoint, this present creation is established by and within God so that sentience can exist, which does not directly remember its true nature as God. Split into infinite forms, all life can live, experience, and recreate its nature as God, rather than "know" itself as the creator in theory. It is essentially a game, entered into by agreement, to remember who and what we are and enjoy and create, knowing that ultimately there is no finish line that some will not reach, no understanding that is not without value, no act that does not add meaning to the future or for others. Walsch claims that God says that we have a common interest in keeping the game going. There is nothing else to do except to experience our existence and then experience more of it, to uncover deeper layers of truth and understanding. There are no external rules because all experience is subjective and chosen. But within this, there are ways that people will gradually come to see their thoughts, words, and actions are either working or not working. A thing is either functional or dysfunctional, not right or wrong. These rememberings take place over "time" and can take hundreds and thousands of lifetimes.

Nature of the dialogue

History of purgatory

Most people could not envision a God who may rise above all of that, so they accepted the teachings of many churches to fear the awful retribution of God in the past. It seemed as though people couldn't rely on their own inherent motivations to be moral and behave properly. To stay in line, they had to invent a religion that taught of a vengeful, punishing God. The idea of reincarnation threw a monkey wrench into all of that. The church was proclaiming that you better be nice or else—and along came the reincarnationist saying you have another chance after this and another chance after that and still more chances, so don't worry, try your hardest, do not become so paralysed with fear that you cannot budge, make a commitment to yourself to improve and proceed. The early church could not accept such a thing that did two things. It denounced the doctrine of reincarnation as heretical and created the sacrament of confession. A churchgoer could have a second chance through confession, which is what reincarnation offered but there was a catch: God could not provide this absolution immediately. It had to pass via the church, where penances were mandated by the priests. Usually, the sinner was obliged to offer these prayers. You now have two reasons to continue attending church. Confession was seen as such a good drawcard by the church that it was soon deemed a sin to avoid it. At least once a year, everyone was required to do it. If they did not, God would be even more enraged. A growing number of regulations, many of which were arbitrary and unreasonable, were issued by the church. Unless, of course, failure was admitted, in which case God's forgiveness was granted and condemnation was avoided, every direction carries the weight of God's eternal condemnation. Another issue resulted from that. As long as they admitted it, people deduced that this must imply that they could do anything. The church found itself in a dilemma. The people were no longer afraid. Church membership and attendance declined. Once a year, people came to confess, performed their penances, were absolved of their sins, and continued living their lives. The matter was beyond doubt. Purgatory was created in order to find a means of reviving fear in the heart. It was said that purgatory was a location that was similar to hell but not endless. According to this new theory, even if you acknowledged your faults, God would still punish you for them. According to the doctrine, depending on the quantity and kind of sins committed, God predetermined a specific amount of suffering for every imperfect soul. Both venial and deadly sins existed. If you don't confess your mortal sins before you die, you'll go straight to hell. Again, church attendance skyrocketed, as did collections and, most importantly, donations, because the purgatory dogma allowed one to purchase their way out of pain. One could get a special indulgence, not directly from God but only a church official as per the teaching of the church. These unique indulgences liberated an individual from the torment in purgatory, which they had accumulated through their sins or at least a portion of it. These exemptions were given to only a small number, such as those who made significant contributions to the church. For a considerable amount, one could acquire a full indulgence. This indicated zero time in purgatory whatsoever - it was a direct pass straight to heaven. This unique blessing from God was accessible to even fewer people, possibly including royalty and the extremely wealthy. The church received vast amounts of money, gems, and land in return for these plenary indulgences. The uniqueness of this caused immense anger and bitterness among the public. The most destitute peasant had no chance of obtaining a bishop's indulgence, leading the common folk to lose trust in the system, with attendance at risk of falling once more. After that, they introduced the novena candles. Individuals could visit the church and ignite a novena candle for the souls in purgatory. Through the recitation of a novena (a sequence of prayers said in a designated manner that requires some time), they could significantly decrease the duration of the sentence of the beloved deceased, freeing them from purgatory earlier than God would have permitted otherwise. They were unable to take action themselves, but they could still pray for mercy for those who had passed away. Certainly, it would be beneficial if one or two coins were inserted through the slot for every candle they lit. Many small candles were glowing behind numerous red glass pieces, while many pesos and pennies were tossed into various tin boxes in hopes of prompting God to alleviate the suffering endured by souls in purgatory. [5]

Parallels in other belief systems

The dialogue presents many philosophical ideas that prominent Eastern and Western thinkers had already advanced earlier. Still, Walsch explains the information in language for modern readers and does not explicitly cite these philosophers. Walsch claims that he had never known most of these ideas before his revelatory experiences. Since the beginning of the series, and especially in the later volumes, Walsch and "God" acknowledge that most of the concepts presented are previously known to humanity but are profound enough to warrant being explored repeatedly and put into this cohesive, unified form. Since humanity is still mired in strife and conflict, there is value in their restatement. Fundamental parts of Walsch's writings are also mirrored within other well-known spiritual writings and traditions:

Bibliography

Complete title list of all CWG books

Source: [7]

Dialogue Books series

The following are the ten books in the Conversations With God Dialogue Books series. Each of these books is a claimed transcript of dialogue between two beings, Neale Donald Walsch and "God", with the exception of Communion with God, which is written only by "God".

  1. Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1) (1995) ISBN   978-0-39914-278-9
  2. Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 2) (1997) ISBN   978-1-57174-056-4
  3. Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 3) (1998) ISBN   978-1-57174-103-5
  4. Friendship with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (1999) ISBN   978-0-39914-541-4
  5. Communion With God: An Uncommon Dialogue (2000) ISBN   978-0-39914-670-1
  6. Conversations with God for Teens (2001) ISBN   978-157174-263-6
  7. The New Revelations: A Conversation with God (2002) ISBN   978-0-7434-6303-4
  8. Tomorrow's God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge (2004) ISBN   978-0-74346-304-1
  9. Home with God: In a Life That Never Ends (2006) ISBN   978-0-74326-716-8
  10. Conversations with God: Awaken the Species (Book 4) (2017) ISBN   978-1-93790-749-5

Home With God, we are told, is the final book in this series of two-way written communication [8] {see HwG page 308, "Our final conversation in public."}. In August 2016, however, Neale stumbled upon a "new and unexpected dialogue" continuing the original trilogy with a fourth installment released on March 27, 2017.

The first three books in the series are often called the CwG trilogy. In 2005, the trilogy was re-released as one combined 'Gift Edition' book. This edition contains the entire text of the first three books with God's words in blue ink and Neale's in black ink, and features a combined 3-in-1 index at the back:

  1. The Complete Conversations with God (October 20, 2005) ISBN   978-0-39915-329-7

Supplementary titles

  1. What God Wants: A Compelling Answer to Humanity's Biggest Question (March 21, 2005) ISBN   978-0-74326-714-4
  2. Bringers of the Light (May 31, 2000) ISBN   978-0-96787-550-7
  3. Recreating Your Self (June 1, 2000) ISBN   978-0-96787-551-4
  4. Questions and Answers on Conversations With God (October 1, 1999) ISBN   978-1-57174-140-0
  5. Moments of Grace: When God Touches Our Lives Unexpectedly (July 2001) ISBN   978-1-57174-303-9
  6. Neale Donald Walsch on Relationships (September 29, 1999) ISBN   978-1-57174-163-9
  7. Neale Donald Walsch on Holistic Living (September 30, 1999) ISBN   978-1-57174-165-3
  8. Neale Donald Walsch on Abundance and Right Livelihood (October 1, 1999) ISBN   978-1-57174-164-6
  9. Happier Than God: Turn Ordinary Life into an Extraordinary Experience (February 28, 2008) ISBN   978-1-57174-576-7
  10. The Holy Experience (free eBook)
  11. The Conversations with God Companion: The Essential Tool for Individual and Group Study (May 21, 2009) ISBN   978-1-57174-604-7
  12. When Everything Changes, Change Everything: In a Time of Turmoil, a Pathway to Peace (May 7, 2009) ISBN   978-1-57174-606-1
  13. When Everything Changes, Change Everything: Workbook & Study Guide (March 10, 2011) ISBN   978-1-45152-991-3
  14. The Storm Before the Calm (Book 1 in the Conversations with Humanity Series) (September 27, 2011) ISBN   978-1-40193-692-1
  15. The Only Thing That Matters (Book 2 in the Conversations with Humanity Series) (October 16, 2012) ISBN   978-1-40194-236-6
  16. What God Said: The 25 Core Messages of Conversations With God That Will Change Your Life and the World (October 2013) ISBN   978-1-10163-098-3
  17. Gods Message To The World: You've Got Me All Wrong (October 2014) ISBN   978-1-93790-730-3
  18. Conversations With God for Parents: Sharing the Messages with Children (Book 3 in the Conversations with Humanity Series) (October 2015) ISBN   978-1-93790-736-5
  19. Where God and Medicine Meet: A conversation between a doctor and a spiritual messenger (November 2016) ISBN   978-1-93790-748-8
  20. The Little Soul and the Sun: A Children's Parable Adapted from Conversations With God (April 1, 1998) ISBN   978-1-57174-087-8
  21. The Little Soul And the Earth: A Children's Parable Adapted From Conversations With God (August 1, 2005) (with Frank Riccio) ISBN   978-1-57174-451-7
  22. Santa's God: A Children's Fable About the Biggest Question Ever (October 2, 2009) ISBN   978-1-57174-596-5

Additional texts

  1. Guidebook to Conversations with God
    • Conversations with God for Teens Guidebook (by Jeanne Webster and Emily Welch) (June 20, 2008) ISBN   978-0-98152-063-6
    • Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 1 (July 1, 1997) ISBN   1-57174-048-1
    • Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 1 (by Nancy Ways) (November 10, 2008) ISBN   978-0-98194-380-0
    • Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 2 (by Anne-Marie Barbier) (November 10, 2008) ISBN   978-0-98152-069-8
    • Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 3 (by Alissa Goefron) (December 1, 2008) ISBN   978-0-98194-382-4
  2. Meditations from Conversations with God
  3. The Wedding Vows from Conversations With God (with Nancy Fleming-Walsch) (April 1, 2000) ISBN   978-1-57174-161-5
  4. The Little Book of Life: A User's Manual (October 1, 2010) ISBN   978-1-57174-644-3
  5. Conversations with God in a Nutshell: A Pocket Guide to the Dialogue (2014) ISBN   978-0-99133-460-5

Supplemental material

Please see the Writings at Neale Donald Walsch.

Movie (2006)

A Conversations with God movie shows the author's experience and opened in theatres across the United States on October 27, 2006. Walsch is played by Henry Czerny in the film directed by Stephen Deutsch.[ citation needed ] The DVD version of the film was released on February 27, 2007.

Audiobook

Conversations with God books 1 and 2, and Communion with God, narrated by Ed Asner. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Walsch, Neale Donald (1995). Conversations with God (Paperback). ISBN   0-399-14278-9.
  2. ↑ Neale Donald Walsch on CNS's Larry King Live (April 7th, 2000)
  3. ↑ 'Being at One': Neale Donald Walsch Interview with Gil Dekel, PhD (Part 1 of 3), Paragraph 16
  4. ↑ Walsch, Neale Donald, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialog (Book #3), page 95.
  5. ↑ Donald., Walsch, Neale. Conversations with God : an uncommon dialogue. ISBN   1-57174-720-6. OCLC   933544708.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ 'Inspiration: a functional approach to creative practice', Paragraph 2
  7. ↑ Conversations with God: Awaken the Species (Book 4) (2017) ISBN   978-1-93790-749-5, pp. 286–288
  8. ↑ Home with God: In a Life That Never Ends (2006) ISBN   978-0-74326-716-8, pp. 308
  9. ↑ "Conversations with God audiobooks".
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