Powers of Darkness, Powers of Light: Travels in Search of the Miraculous and the Demonic

by John Cornwell

Book Overview

This is the story of a journey into a strange world of apparitions, prophecies, miracles of healing, levitation, holy relics, weeping statues, stigmata and demonic possession. The author follows a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670821039
• ISBN13: 9780670821037
• Release Date: October 1991
• Publisher: Viking
• Length: 395 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A journey back towards faith

John Cornwell charts a his own spiritual renewal during a year spent visiting Catholic religious shrines across Europe and America. Somewhat marred by Cornwell's obvious and tiresome class snobbery. He wastes time recounting poor table manners and vulgar habits as if these devalue the spiritual experiences of his subjects. By doing so he merely irritates the reader with his own inflated sense of superiority. He obviously feels a public school and oxford background is essential to being a spiritual person. Luckily Jesus of Nazereth disagreed! One suspects John would have found the apostles a vulgar lot - as being fishermen they probably were. His obvious sexual infatuation with Sr Briege McKenna is embarassing - one doubts whether he would have given her mysticism much credence if he had not found her attractive. However, Despite nailing his colours firmly to the mast as a rather unpleasant itellectual and social snob Cornwell's account is gripping. He is obviously a man on a sincere quest for truth - if somewhat full of his own importance. Read it and ignore the whinging over table manners and bad breath!

A magnificient spiritual journey

John Cornwell takes the reader along on a spritual investigation of the world of heavenly and demonic apparations. His skepticism shows as he examines the lives of visionaries and modern day saints of the Catholic world. But it is also apparent that as he advances further into his investigations, he becomes more aware of his own spirituality. It is this awareness that encourages the reader to turn the page and discover what John Cornwell has learned next from the particular interviews he conducts with those who have seen visions of the Virgin Mary or who have heard the voice of God. His encounters with Sister Briege McKenna are also very interesting because of the effect they have on the author. Although most of the subject matter will be well known to those of Catholic faith, any curious reader who likes mystery and investigation will enjoy this book.