Conversations with God From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Book 1 in the Conversations with God series by Neale

Donald Walsch. (North Ameri ca book cover). Conversations with God (CwG) is a sequence of books written by Neale Donald Wals ch. 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, appeared on bookshelves in 1995, and quickly beca me a publishing phenomenon, staying on the New York Times Best-Sellers List for 137 weeks. The succeeding volumes in the nine book series also appeared prominen tly on the List. 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 ques tions, he heard a voice over his right shoulder say: "Do you really want an answ er to all these questions or are you just venting?"[2] Though when he turned aro und he saw no one there, Walsch felt answers to his questions filling his mind a nd decided to write them down. The ensuing dialogue became the Conversations wit h God books. When asked in a recent interview how does he open up to God these day s, Neale argued I am reaching out to touch others with this information. When I r each out and touch others with this information I reconnect immediately with the divine presence. [3] Contents 1 Basis of the dialogue 1.1 CwG's basic messages 1.2 God's motive for creation 1.3 Nature of the dialogue 2 Parallels in other belief systems 3 Bibliography 3.1 Conversations with God Series 3.2 CwG Supplemental Material 4 2006 movie 5 References 6 External links Basis of the dialogue Containing nearly 3000 pages of material in total, the series presents a vast nu mber of ideas. The second and third books in the original trilogy deal with poli tical and social issues. CwG's basic messages In Friendship with God, Walsch writes that God presents four concepts which are central to the entire dialogue: We are all one. There's enough. There's nothing we have to do. 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 se paration between anything and there is only one of us; there is only God, and ev erything 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 t

hird statement combines the first two to conclude that God, being nd is thus always sufficient unto Itself, has no need of anything has no requirements of humanity. The final concept puts an end to ways be right. Given that we have and are everything, and there's e to do, there are an infinite number of ways to experience this, ne way we may have chosen so far.

all there is a and therefore our need to al nothing we hav not just the o

According to the books, God recommends many economic and social changes if peopl e want to make a more functional, adaptable, and sustainable world, it recommend s that more attention should focus on the environment. The conversations also sp eak 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 canno t know or experience itself fully, without something it is not. It cannot know i tself as love, since nothing exists but love. It cannot know itself as giving si nce nothing else exists to give to. It cannot experience itself in myriad ways b ecause everything is one. This present creation then, in Walsch's viewpoint, is established by and within God, so that sentience can exist which does not directly remember its true natur e as God. Split into infinite forms, all life can live, experience, and recreate its nature as God, rather than just "know" itself as the creator in theory. It is essentially a game, entered into by agreement, to remember who and what we ar e and enjoy and create, knowing that ultimately there is no finish line that som e will not reach, no understanding that is not without value, no act that does n ot add meaning to the future or for others. In Walsch's view we have a common in terest in keeping the game going, for there is nothing else to do except to expe rience 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 is chosen. But within this, there are ways that (it is stated a nd implied) people will gradually come to see their thoughts, words, actions are either working or they are not working. A thing is either functional or dysfunc tional. These rememberings take place over "time" and can take hundreds and thou sands of lifetimes. Nature of the dialogue Book 1 (page 4) argues that words are not the ultimate truth, rather words are s ymbols, and are open to interpretations. Thus the readers are advised to consult their own feelings to determine their own truth while reading the book, or any other book. Though the books bear the title Conversations with God and the autho r states in book 1 that he is "taking dictation" from God, the 'dialogue' is sai d to be between God and all people at all times. The question, according to Neal e, is not to whom does God talk, but who listens. This is clarified by the state ment that God can communicate with people in many ways (the next song you hear, the next sunset you experience, the next time you hear laughter, the next movie that really moves you), and not necessarily through words 'spoken' by God to a p erson. "All these devices are mine. All these avenues are open to me. I will spe ak to you if you invite me." (CwG1, page 58. Parallels in other belief systems In the dialogue many philosophical ideas are presented that had already been adv anced earlier by major Eastern and Western thinkers, but Walsch presents the inf ormation in language for modern readers and does not specifically cite any of th ese philosophers. In fact, Walsch claims that he had never known most of these i deas before his revelatory experiences. Since the beginning of the series, and e specially in the latter volumes, Walsch and "God" acknowledge that most of the c oncepts presented are previously known to humanity, but are profound enough to w arrant being explored repeatedly, and put into this cohesive unified form. Since

humanity is still mired in strife and conflict, there is value in their restate ment. Fundamental parts of Walsch's writings are also mirrored within other well known spiritual writings and traditions: All things are one, there is no polarity, no right or wrong, no disharmony, but only identity. All is one, and that one is love/light, light/love, the Infin ite Creator. (The Law of One/Sikhism)) Souls reincarnate to eventually experience God-realization (Hinduism/' 'Bhag avad-Gita/Sikhism). Feelings are more important as a source of guidance than intellect (Rousseau /Sikhism). We are not here to learn anything new but to remember what we already know ( Hinduism/Plato/Sikhism). Physical reality is an illusion (Hinduism/ Buddhism's concept of maya/Sikhis m). One cannot understand one thing unless he or she understands its opposite (T ao Te Ching). God is everything. (Hinduism / Spinoza / Brahman/Sikhism) God is self-experiential, in that it is the nature of the Universe to experi ence itself. (Hinduism/Hegel/Sikhism), and process theology as first outlined by Alfred North Whitehead) God is not fear-inducing or vengeful, only our parental (projections/Sikhism ) onto God are. Fear or love are the two basic alternative perspectives on life [4] (Drewermann) Good and evil do not exist (as absolutes, but can exist in a different conte xt and for different reasons as Nietzsche/Sikhism). Reality is a representation created by will. (Schopenhauer/Sikhism) Nobody knowingly desires evil. (Socrates/Sikhism) It's just a ride. (Bill Hicks) Bibliography Conversations with God Series The following are the nine books in the Conversations With God series. Each of t hese 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 o nly by "God". Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1) (1996) ISBN 978-0-39914278-9 Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 2) (1997) ISBN 978-1-5717 4-056-4 Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 3) (1998) ISBN 978-1-5717 4-103-5 Friendship with God: An Uncommon Dialogue (1999) ISBN 978-0-399-14541-4 Communion With God: An Uncommon Dialogue (2000) ISBN 978-0-399-14670-1 Conversations With God for Teens (forward by Alanis Morissette) (2001) ISBN 978-1-57174-263-6 The New Revelations: A Conversation with God (2002) ISBN 978-0-7434-6303-4 Tomorrow's God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge (2004) ISBN 978-0-7434-6304 -1 Home with God: In a Life That Never Ends (2006) ISBN 978-0-7432-6716-8 The first three books in the series are often called the CwG trilogy. In 2005, t he trilogy was re-released as one combined 'Gift Edition' book. This edition con tains 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. The Complete Conversations with God (2005) ISBN 978-0-399-15329-7

Home With God, we are told, is the final book in this series of two-way written communication {see HwG page 308, "Our final conversation in public."}. CwG Supplemental Material In addition to the books of the CwG series, there are also a number of guidebook s, meditation books, and other books adapted from the CwG series and referring t o the CwG message. The following books do not have any new information from the voice of "God", but were written by Neale Donald Walsch, to assist with understa nding and applying the messages. Starting in 2008, The School of the New Spiritu ality, Inc. (SNS), founded by Walsch, starting publishing new guidebooks for the series. Conversations with God - Guidebook, Book 1 (1997) ISBN 1571740481 Meditations from Conversations With God, Book 2: A Personal Journal (1997) I SBN 978-1-57174-072-4 The Little Soul and the Sun: A Children's Parable Adapted from Conversations With God (1998) ISBN 978-1-57174-087-8 Re-Minder Cards: Conversations With God, Book 1 (1998) ISBN 978-1571741189 Meditations from Conversations With God: Book 1 (1999) ISBN 978-0-340-765951 Questions and Answers on Conversations With God (1999) ISBN 978-1-57174-1400 The Wedding Vows from Conversations With God (with Nancy Fleming-Walsch) (20 00) ISBN 978-1-57174-161-5 The Little Soul And The Earth: A Children's Parable Adapted From Conversatio ns With God (2005) (with Frank Riccio) ISBN 978-1-57174-451-7 Meditations from Conversations With God (2005) ISBN 978-1-57174-513-2 Conversations with God for Teens Guidebook (by Jeanne Webster and Emily Welc h) (2008) ISBN 978-0981520636 Conversations with God - Guidebook, Book 1 (by Nancy Ways) (2008) ISBN 978-0 981943800 Conversations with God - Guidebook, Book 2 (by Anne-Marie Barbier) (2008) IS BN 978-0981520698 Conversations with God - Guidebook, Book 3 (by Alissa Goefron) 2008) ISBN 97 8-0981943824 The Conversations with God Companion: The Essential Tool for Individual and Group Study (2009) ISBN 978-1-57174-604-7 Neale Donald Walsch has also written a number of other books which he describes as "in the CwG cosmology", none of these are dialogues with God. These include W hat God Wants, Happier than God, When Everything Changes, Change Everything, The Only Thing That Matters, and his latest book, What God Said. For a complete lis ting, please see the Bibliography at Neale Donald Walsch. 2006 movie A Conversations with God movie dramatizing the author's experience opened in the atres across USA on October 27, 2006. Walsch is played by Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible, The Pink Panther) in the film. The DVD version of the film was released on February 27, 2007. References Walsch, Neale Donald (1995). Conversations with God (Paperback). ISBN 0-39914278-9. Neale Donald Walsch on CNS's Larry King Live (April 7th, 2000) 'Being at One': Neale Donald Walsch Interview with Gil Dekel, PhD (Part 1 of 3), Paragraph 16 'Inspiration: a functional approach to creative practice', Paragraph 2 External links

Official website Conversations with God at the Internet Movie Database Conversations with God movie Web site Categories: Channelled texts Dialogues New religious movement-related media New Thought literature New Age texts Books about spirituality Navigation menu Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit View history Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikimedia Shop Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Tools Print/export Languages Espaol ??? Polski Portugus ??????? ?? Edit links This page was last modified on 6 April 2014 at 14:52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use a nd Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundatio n, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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