Australian Religions

*Read by the author. For believers and skeptics alike, A Doubter's Guide to World Religions introduces the five major world religions so that you can explore their similarities and differences in a fair and engaging way. The world is a very religious place. Wherever you look, people are...

Have you ever seen, heard or felt something that cannot be rationally explained? Australia is troubled by the departed spirits of convicts, bushrangers, drovers, nurses and miners. People have seen spectres in pubs, theatres, lighthouses, asylums and by lonely waterholes. There are locations in the bush that send a shiver down your spine, as well as some truly perplexing phenomena such as the Spirit Stones of Mayanup, Quinn's Light, the Guyra Ghost, the Humpty Doo haunting and the Min Min lights.

Once the sacred guardian of New Zealand's native forests, the huia was a symbol of the land's unique beauty and spirituality. The rare bird's tragic extinction in the early 1900s represents a shot to the heart of Aotearoa and is a potent metaphor for a country's conflicted history. Using the story of the untimely extinction of the huia, J. Ruka offers a fresh perspective on the narrative of New Zealand: a tale of two cultures, warring worldviews, and the things we lost in translation.

From the multi-award-winning author. Crystal Mary Lindsey This enthralling story is of a young man who left behind his unhappy life in 1925 England, to venture into the unknown and chase a future he could never imagine. With only a few belongings and a heart bruised by disappointments, he sailed toward Sydney, Australia, a distant land whispered about yet utterly unknown. As the shoreline of everything familiar faded behind him, one question pressed heavily on his soul: How would he survive alone? And deeper still… how would he endure the ache of leaving his beloved siblings? What Liam ...

Set in the nineteenth century, The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) follows the fortunes of three young travelers. Their dramatic adventures span sixteen years and see them engage with Native American Indians, Barbary Coast pirates, Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific Islanders as they travel around the world - from America to Africa, from England to the Canary Islands, to Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji. In book one, World Odyssey, ambitious American adventurer Nathan Johnson, sheltered English missionary Susannah Drake and irrepressible Cockney Jack Halliday each follow ...

One of The New York Times 10 Best Thrillers of the Year | One of The New Yorker's and Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year A “luminous, unusual, unexpected” (The New York Times) debut novel blending mystery, psychological suspense, astronomy, and romance, in which a young widow faces...

When my full-blooded Hawaiian mother was a very young girl, she was hanai adopted by her Aunty Ida. Being a personal friend of Queen Emma, Anty Ida lived in her summer palace in Nu'uanu. It was there that my mother lived and played. Many years later, my brother and I went to visit Queen Emma's summer palace with my mother. The palace was now a museum. I did not understand my mother's subdued spirit and silence. As we walked the palace, I could clearly see emotions welling up within her and then being suppressed.

At the heart of being human is the desire to belong. It can make us unspeakably vulnerable to the manipulations of others. Cult leaders prey on this desire, but so do many unscrupulous operators hiding in plain sight. Sarah Steel, the creator of the popular 'Let's Talk About Sects' podcast, has...

Spirit Sisters was inspired by the scores of women who would preface their stories with, 'I've hardly told anyone this, but...' The journalist would scratch the surface, and their stories would tumble out; they'd given up the ghost, so to speak. In Spirit Sisters you'll meet Australian women of all ages who share their very personal encounters with the supernatural.

Set in the nineteenth century, World Odyssey (The World Duology, #1) follows the fortunes of three young travelers as each embarks on an epic journey. Their dramatic adventures span sixteen years and see them engage with Native American Indians, Barbary Coast pirates, Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific Islanders as they travel around the world - from America to Africa, from England to the Canary Islands, to Australia, New Zealand and Samoa. Ambitious American adventurer Nathan Johnson's journey begins when he runs away to sea to escape a violent father. After surviving a shipwreck and ...

Wearing the colour red and having the patch with the emblem of the mighty bulldog on your back was what ex-Mongrel Mob leader Tuhoe 'Bruno' Isaac called being True Red. "Because all levels of society hated us we created a new society of hatred symbolised by the bulldog. Its ferocious habits were engraved on our hearts", Tuhoe says, "If you weren't a mobster you weren't worth knowing." He lived this way for 17 years. However, constantly living for the bash, beer, prison and the possibility of dying in a pool of blood eventually saw Tuhoe search for another way of doing life.

Just before Tatiana sets off to start a new life of deprivation, sacrifice, and sanctity, her insightful uncle helps her grapple with the meaning of life and come to terms with a world where people betray over a fickle, and where the quest for self-gratification supersedes the desire to live a divine purpose. “Hunger Fire” sequentially follows “The Grandmother': and Perfect Love” and precedes “The Fire and Ice Legend” in the short story collection entitled “Me Before Them”.

My Promised Homeland The story continues and Sarah is transported back in time as Katalin, a Hungarian nurse and healer who finds herself falling in love with Mehmed II during a battle. With the same mission as Sarah, Katalin makes a different choice, leading to a life brimming with love and mercy alongside Mehmet and his son Murat. Her decision alters Mehmet's destiny, transforming him into a more benevolent and peaceful ruler. After a fulfilling life, Katalin passes away only to find herself sentenced to an endless cycle of rebirth and death in her true home. Surprisingly, she is rewarded...

Playing out as a scintillating story with unexpected twists, “The Girl on the Trail” explores the severe and overwhelming shock of discovering uncomfortable truths about those we look up to, the security of family, the joy and satisfaction of love, the devastation of betrayal and loss, and the comfort of loyalty in our lives. The teenage Tatiana is certain she has her future mapped out: She would find love when she becomes a young woman, she would live a loving life all through college, and she would marry the knight who would secure her heart. But then, her compromised mother shakes ...

Australia is a nation forged in the furnace of revival. Long forgotten, Australia’s Spirit-filled history comes to life in Great Southland Revival. Discover how the flame of Pentecost spread from the book of Acts all the way to the South Pacific. Journey on convict ships and city trams, to goldfields, outback communities and far-flung islands transformed by the gospel. Most of all, be inspired that God longs to revive the church, sweep multitudes into His kingdom, and renew our world once again.

Tribal chiefs living in remote villages high in the unreached mountains of Yemen. An ordinary Sydney doctor lacking confidence in his own abilities, yet with a message to share. What God does is exceptional. Michael Babbage’s story of being led, protected, and provided for, together with his family, in their missionary travels to Yemen and Pakistan makes gripping listening.

What is Halal? A country bordering Shariahland, or a method of preparing food? Do the Five Pillars of Islam comply with modern building codes? Or are they simply a philosophy for living? And if Muslims first arrived in Australia as early as 1800, can they go back to where they came from? In this funny and informative exploration of Islam in Australia, award-winning comedian Sami Shah takes us behind the stereotypes and generalisations to find out who Australian Muslims are, how they live and what they think.

The exciting adventure continues as Shaerlyn, Jael, Farida and other angels fight a renewed onslaught from the forces of Lucifer. Epic battles, high drama fill this fast paced book that also explores the growing pains of the young boy the angels are sworn to protect. Delve into the depths of Angelogy and be inspired by this tale of faith leading to action.

Geologists have amassed data that indicate that islands have disappeared in the Pacific, a phenomenon that oral traditions of many groups of Pacific Islanders also highlight. This book explores the issue of vanished islands in the Pacific by bringing together the geology and the myths.

South Australia, 1914 When war against Germany erupts on the other side of the earth, a huge wave of suspicion, prejudice and persecution floods the community. There’s even a harsh concentration camp built for men branded as enemy aliens. Here in Adelaide, five diverse people are made vulnerable by the war. Elsie, gifted and ambitious child pianist, with German ancestry. Oskar, famous sportsman and businessman, also with German origins. Wilfred, a caring Anglican parish priest, opposed to the war. Pansy, an outsider by her very nature, but a fighter for justice to others. Little Neddy, a ...