Disillusioned with organized religion, some people escape into New Age movements, and others retreat from spirituality 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, you can examine your present beliefs, explore the nature of God and your 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 17 universal techniques for developing a personal relationship with God and broadening your view of yourself, others and all of life.

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…. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

“[This] book offers hope and relief. You don’t have to be Jewish, Christian, or Muslim to see the real message here—God is part of us all and Western religions may be getting in the way of that realization if they continue on their present paths.” —Fred Alan Wolf, PhD, theoretical physicist, author, The Yoga of Time Travel, a National Book Award winner

“Saranam has created one of the most extraordinary books of our time.” —Hank Wesselman, PhD, anthropologist, author, The Journey to the Sacred Garden and The Spiritwalker Trilogy

“There are so many other paths to spiritual enlightenment as well, and Sankara Saranam has beautifully articulated some of these through [t]his book . . . a work appropriate for anyone in search of spiritual meaning, regardless of their official ‘faith.’ A truly inspiring work.” —Michael Shermer, author, Why Darwin Matters and Why People Believe Weird Things

“Bold, blunt and blazing with rebel spirit, former monk Sankara Saranam leaves no stone unturned in this compelling critique of organized religion.” —Creations Magazine

“Introduces the age-old approach to spiritual inquiry for modern-day readers, broadening your view of all of life.” —Fertile Journal

“Offers a purer path toward God’s love through personal reflection and spiritual investigation.” —The Monthly Aspectarian

“This rich, well-organized collection of games for groups of all kinds (ages 12 and up) offers valuable tips for game leaders.” —Youth Today