Who is it for? Anyone seeking for the benefits of religious practices without its toxic side effects.
What makes it special? Marianne Williamson does not insult the reader's intellect by trying to sell spirituality the same way Tammie Faye sold religion as a QVC offering. She understands and questions the material, distilling the good and useful in today's environment.
Let's make some unnecessary labels: Spiritual development, personal growth, psychology.
Published in 1992, Marianne Williamson's original work in 'A Return To Love' has not lost any relevance. Its principles are universal and of spiritual (if not religious) connotation.
For the majority of newer generations, religion is harmful, a set of dogmas, a collective of individuals that prefer to bury their heads in doctrine than to deal with the reality that 'God is dead' since Nietzche's proclamation for anyone with a more intellectual flair to them. Add to that any connotation of discrimination or divisive rhetoric, and any possible readers find themselves dismissing the text, or adopting it for all the wrong reasons.
The value in Marianne's interpretation of 'A Course in Miracles' is that she is:
1. Just as weary as the rest of audiences about 'religious' tendencies when reading the text.
2. Focusing on universally acceptable theological concepts from a contemporary voice of reason that questions, not just indoctrinates knowledge.
The author's work is relatable. Offering the audience a much-needed tool and reprieve. It is a reimagined interpretation that both pays tribute to the original texts that inspire it, and distill the information in a manner that is accessible and resonant to a broader audience.
'A Return To Love' is a road map, a set of guiding principles that encourage the audience to 'heal' themselves from their cognitive distortions and the pollution of today's environment. Same as 'A Course in Miracles' but distilled, it invites the reader to focus inward, and to do so in an even more rationally questioned manner than the original. It creates a better understanding of an individual's values and how to implement them. It offers the greatest achievement of religion without any of its toxic side effects.
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