Spirituality without Religion

Spirituality without religion is something I have been interested in for a very long time.

Perhaps this is the reason I adopted Buddhism – because it is a way of life and not a religion in the sense of believing in a god or creator or supreme being.

I really like reading the works of Stephen Bachelor because he writes about Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening.

Sam Harris also writes about spirituality without religion in his book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion.

He writes,

“Twenty percent of Americans describe themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious.’ Although the claim seems to annoy believers and atheists equally, separating spirituality from religion is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It is to assert two important truths simultaneously: Our world is dangerously driven by religious doctrines that all educated people should condemn, and yet there is more to understanding the human condition than science and secular culture generally admit. Our purpose of this book is to give both these convictions intellectual and empirical support.”

-Sam Harris from Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

This really makes sense to me because so many people have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of religion fanatics.

Just take a moment to think about what is going in the Middle East and with Intelligent Design enthusiasts in Middle America.

Is the earth really flat?

Did we not evolve from more primitive life forms over the four billion year life on earth?

Are we going to throw out 2600 years of scientific research to placate these fanatics?

Where do you stand on spirituality?

Where do you stand on religion?

Books by Sam Harris

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Waking Up is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology. From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is f… [Read More…]