The Star and the Cross


Book Description

Born into a loving, wealthy German family, Katarina Von Rahmel, protected and cherished, becomes a prima ballerina but finds her career destroyed by the horrors of war. Betrayed by the Nazi officer she has married, she escapes a prison camp and joins her brother and others as they fight back against Hitler’s regime. In the aftermath of WWII, they continue their battle against oppression as Berlin teeters on the brink of a Stalinist takeover. Becoming estranged from her family, except for her Catholic priest brother, Katarina abandons her daughter and marries again to escape the difficult post-war living conditions in the bombed-out city. Her new husband objects to her continued anti-Communist activities and eventually is able to take her home with him to Hawaii to begin a new life, but Katarina’s terrible memories from the war and her fierce independence cause her unwitting betrayal of the children she would fight to keep.




The Star and the Cross


Book Description

This book is a love story that relates how two young people of different religions came together, and overcame the differences to enter a happy and loving marriage. When I first conceived the idea of writing, it was to expound on the subject of anti-Semitism. I soon learned the amount of books on this old subject was monumental, and so I decided to turn it into fiction. However, within the context of the book, I endeavor to bring out the messages I wish to express to anyone willing to read this. Hatred has become vogue, and it has spread across the modern world with a vengeance not seen in many a year. I have been astounded at the gullibility of people who subscribe to hate, and the injustices they are able to commit in its name. My primary focus, although on anti-Semitism, has been embellished by knowledge of modern day genocide in many more countries than one would imagine. I have included some of this information in the text. Some of the killing, especially in Africa, has subsided, but hatreds are popping up anew in other areas. In Russia, for example, ethnic people of darker skin are being attacked, and in some cases murdered by thugs who have nothing better to do with their lives. The most visible, and the largest hate group appears to be the militant Muslims who see the entire world under Islam. The lies being taught to their young will be a very long time in dying, if ever. As usual, it is America (America the beautiful) who is leading the fight against terrorism throughout the world, but it is an uphill battle. Politics here at home as well as world politics and greed make the task more difficult. One would think as the world grows smaller and becomes more global in the relationships of the world's countries to each other that there would be more enlightenment. However, it seems we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I want to believe in the "All Mighty;" that there is a "whatever" watching over us, and interceding when man goes too far with evil actions. Perhaps God is very present, and doing His thing, but we don't recognize or understand it. Perhaps the "Lord moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform." Until I am convinced he is not there, I'll go on believing because I want him to be there for us. No one religion is all right or all wrong. Consequently, we must not harbor (in our hearts) hatred for those who are different from us for they are our brothers. My wish (my prayer) is to bring the world to its senses, and I only wish I could live to see the day when man will accept man as his brother, and when they will "beat their swords into pruning hooks and plowshares". Then, and then only, hatred will die, and there will be no more wars.




The Fire, the Star and the Cross


Book Description

Although today the region is mostly identified with Islam, it has been home to many other great cultures, and the civilization of the Islamic world is itself indebted to the various peoples that the Arabs subdued in the 7th and 8th centuries. Far from fading away after the Arab conquest, the inhabitants of the Iranian plateau and of Mesopotamia were central players in the lives of their regions. However, the magnitude of their contribution to the emergence of the early Islamic world has hitherto been neglected. In this fascinating and groundbreaking study, Khanbaghi offers a comprehensive discussion of those groups that resisted assimilation to the new Islamic order yet continued to participate actively in the socio-political life of their homeland. He concentrates on Iran, which due to its complex religious history offers unique opportunities for the study of non-Muslim communities, specifically of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians.Aptin Khanbaghi has written an important and fascinating book which aims to present a thorough evaluation of the historical contributions made by religious minorities - Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians - to the societal and cultural physiognomy of the lands of Iran in pre-modern and early modern times. His general perspective and his broad treatment of the topic are quite new, while his use of sources and of the secondary literature is genuinely impressive. The Fire, the Star and the Cross makes a very significant and original contribution to our knowledge and understanding of Iranian history and civilization during an era when the foundations were laid for the emerging modern Iranian state.'BERT G FRAGNER, Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna




The Star and the Cross


Book Description




North Star to Southern Cross


Book Description

Concise field guide to stars and constellations presented in a month-by-month selection of stars charts. Explains celestial phenomena, workings. A gem.




Rising Star (Cross Ups, Book 3)


Book Description

The continuing adventures of Jaden, Cali, and the Cross Ups crew. When Jaden gets a call inviting him to Comicon to test out a new version of his favorite game, Cross Ups, he is thrilled . . . sort of. He’ll get to go with his best friend, Cali, they’ll be in New York City, and best of all, he’ll meet his idol and the greatest gamer of all time, Yuudai Sato. But he’s got no time to practice, and worse, his signature moves no longer work. His trip starts to feel less and less exciting, and more and more like one big problem. Jaden has to come up with some solutions—fast. He looks to some older gamers for guidance, but is JStar willing to change who he is for the sake of a game? With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Rising Star, the third book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist.




The Star and the Cross


Book Description




The Star Cross


Book Description

Admiral Kurt Vickers is on fleet maneuvers in the Newton System when a heavily damaged Earth light cruiser appears. The captain tells a horrific story. Earth has been invaded, and the defensive fleets in orbit have been annihilated.For decades, humans have been exploring farther and farther away from Earth and Newton searching for signs of intelligent life. Now that intelligent life has found them and it comes as an invader.The enemy is ruthless, powerful, and has a disdain for human life. Admiral Vickers has his small fleet taskforce and is hopelessly outnumbered. However, even in darkness there is light and Admiral Vickers will do whatever is necessary to free Earth from the invaders, even if he has to travel to the worst hellhole in the galaxy to do it.




The Cross and the Lynching Tree


Book Description

A landmark in the conversation about race and religion in America. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree." Acts 10:39 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and "black death," the cross symbolizes divine power and "black life" God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era. In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice.




The Cross in the Star of David


Book Description