God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths - Softcover

From the Preface

Religion never satisfied me, and often infuriated me. Though I was raised to be a Jew, I thought of myself first and foremost as a human being and never viewed myself as wiser, luckier, or happier because my parents were Jewish or I adhered to the accepted truths of their religious tradition. To my mind, I would be progressing spiritually only by understanding what was universally right and natural in life and how to live accordingly.

After years of attending Hebrew school, I rebelled against the dogma I was taught there. In college I focused on subjects requiring the use of logic that appealed to my scientific mind. However, I eventually found that while the material sciences could answer some questions concerning how the world worked, they could not prescribe an ethical way to live.

Searching further, I investigated mystical techniques. I began practicing sophisticated methods of sense introversion. I implemented an inner science to address the concerns unresolved by my studies. Over the next decade, I came to realize God as a spiritually expansive substance extending throughout the cosmos—a much more universal presence than that proposed by many organized religions. God, I found, was everything, and being godlike meant identifying with, and not merely tolerating, more and more people. Understanding that the idea of God signified absolute unity, I concluded that anyone advocating unquestioning loyalty to a restrictive group such as a faith, ethnicity, or nation was in fact promoting the fall of humanity by advancing its division....

Disillusioned with organized religion, some people escape into New Age movements and others retreat from their spiritual moorings altogether. A more satisfying and transformative option is to embark on a quest to discover God on your own. Using time-tested tools of spiritual investigation, it becomes possible to examine your present beliefs, explore the nature of God and sense of self, and ultimately expand your identity. God Without Religion introduces this age-old approach to spiritual inquiry for modern-day readers. Step by step, it offers a bridge between organized religion and mystical spirituality for anyone questioning traditional dogma or its legacy of divisiveness. It also assists in overcoming limitations and notions of exclusivity promoted by New Age movements. Included are seventeen universal techniques for developing personal knowledge of God and broadening your view of yourself, others, and all of life.

"The genuine seeker must utilize both the critical mind and the generous heart. God Without Religion honors both." —John J. McGraw Author of Brain & Belief

"A provocative challenge . . . to the smug assertions of those who would claim to know the truth." —Robert S. Alley Professor of Humanities, Emeritus University of Richmond

"This practical as well as theoretical volume encourages people to have direct, firsthand experience of the divine, unmediated by the trappings of organized religion." —Mary E. Hunt, PhD Codirector of WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual)

"Extraordinary, elegant, beautiful, informed, practical. . . . It is good medicine in a troubled world." —David Carson Coauthor of Medicine Cards

"God Without Religion offers, through exquisite prose and profound substance, a way out of religious shackles and abuse — a direct path to God." —Alon Ben-Meir, PhD Professor of International Relations The Center for Global Affairs, New York University

"This thoughtful and insightful book will help increase the spiritual literacy that is a necessary part of our true higher education. . . . I heartily recommend it." —Lama Surya Das Author of Awakening the Buddha Within and founder of the Dzogchen Meditation Center

"A treasure, a pearl of great price . . . a worthy companion on anyone’s path." —Robert Ransom Odom Internationally published author, columnist, and spiritual teacher

"An inspiring, positive, wonderful book . . ." —Joseph Dispenza Author of The Way of the Traveler and Live Better Longer

"A breath of fresh air . . ." —Hal Zina Bennett, PhD Author of Writing Spiritual Books