God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths

Description

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.

Author, poet, and philosopher; yogi, teacher, and rancher; guitarist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist, Sankara Saranam is the producer and host of the internet podcast Permanent Waves. After four years as a monastic in the Self-Realization Swami Order of yogis, two years studying Hebrew in Israel and writing the book Yoga and Judaism, studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, and the classical guitar at the Manhattan School of Music, Sankara Saranam graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University as a student of Religious studies and Hebrew. He went on to complete his masters in Eastern texts and Sanskrit at St. John's College in Santa Fe. Saranam is the author of the multi-award-winning, internationally published, and groundbreaking "spiritual masterpiece," God Without Religion. He is also the author of the mystical science-fiction novel, Permanent Waves. Saranam lives with his two children in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

"God Without Religion asks some difficult questions and advocates a more intelligent and thoughtful approach to the spiritual life... Read it slowly, in sections, and become a positive influence toward religious understanding in the world." --Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Dark Nights of the Soul "This fine, fierce, wise, and deeply helpful book challenges everyone to find a direct relationship with the divine beyond the confines of the past, and offers rich advice and a bevy of powerful practices that can sustain such a relationship and continue to expand it." --Andrew Harvey, author of The Direct Path and Sun at Midnight "In this day when religions seem to be caught in stages of mindnumbing dogma, justification of violence, and meaningless ritual that do no more than sanctify greed and secular superiority, Sankara Saranam's 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, Ph.D., theoretical physicist, author of The Yoga of Time Travel, and a National Book Award winner "This book's bold message is vital. It is a path straight up the mountain that avoids the swamps of religious dithering, divisiveness, and destructiveness. It is a way out of darkness. It affirms the unity of all humans not only with one another, but with all of life and the Absolute. If we are to survive on the earth, heeding this message is not merely optional but required." --Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Beyond the Body and Reinventing Medicine "This is a courageous, stand-out book for readers ready to part the veil of illusion and see the truth that every religious tradition must periodically and systematically reexamine itself and account for its teachings." --Meredith Jordan, author of Embracing the Mystery "Written with clarity and elegance, [God Without Religion] explores the mysteries of faith and spiritual commitment with sensitivity and wisdom." --Ahrar Ahmad, PH.D., professor of political science, Black Hills State University "Sankara Saranam has created one of the most extraordinary books of our time ... presenting us with a historical perspective on the political underbelly of our organized religions, then drawing science and spirituality together to offer us a new profile of divinity--one that casts light on the relationship between human existence and the cosmos, one that extends salvation to us all." --Hank Wesselman, PH.D., anthropologist and author of The Spiritwalker Trilogy and The Journey to the Sacred Garden "God Without Religion is a rare book, combining spiritual insight and practice with social criticism and an appreciation of the many contradictions of modern life. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to maintain intellectual integrity while simultaneously retaining reverence for the unity of all things." --Jeffery Mishlove, PH.D., President, Intuition Network; author of The PK Man; and former host of Thinking Allowed, a national public television series "Unlike other books that tear religion down without offering anything in its place, God Without Religion sets out helpful alternative approaches to personal spirituality. This is an inspiring, positive, wonderful book that emphasizes the truth that we are spiritual beings making a human journey. Reading it will greatly enhance your personal relationship with the creator-energy." --Joseph Dispenzam, author of The Way of the Traveler and Live Better Longer "God Without Religion opens a door to spiritual practice that organized religions have closed for centuries. Sankara Saranam has written a spiritual masterpiece. I highly recommend it to all spiritual seekers." --Rev. Dr. Michael Ellner, President, HEAL (Health Education AIDS Liaison-NYC), coauthor of Quantum Focus, and winner of the IMDHA Pen and Quill Award