"The Misunderstood Jew" by Amy-Jill Levine

This book is all about how the New Testament and church has anti-Jewish undertones...and how this makes absolutely no sense given that Jesus himself was a Jew.  Levine is very academic--being a professor of divinity herself at a prestigious university--and cites various sources for all her claims.  Whether readers are misinterpreting biblical verses that are blatantly anti-Semitic or if those lines were posthumously edited into the text is a question for the ages.  Nonetheless, Levine urges readers readers of all faiths to understand the Jewish Jesus and to stop blaming the Jews for Jesus' death.  Jews today are not responsible for Jesus' death, just like Christians today are not responsible for the Crusades.  Levine goes so far as to say that Jesus died a Jewish zealot that the Roman Empire tried for Treason--hence the title of King of the Jews above his cross.  While Jewish, Levine does not seek to show Christianity "bad" and Judaism "good"; she admits there are hateful and sexist verses in both the Old and New Testaments.  Rather, Levine aims to encourage readers to THINK for themselves instead of blindly perpetuating stereotypes handed down to them from their preachers, church fathers, or--worse yet--New Testament scriptures that are blindly accepted as the Word of God without even so much as a hint of scholarly scrutiny.

"Kosher Jesus" by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

After being recommended to read this book, I gave it a go.  My oh my did I learn a lot and get stretched in my thinking!  Before I start, I must say that the author does not intend to convert Christians to Judaism, prove Christians wrong, or in any way try to change Christians' theological beliefs.  Rather, Boteach aims to show readers of all beliefs how Jesus was indeed Jewish and to erase any ideas that Jesus was anti-Semitic.  Boteach goes into history of the first century Jerusalem and asks some very basic questions.  If Roman occupation of Jerusalem was so brutal--on par with modern day genocides--why would the New Testament not make any protest of this?  Would not a messianic ruler in first century Jerusalem speak out against Caesar in the same way that a messianic ruler in 1940s Germany would speak out against Hitler?  Herein starts Boteach's idea that parts of the New Testament may have been edited by those who wanted Rome to not look so bad...due to a political agenda.  Boteach also pinpoints some contradictions within the New Testament itself.  The notion that Paul invented Christianity and changed Jesus into someone Jesus never intended to be is also fascinating.  Then there is the idea that Paul was either not who he claimed to be or that others penned letters in Paul's name.  This concept is bolstered by the fact that someone who claims to be a Pharisee studying under Gamiel (the equivalent of being a Harvard student in Judaism) would likely not make such simple errors in his letters when quoting the Hebrew Bible.  Boteach also touches upon why Jews do not believe in Jesus.  He explains how Jesus only fulfilled some of the messianic prophecies.  While Christians claim Jesus will fulfill the rest of the messianic prophecies when he comes back, Jews say they will acknowledge Jesus as the messiah only when he finishes what he started.  Jesus was not the first Jew in his era to claim to be the messiah and die for it.  Boteach even explains how failing to live up to complete messianic prophecies was seen as noble and in no way blasphemous or deserving of death.  Then there is the segway into how it wasn't the Jews who sought to kill Jesus but rather the Romans who saw Jesus as a zealot looking to overthrow Roman rule.  This is why the title "King of the Jews" was written over Jesus' cross--those executed in Roman times had a parchment written on their cross proclaiming their reason for execution to warn others what happens when someone commits said crime...in this case treason.  Adding to this idea is the ridiculous notion of how Pilate--a man in history so violent that he was removed from his position for excessive cruelty--would even care to ask his conquered Jews why they wanted Jesus crucified.  This would be equivalent to Hitler asking Jews why they wanted one of their teachers killed in the Holocaust.  Hitler wouldn't care or even need to ask permissions of execution--he would just kill the Jew because that's how he is.  Boteach goes even so far as to say the New Testament editors whitewashed Roman involvement in Jesus' crucifixion to blame it on the Jews.  Some scholars don't even think Judas existed but was rather a Jewish scapegoat to prove the Jews were responsible for Jesus' death.  If the Pharisees wanted Jesus dead so badly, why would they tell him to flee from King Herod who sought to kill him?  Many stories in the New Testament don't align with the history of the time it was written in, and this creams foul play.  Finally, Boteach explains Judaism's views on the afterlife, sacrifice, forgiveness, and more, noting how one can have a satisfying relationship with God without the need for a god-man intermediary.

Do you really need cancer screenings at the doctor?

Below are the results of my research.  I am not a medical professional and make no claims to be.  Here are the recommended cancer screenings for women:

• Breast Cancer Screening - annually for women 40-55, every two years for women over 55 [1]
• Cervical Cancer Screening - every three years for women in their 20s, every five years for women 30-65 years of age, at their discretion for women over 65 years of age [1]

If someone is at risk for cancer, then I certainly think they should get screened.  However, for those not at risk, I do not see the reason for screenings.  Just as a non-smoker would not get a cancer screening for lung cancer, I ask myself why those not at risk for other cancers are being encouraged to get screened.  Why undergo a painful screening that could do immense harm in the event of a false positive?  False positives are when the doctors think you have cancer when you really don't.  This leads to biopsies, surgeries, body parts being removed, and a lot more poking-and-prodding that can have permanent consequences.

Breast Cancer False Positives
"The more mammograms a woman has, the more likely it is she will have a false positive result that requires follow-up tests. The chance of having a false positive result after 1 mammogram ranges from 7%-12%, depending on your age (younger women are more likely to have a false positive results). After 10 yearly mammograms, the chance of having a false positive is about 50%-60%.  The chance of a false positive result is higher among younger women and women with dense breasts. (Most women younger than 50 have dense breasts, so there's overlap among these groups."

Cervical Cancer False Positives
"We need to remember that informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement for all cancer screening, some women will choose not to have pap tests and mammograms. So often women are ordered, pressured and even coerced into testing with no real information on the actual benefits and risks with screening.  I’ve watched other countries and believe the Finns and Dutch are the ones to watch when it comes to cervical screening, they’ve followed the evidence and put women first, all women, the small number who might benefit from cervical screening and the vast majority who can never benefit but can be harmed by false positives, excess biopsies, and over-treatment."[3]

Breast Cancer Risk Factors
"All women are at risk for breast cancer. Increased risk factors include a family history of cancer, atypical hyperplasia, delaying pregnancy until after age 30, no children or no breast-feeding, early menstruation (before age 12) late menopause (after age 55), current use (in the last 10 years) of oral contraceptives, more than 4 years of hormone replacement use, postmenopausal obesity, alcohol consumption, exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, low physical activity and exposure to radiation." [4]

Cervical Cancer Risk Factors
"Human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in about 99% of cervical cancers....HPV is estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States."[5]
While rare, those not at risk for sexually transmitted disease could still get cervical cancer - "When a nun has symptoms suggestive of cervical cancer, that diagnosis should be considered as seriously as for any other woman. Irregular vaginal bleeding, inter-menstrual bleeding or recurrent vaginal discharge, should lead to a full pelvic examination under anesthesia."  [6]

Money, Power, and Greed
"The United States performs screening, particularly for cancer, more commonly than other advanced countries. We spend tens of billions annually on cancer screening, including $8 billion for breast cancer, over $6 billion for cervical cancer, and $3 billion for prostate cancer.  Why do we encourage large numbers of healthy people to undergo testing that may reveal some future problem, without informing them of the efficacy of these tests and their possible harms, while insisting that people who actually need medical intervention give informed consent? The reasons are more political than scientific. Patient-advocacy groups attract donations, gain prestige, and accumulate power by pushing screening for particular diseases. Physician-specialty groups promote screening in their areas of expertise. Most important, politicians of both parties garner support by funding screening programs for important constituent groups. Yet the effectiveness of screening is overrated: many screening programs mislead the public, waste scarce medical resources, and harm the people they are supposed to help." [7]

References
1.  "American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer."  American Cancer Society, 30 May 2018.
2.  "Accuracy of Mammograms." The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 26 Jun 2019.
3.  "There's a better way to screen for cervical cancer." Healthy Debate Opinions, 13 Apr 2016.
4.  "Facts and Info."  Breast Cancer Research and Assistance Fund, 1 Jan 2015.
5.  "Cervical Cancer Overview." National Cervical Cancer Coalition, 1 Jan 2019.
6.  "Nuns, virgins, and spinsters. Rioni-Stern and cervical cancer revisited."  Gynecological Oncology, 23 Sep 2011.
7.  "Stop Overscrening for Cancer."  City Journal, 4 Apr 2016.

"The Map is not the Journey" by Richard Dahlstrom

There are many popular books about people who have some sort of mid-life crisis, escape to the great outdoors, and find themselves in nature.  This book is similar but with its own twist.  Richard, a pastor, is devastated by grief from the passing of those he loves.  So, he sets off on a journey to hike the Alps with his wife.  He learns many lessons along the way about what it means to know God and be an ambassador of God to others.  Since Richard is Christian, there are many Christian undertones.  However, I would say there is a good balance between the author's personal religious experience, his generic life lessons for people of all faiths, and his descriptions of the Alps he climbs.  Overall, this book was quiet relaxing and made me ponder some great questions of life.

"Ask Deepak about Health & Wellness" by Deepak Chopra

I listened to this book as an audio book CD while driving around in my car.  Various people submit health and wellness questions to Deepak, who then provides his wisdom on the diverse subjects.  Topics covered include diet, exercise, nutrition, meditation, and more.  Deepak doesn't shy away from tough questions.  He provides advice on issues such as mental health, as well, as he tackles issues of jealously, anger, rage, drugs, alcohol, addiction, unforgiveness, cancer, disease, and more.  I learned a lot about health and wellness from this book, particularly the Eastern philosophy of Ayurveda.  Health and wellness is a big job; it is much more than eating a salad once a week.  Healthy living is truly a synchronous dance between mind, body, and spirit.

"Whole-Identity" by Dr. Jerome Lubbe

This book uses neuroscience and psychology to explain how different preferences and personalities make up one's whole identity.  People are shaped by both their genetics and their experiences--nature and nurture.  There is the left brain, the right brain, and the brain stem.  There is emotion, intellect, and instinct.  This book also goes into the famous Enneagram test.  While readers do not need to have taken the Enneagram to learn something from this book, they will get the most out of this book if they take the test.  I had personally never taken this test before and decided to about halfway through the book.  The Enneagram is available free of charge online and takes less than 10 minutes, so I'd say it's a good investment.  Lubbe has some excellent charts and art in this book, which makes it fun.  My only qualm about this book was the incredibly confusing math in it.  Enneagram scores do not add up to 100.  I figured why not just add up all the scores and do percentages that way.  However, Lubbe outlined some very confusing equations that I could not replicate.  In the next version of the book, I need the math needs to be simplified and clarified.  It was not easy to follow at all.

"Ask Deepak about Love and Relationships" by Deepak Chopra

I listened to this book as an audio book CD while driving to and from work.  People submit questions to Deepak, and he provides honest yet loving answers.  There are questions about friends, parents, siblings, significant others, spouses, and more.  Topics such as homosexuality, body shame, family expectations, depression, trauma, abuse, molestation, and more are covered.  While there are many deep insights from Deepak in this book, I would say that it can be at times depressing.  When I want to read or listen to a book, I don't want to be bombarded with everyone else's problems.  

"Mindfulness is better than Chocolate" by David Michie, PhD

I listened to this book as an audio book CD while driving around in my car.  The basic premise is how wonderful mindfulness is and what the practical benefits of the practice are.  Michie discusses how meditation is difficult but, once attained, can produce immense results for mental health.  Meditation can reduce stress, improve relationships, calm anxiety, and lead to a more positive outlook on life.  The latest research on mindfulness is cited, along with several fascinating studies on psychology.  While I don't consider myself a "meditator" per se, I did learn a lot from this book. 

"The Interfaith Family Journal" by Susan Katz Miller

Wow, this journal really blew me away!  At first I thought it was just a nice little workbook, but the more I dove into it, the more important I realized it was.  Miller makes the case that every family is interfaith in some regard.  Among Christians, there are Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, and so on.  Among Jews, there are Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, and so on.  Even for people who share the same denomination, there are often differences in belief, opinion, tradition, custom, and preference.  I must warn readers that this book will make them think on some difficult questions and likely spur hours-long discussions among family members (which I think is a good thing, just make sure you care out enough time for it!).  What I loved about this journal is that it does not focus on who's right vs who's wrong.  Rather, family members take turns sharing about their religious upbringing (or lack thereof), what spirituality means to them, and what traditions they want to carry on into the future.  It aims to respect the faith of all parties while letting each person be heard, understood, and accepted.  I've recommended this journal to countless couples and find it to be an invaluable resource in any stage of relationship.  

"A Field Guide to Relationships" by Christopher T. Rogers

While this book is a field guide for relationships in general, I would say that the bulk of its use is for those in romantic relationships.  Drawing from years of experience as a family and marriage counselor, the author goes over ten ways to improve relationships.  Much advice is aimed towards better communication.  For example, it is better to say "I miss you" instead of "you don't spend enough time with me".  Rogers explains how to start with love, make the other person feel accepted, say how you are feeling with I (instead of you) phrases, and so on.  From a psychological view, there is even a section of the book going into childcare and the impact of childhood on one's adulthood.  Rogers is patient with readers as he walks them thru his ten steps of improving relationships.  I liked how short and to-the-point this book was.  If I'm having a relationship issue, I don't have time to read a 600 page thesis--I just want a quick reference for how to help the situation.  And that's exactly what this book is.