Living Beyond Belief The God Of No Religion

"Living Beyond Belief: The God of No Religion" explores spirituality beyond traditional religious confines, advocating for a personal connection with the divine that transcends dogma. Through introspective reflections and philosophical insights, the book invites readers to embrace a liberated and inclusive approach to spirituality, emphasizing the universal essence of human connection and the limitless potential for personal growth outside the boundaries of organized religion.

Faith Beyond Belief gives a much-needed voice to the “good” people who have left their church but whose spirituality continues to mature. Johnston uses first-person stories as well as known spiritual authorities in describing various stages of religious growth. Some of these real-life accounts are by nonbelievers; others are by those among the growing numbers of the “spiritual but not religious.” All are thoughtful people with too much integrity to live what they consider a lie. The stories of the nonbelievers-including an ex-Catholic, a former Mormon, and a clandestine Muslim apostate who left his community after the attacks of 9/11-show how complete confidence in human reason can lead away from literal religious interpretation. But, while that step is a necessary one on the spiritual path, it is only intermediate. Her second set of stories are of people at the “mystic” level who can tolerate paradox and see truth and reality as multidimensional. Johnston’s book will help doubters to see things in a new light as well as those who are struggling to clarify their own spiritual vision. It also points beyond the atheist/believer controversy wrecking such divisive havoc in our culture today.

What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? The long-running and often boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved forward by Alain de Botton’s inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false—but that it still has some very important things to teach the secular world. Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it—because the world’s religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer himself) proposes that we look to religion for insights into how to, among other concerns, build a sense of community, make our relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel and reconnect with the natural world. For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing some peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.

Something has gone terribly wrong. We face a spiritual crisis, but the extremes of religious fundamentalism on one hand, and scientific atheism on the other, offer no cure. Scepticism is soaring, especially among Millennials. Daily, we read of scandals among our politicians, priests and Hollywood stars. Mass shootings are epidemic, yet entertainment media glorifies violence. Drugs, not 'religion' as Karl Marx claimed, are now the 'opiate of the masses'. 'Christian' TV preachers use donations to purchase private jets and mansions, while children starve. The White House has claimed that 'Truth is not the truth'. Our leaders and institutions have lost all moral authority. A common religious response to crisis is to thump the Bible harder and louder. This book challenges us to go beyond a simple, childish belief. Dr Lance Moore offers an intelligent faith rooted in a respect for Scripture, while taking a fresh look at calcified orthodoxies. He invites readers to embrace paradox, in Spirituality and in Science, to rediscover God for our Quantum Age.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed comes a brave, frank, and exquisitely written memoir that will change the way you see the world. Barbara Ehrenreich is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Educated as a scientist, she is an author, journalist, activist, and advocate for social justice. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, she recounts her quest-beginning in childhood-to find "the Truth" about the universe and everything else: What's really going on? Why are we here? In middle age, she rediscovered the journal she had kept during her tumultuous adolescence, which records an event so strange, so cataclysmic, that she had never, in all the intervening years, written or spoken about it to anyone. It was the kind of event that people call a "mystical experience"-and, to a steadfast atheist and rationalist, nothing less than shattering. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, Ehrenreich reconstructs her childhood mission, bringing an older woman's wry and erudite perspective to a young girl's impassioned obsession with the questions that, at one point or another, torment us all. The result is both deeply personal and cosmically sweeping-a searing memoir and a profound reflection on science, religion, and the human condition. With her signature combination of intellectual rigor and uninhibited imagination, Ehrenreich offers a true literary achievement-a work that has the power not only to entertain but amaze.

Women have made great strides toward equal rights over the past hundred years, especially in the West. But when considering the ongoing fight over reproductive rights and equal pay—and the prevalence of sexual violence and domestic abuse—it is clear that a significant gap still exists. With scripture often cited as justification for the marginalization of women, it is time to acknowledge that one of the final barriers to full equality for women is religion. Much has been written about the great strides humankind has made in knocking down many long-held religious beliefs, whether related to the age of the earth or the origin of the species. But religion's negative impact on women has been less studied and discussed. This book is a step toward changing that. Twenty-two women from a variety of backgrounds and Judeo-Christian traditions share their personal stories about how they came to abandon organized religion, and how they discovered life after moving away from religious and supernatural beliefs. Their words serve both as a celebration of all who have taken similar steps under the weight of thousands of years of religious history—and as a source of inspiration for those individuals, especially women, who have deep doubts about their own belief traditions but who don't yet know how to embrace life without falling back on religion.

Understanding Faith And God's Calling Will Help you Unlock Your True PotentialWe have all experienced the feeling of excitement and enlightenment we get after reading through Paul's letters and being able to grasp his teachings on faith being all we need for salvation.Then we move on to the book of James and we find our entire understanding on the subject thrown right out the window. The excitement is replaced by confusion and discouragement.The Faith we thought we had, no longer seems good enough to save us. According to James, it sounds as if we need to be saved by works. Do we?What is James speaking about in his letter? Does it contradict the teachings of Paul? Are we saved based on Faith or on Works? Does anyone have the answer that we are searching for?The Key To Understanding True Faith Is Contained Within The Book Of JamesJames has long been the one book that sparks all the debate on the Faith vs. Works idea. It seems in today's church, many just ignore the book of James in an attempt to ease the confusion.Yet, ignoring something does not remove the fact that this challenge still exists. At some point, we all have to face the challenge of reading The Book of JamesIt's time to face that challenge. It's time to have a guide that can lead you through this book and unlock the secrets that will unleash your true potential as a Christian. A guide that will help you discover God's calling on your life. A guide that will show you what is true faith.In Faith Beyond Belief Author/Pastor Joel Dison Is Your Guide As He Explores The Writings Of James And Reveals Key Details On...1. Who the book was written for and how James is the leader of all books on faith2. What message he was trying to convey3. How he was challenging his readers to live the life that Jesus had called them to live regardless of circumstanceJames wanted Christians to both live and show the world what true faith should look like. He wanted to remind people of Jesus' commandment: To love each other.In Faith Beyond Belief You Will Learn1. How building true faith will release good works2. How to find joy in the trials of life3. How to apply the teachings of James to the world today4. How to understand God's calling for our lives5. How to be merciful, humble, controlled, prayerful and most of all, ALIVEFinally, A Comprehensive Guide To Understanding The Writings Of JamesAuthor/Pastor Joel Dison has been teaching this comprehensive study on the book of James for a number of years. For the first time, he brings this teaching to print in Faith Beyond Belief.Faith is critical to successful Christian living and yet it is so often misunderstood and misapplied in the Christian life. While Faith is simple, it is not just simple belief. This book will take you on a journey through the Book of James to discover what it means for a Christian to live by faith. This book will help in building that faith stronger.Each chapter describes a characteristic of faith as it is portrayed through James' letter. You will not only discover a fuller explanation of the Book of James, but you will also have a better and more practical understanding of faith and how to apply it in your everyday life. Take A Few Minutes And Go Back To The Top Of The Page And Take Advantage Of The "Look Inside The Book" Feature.

The current age marks the transition from modernity to postmodernity, a period as impactful to the Western sensibility as any previous era. The role of religion and the future of Christianity are at stake. At this time of transition, many thoughtful individuals find themselves at a quandary, having reached a critical stage in their spiritual journey. Prompted by academia, science, reason, culture, and their own experience, they feel compelled to choose between the beliefs they inherited as children and the claims of science, reason, pluralism, and secularism. Beyond Belief suggests that one need not take an either/or approach on these issues; there is a better way, one that embraces adventure and ambiguity, science and religion, reason and faith, evolution and creation, and finds ways to live creatively with realities for which there are no easy explanations. Building on a paradigmatic journey of faith that involves three stages (precritical, critical, and postcritical understanding), Beyond Belief describes the quest for God and for authentic faith in the twenty-first century. The key point for this understanding is to replace belief with faith, acknowledging that belief in doctrines is not central, since they are themselves unprovable. This new theological perspective requires rethinking many of our cherished doctrines, including our understanding of God, Jesus, Scripture, prayer, miracles, and revelation.