Adam's Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation

This book is a very biblical analysis of the five promises that God gave to Adam when he left the garden in Genesis 3:17-23. They are:1. Life is hard.2. You are not that important.3. Your life is not about you.4. You are not in control.5. You are going to die.While these may seem harsh, many of the problems that men face in our world stem from the fact that these lessons have never been learned. Our society has not done a good job of passing on these lessons and internalizing them into our young men. I'm sure you can all think of 'adult' men that truly don't measure up to the term 'adult' because they DO have an over-important view of themselves, they DO think that life is all about themselves, and they still have not come to accept the fact of their own death.If you think about it, this is how gangs have been so influential in the lives of young men throughout our society: they HAVE instilled these 5 promises into the psyches of young men. And the young men love them for it. If we could teach our young men these principles, just think how society could benefit from truly mature 'adult' men by the time they leave home.Fr. Rohr then follows up all five principles with promises from the New Testament that will make life a little easier. Or as Jesus said "more abundant." Such as "life is hard" but "my yoke is easy". All very good practical Biblical information.This book is specifically geared toward men. As a physician and someone that deals with lots of psychiatry, I would offer my OPINION that it is because most women have learned all these lessons well before entering into adult-hood. I don't know if it is something that is passed on from mothers, or if it has something to do with child-bearing, or what. I don't really understand. But I do know that girls seem to inherently understand these principles already, while it seems that young men must specifically be taught them. As a former young man, we don't always pick up on subtlety and often we need things presented in such a clear way.Many of these things I have learned over the past 40 years, but it would have been so much easier if a group of adults had taken me aside at some point before I left home and explained them to me. I wouldn't have really listened then, but having heard it, I would have learned it sooner.

I finished Richard Rohr's book with very mixed feelings. I do believe that addresses some valid concerns regarding maleness in our deeply feminized and sanitized culture, however, he does so at the expense of certain truths in my opinion.Specifically, as one reads this book, one gets the feeling that Mr. Rohr is not a Catholic because he is compelled by the overwhelming force of truth to be so, but because Catholicism is his personal favorite choice over several other equally good and fine religions.This is NOT the Catholicism of the Early Fathers of the Church, but the Catholicism of a New Age guru who makes statements which reflect his New Age mindset regarding the validity of all religions and specialness of none (not even his Catholic religion).Such statements as "...whether you are a Christian, Jewish, or Moslem holy man" (pg. 18) litter the book and give me the distinct feeling that in Mr. Rohr's opinion, any religion can have "holy men." This is in opposition to the traditional Christian understanding that holiness comes through a Sacramental relationship with God through Christ. Sounds like a typical New Age ecummenist spirit to me.Also in New Age fashion, Mr Rohr is loathe to tolerate criticism of anyone, as seen by such statements as "A projection screen must and will be found, be is sinners, heretics, Jews, terrorists, communists, women, gays, blacks, or poor people" (Pg 41). That has the ring of typical leftist drivel to me, in which we are not to utter a word against the sins that people commit. Notice how in leftist fashion, homosexuals are lumped together with blacks. My distaste for homosexuality has to do with the fact that both God and His Church call it a sin. You cannot say the same about being born with black skin, but leftists will try to make statements against homosexuals on par with racism.Mr. Rohr is not very enchanted with the religion of his choice either, as shown by this quote:"This sacralization of the past is emblazoned in all the structures of patriarchy (I bet he is in favor of women "priests" also!): royal families must pretend they go back to King Arthur or some saint, Americans have to mythologize George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Roman Catholics look for some kind of proof of apostolic succession" (pg 94).This man obviously doesn't have a very firm grip upon his Catholic Faith. There is a very distinct reason that apostolic succession is both biblical and important -- and it has to do with authority in the Church and the authority of the Church over the world, even if the world rejects that authority which was given to St. Peter and the apostles.And then there is this statement: "Catholics go to Mass repeatedly since we are slow learners, but Jesus did it only once." (pg 104) I was beyond stunned when I read that sentence, for it shows a complete ignorance, either willing or unwilling, of the basic principles of a covenantal relationship in which there is confession, sacrifice, and covenantal meals of restitution and renewal. And this from a man who is supposed to be writing about renewal of the male spirit. There is nothing more renewing than forgiveness of sin and restoration to a place of acceptance at the family table. He has missed the boat big time with that statement!Finally, here is one last zinger that raises, at least for me as a Catholic, considerable question marks about this man and where he is coming from: "Catholics created purgatory so they could still have possibility and some control even after death." (pg 164).That is just so patently false it would be laughable if this man wasn't a member of a Franciscan Catholic order. One would think that a certain level of training in theology and soteriology would be mandatory for membership in such an order. I do not want to get into a doctrinal dissertation here, but suffice it to say that he is dead wrong with this statement.Richard Rohr's book makes many good points and calls us as men to a level of self-examination that the Western male has not engaged in for many decades. The sad part about this book is his failure to blend these ideas into a workable Catholic anthropology for laymen. Mr. Rohr instead takes the cultural wide road of this present age and sinks into the marsh of New Age thought lest he offend anyone by being completely and forthrightly sold out to the Truth which Christ embodied into the Catholic Faith.I would read this book with a very discerning eye, especially if you are not strong in your Catholic Faith. There are some real diamonds of thought in here, but they are surrounded by a lot of mud that you will have to wade through.

This is a fantastic book with some very keen insights into the condition of men in the world today. The author began his "male initiation weekends" some twenty years ago when it was somewhat of a "fad" of the 80's to take a group of men out in a wilderness setting to "discover themselves." Richard has stayed with the process over the years and now writes of the fundamental insights which he and his team have gained in doing this kind of "men's work." Joseph Campbell made the insight years ago that young men in the United States today were severely lacking because they did not have the "initiation rites" which had been an advantage to older tribal societies. These rites introduced young men to their proper role in society so that they knew who they were, what was expected of them and their proper roles as protectors and fathers in society. Richard has risen to the challenge by creating such an experience and making it available to men all over the world for two decades. He offers some reflections on how this has developed and how men have responded to it over the years. In addition he suggests a format and some insights for regular meetings of men who are interested in personal and spiritual growth based on his experience with a group in New Mexico. As a person who has been involved in similar processes for the last thirty years, I find his reflections affirming and stimulating. My own men's group is in the process of purchasing the book and setting up a schedule to explore his material. His "five spiritual truths" are a summary of what is common and the best spiritual teachings regarding the role of men from various Christian and non-Christian traditions. I highly recommend the book for insights on a personal level or with a group of men.

This book should be a must for all males. When you understand and sense the book’s message it is life changing. With great insight and wisdom Richard Rohr speaks to the man’s soul. He encourages him to find the man he was born to be and to set him free. Free to live the life he is predestined to live and equipped to meet its challenges and responsibilities for the benefit of all those that are dependent upon him and for himself. Rohr is inspired by the male initiating rituals, that was earlier an essential part of upbringing boys in almost all cultures but is lost in the modern western culture. Reminiscences of it can still be found in some of the original cultures in Africa (the Masais), Australia (the Aboriginals) and in some of the Eastern religions and in the nature based rites in the Indian cultures in America. This is however not an anthropological study. Rather a spiritual one, that speaks directly to the man’s soul. The caring guidance from fathers and older males is lost for a great number of modern men. Many have no fathers or troublesome relations to the ones they have. They feel the wound as an inner insecurity and tries to cover it up with macho masculinity. Bu this is no solid foundation for a healthy life and healthy relation to spouse and own children. Richard Rohr’s book encourages you to find your inner man and let him be called out to a more intense and real life.

This is a key work on the need for male initiation, especially in a materialistic Western society which lacks any real sense of transition into manhood. Thoroughly spiritual and searching themes written clearly and helpfully by one of the 21st century's living saints.

A Catholic Priest writes this in-depth instructional book leading from why male initiation is important and how it is missing in our western culture todays to how to address the problem. His explinations, though from a Christian prospective, does not exclude any other. It is a challenge to read as this author's vocabulary stretched mine, something I enjoyed.

As usual Richard Rhor he has some great insights… only his delivery can be very annoying. He’s rather full of himself, so you hafta put up with his endless bragging to find the gems of his message.

Fantastic book and an important examination of the role of men in church and society at large.