Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?

by Robert Schwartz (Goodreads author!)

published	December 16th 2006 by Whispering Winds Press
binding	Paperback
isbn	0977679454 (isbn13: 9780977679454)
pages	321
description	Courageous Souls explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, prior to birth for purpo...more [close] Courageous Souls explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, prior to birth for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. Because very different life challenges are often planned for similar reasons, readers who have not faced these specific challenges will nevertheless see themselves - and their motivations as a soul - in these stories. As readers come to realize that they themselves planned their lives, suffering that once seemed purposeless becomes imbued with deep meaning. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and victimization are replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, peace, and gratitude. [close]
date added	02-19-07 edit book

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Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?	3	07/19/2007 02:05PM

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Ebookwormy rated it:

07/21/08

bookshelves: 3-caution, non-fiction

I read this book at the request of a friend who said "it was the best summary i've ever encountered about what I truly believe about life." Well, I should clarify, I started this book. I read all the intro, and the intro chapter and the first study and then I picked from interesting chapters going forward. In the end, there are many things my friend and I disagree on, but we agree that we like to discuss them.

I agree with this book that our lives are planned, that there is meaning/...more I read this book at the request of a friend who said "it was the best summary i've ever encountered about what I truly believe about life." Well, I should clarify, I started this book. I read all the intro, and the intro chapter and the first study and then I picked from interesting chapters going forward. In the end, there are many things my friend and I disagree on, but we agree that we like to discuss them.

I agree with this book that our lives are planned, that there is meaning/ growth/ purpose in suffering, and there is a spiritual dimension to life. However, I think God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, the Holy Spirit and the Bible are at the center of this, not a self-directed pre-birth reincarnational process.

However, I do not agree in reincarnation. It's just too risky. Everything points to having only one time around. I figure if I'm wrong I get a 999 life bonus (accepting my friend's theory that we have about 1000 times around), but if you live your life thinking you have all sorts of other opportunities and you are wrong, suddenly you are out 999 lives.

I do not agree that seeing a medium is necessary in order to make sense out of life and it's challenges. I think seeing a medium is dangerous. The tone, content and terminology of this book made me feel like i was reading "Screwtape Letters", but this book was serious, deadly serious in my opinion. I think there is a reason the Bible prohibits consultation with mediums. Of course, there is always the reasonable argument that many of them are frauds. But, beyond that, how do we know the power they are tapping is good? This book affirmed the Bible's position it is not good for me.

In the end, there were twoish (i say twoish because my second one has three points!) major stumbling blocks for me. 1) Sin. I believe in it. I see it in myself and others. It's a problem. Not only does this book fail to recognize it, it asserts those who do evil things have chosen a "noble" path that others might suffer and be enlightened by their actions (therefore, terrorists, child molesters, murderers, etc are "noble" because of what they contribute to the reincarnate process). That's not nobility, at least not one I can affirm.

2) In the end, I find religious/ spiritual systems focused on meditation/ seeking an inner spiritual guide to be focused entirely on the self. This is utterly distasteful to me for three reasons. First of all, it's a matter of AUTHORITY. I don't think I have the knowledge/ authority in myself to determine why we are here, what we are to be doing, and what happens when it is all over. I'm not comfortable with that kind of authority. But this system encourages people to assume that authority. It's true, I'm trusting in an all-powerful God, who created, humbled himself to reach down into humanity to reveal Himself, wrote a book, protected that book through centuries and is using that book to speak to and transform my life today. But the authority rests with Him, not with me. I have merely chosen to submit myself to Him and trust Him to get done what I cannot (taking care of that sin problem). I have chosen to humble myself instead of seeking my own answers and explanations.

Secondly, it's a matter of ACCESSIBILITY. These spiritual philosophies involve much meditation, consultation of mediums and shedding of the cares and concerns of the world, etc. This basically mean that most people on the planet (those that have to struggle to survive) are exempt from salvation as they have neither the luxury of this intense inner focus nor the resources for the training/ medium consultation/ monastic life. I don't think that is right. I think salvation is available to everyone through Jesus Christ, and it may be a difficult thing (after all, Jesus had to come here and die), but it's accessible to everyone.

Thirdly, it's a matter of SERVICE. Jesus stated the entire teaching of the Old Testament can be summarized in two commands: Love God and Love Others. I've already mentioned a bit about love God. This philosophy negates the need to love others. It teaches they have "chosen" to be poor, addicted, abused, oppressed, in order to learn. Therefore, there is no need to feel an obligation to help them, rather we should honor their difficult road as noble and good. I find that wholly unsatisfactory. Biblical Christianity mobilizes us to reach out to others and seek to lighten their load, in order that we might be more like Christ, who lightened our load by paying the penalty for our sin. In fact, Jesus paid for our sin that we might be willing to sacrifice ourselves for others.

Reading this book reaffirmed my commitment to Biblical Christianity, as well as highlighted how beneficial Christianity is to society. I'm not saying we should set up a theocracy, what i'm saying is that a nation in which most people (freely, not under coercion) chose to follow Jesus will have a much better thing going on than if the majority of people chose to follow the philosophy presented here....less

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