Customer Reviews

God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths

5 star:		(27)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a terrific book that takes on all religions in their various disguises. Sankara Saranam gives tools that assist the reader to examine his or her narrow and exclusive religious identity. He then provides simple and effective lessons for building a more expansive sense of self. They say there's nothing new under the sun, but I've never read anything like this in my life, and I am an overeducated person whose hobby is reading.

We can expect that everyone will find this book challenging to their individual spiritual path, but such challenges offer great opportunity for growth. (Full personal disclosure: I do not particularly identify with any religion or ism).

We can also expect that many people, threatened by the book, will not want you to read it. There's a reason, after all, why the only negative attacks I've seen anywhere against this book (and there aren't many!) are from people -- some of whom had clearly not read more of it than its title -- that strongly identify with a religion (priests, seminary students, etc.) They don't disparage this book, becaue they can't. What they really disparage are the ideas it represents in their minds that threaten their narrow religious sense of self.

Don't let anyone stop you from reading this incredible book. If you are ready to confront and expand your own personal sense of spiritual identity, I highly recommend God Without Religion.

I don't buy books online, and I certainly never review books on Amazon. I consider Amazon's customer review system a bit of a mess, made largely so by the people who misuse it, clearly have not read the book they are reviewing (there are a few of those here, which I will obliquely point out), or decide to attack the author for no other reason than their myopia was triggered by the book, a review of the book, or just the book's title. This is especially the case with controversial books like God Without Religion.

After reading the book and being utterly taken by it, I was curious to see what others were saying, and not saying, about it. After doing so on this page, I decided I had to chime in. I hope my review makes my reasons clear.

God Without Religion is not simply an incredible book. It is perhaps the consumate treastise on human existence, to date. Before the atheists out there write it off by telling themselves they don't believe in God, they might care to read the first few pages to discover that the "God" of God Without Religion is not the God of religions. Its God is not a noun up there in the sky, not a monotheistic creator, nor an anthropomorphic mother or father. It is a question. It is THE question of human identity, selfhood, and awareness. In philosophical terms, this book exposes the ultimate ontological quandry and our corresponding epistemic limitations. To say, for example, that this book's discussion of Buddhism is misplaced since Buddhism is nontheistic would only reveal utter ignorance of the material in this book.

In this age of publishing, where nearly 200,000 new books are published every year in the United States alone, I feel that if a book contains one new idea or approach, it is noteworthy. God Without Religion contains a dozen marvelous insights, a few of which being downright earth shattering. Some have rightly noted that its treatment of time (as in "Being and Time") is exceptional. Others are wonderstruck at its exploration of mysticism. Still others are floored by the book's deconstructive process, as applied to everything from religious ritual to ontic planes, penetrated as the world's divisional misperceptions are undermined. The list goes on...

For me, the most mind-blowing discovery exposed in this book is, ironically, the one I missed on my first reading. Perhaps like other readers, I didn't quite get the section on ethics on my first pass. The whole book was breathtaking, so to read a section that didn't strike me profoundly was rather odd. I read the whole book again, paying close attention to that section. I then got it, with a little help from some italicization inserted by this book's world-class editor. (By the way, I found God Without Religion to be a page turner no less than the most engrossing fiction.)

The discovery concerns the mechanics behind knowing right from wrong, how ethics is inherent in the atoms, so to speak, and why no words or book can possibly contain any absolute declaration of these truths, realized through a developing intuitive capacity. Though the whole book is empowering, this initially hard to fathom section is absolutely liberating. I challenge anyone to find me such a revealing explanation of ethics in any book. Before you start looking, be sure you understand the full implications of God Without Religion's declaration. You'll know you're there when you find your jaw dropped, and you keep repeating "Oh my God".

The author's familiarity with world history is phenomenal. You'll wonder how one person can know the histories of so many religions and cultures, not to mention the progress of science and modern predicaments, in such intimate detail. Further, you are left with the impression that you've been given only the tip of the iceberg -- just enough to bring the point home and the right questions to the fore of your mind.

There is absolutely no gloss over in this book in any subject it touches upon. It is not afraid to tackle the most difficult of questions -- the questions astute readers know that so many authors avoid. For example, its treatment of end-times is masterful. It would shake the belief of the truest true believer.

Further, it does not involve itself in useless information that so many writers these days delve into, but ultimately proves nothing. I am especially thinking of the modern craze to biochemically explain mysticism. God Without Religion responds to this plainly: No material science can comment upon the sense of self because the self is not within its purview. We could hook up a Buddhist meditator and a Kamakaze pilot, and conceivably get the same result. This book explains why.

Instead, it focuses on the knowledge and power that must emerge if human beings are actually capable of traversing a nonfinite avenue to knowledge. Again, this is a subject most spiritual teachers avoid like the plague, because it leaves them personally lacking in the most vital area. Returning to my previous example, no biochemistry can possibly explain the ability of masters of sense-introversion to immediately withdraw the nervous energy feeding the breath and heart, simply by lifting the gaze. God Without Religion shows that instead of explaining this with a slow moving metabolic or biochemical reaction, we must look for a fast moving electromagnetic force. (Why the author and editor chose to add clarification to this point in a footnote, as opposed to the body of the book, is beyond me. There aren't many notes in this book, but the ones it does have are very necessary.)

Some might be tempted to note that God Without Religion is an exposition of the same ontology found in a book titled The Holy Science. I have read The Holy Science, many times, and can say unequivocally that I could have never written God Without Religion, even had I read The Holy Science a hundred times more. The Holy science is an intellectual joke in comparison to God Without Religion. It attempts to parallel Western Judeo-Christianity to ancient Indian sutras using specious and facile interpretations of the former. God Without Religion is not limited by East and West, clarifies and expands upon ontological discourses of both ancient Indian and Greek philosophers, and shows the similitudes with more recent Western scientists and philosophers, grounding its theory in present day language and exigencies. Where The Holy science is brief and simplistic, God Without Religion is penetrating and comprehensive. Indeed, aside from the most obvious similarity, one that could be made with a dozen other philosophical essays, the very comparison between The Holy Science and God Without Religion is specious and facile.

God Without Religion's exposition concerning Western religions is superb. However, its critique of the Western approach to Eastern religions and philosophies is priceless because these ideologies are becoming more and more widespread in the West without sufficient examination. Briefly, an exotic dogma is still a dogma. A mind-numbing meditation method is no better than a mind-numbing belief system. A priesthood is a priesthood, no matter what color the robes are or what religious identity presumes self-proclaimed authority. These are forms of centralization of power, asking us to distance our power from ourselves. Note how clergy of all denominations would say we should be afraid to learn meditation or realize the infinite from a yoga master and extraordinary philosopher like God Without Religion's author, who asks for no centralization of power in himself, and instead should go to them because...what? They are the keepers of regurgitated platitudes and unscientific methods of spiritual investigation? No thank you. "Moving Past the Dark Ages", an important section in God Without Religion, never made more sense.

Is this a biased book? Definitely. Of course, all authors have their bias, and that bias their own sense of self. This books's bias is in favor of reason, the scientific method, and the use of many disciplinary methods to arrive at more general truths. It is the same bias of every great philosopher and scientist, who have all proclaimed it to be a difficult yet worthy bias to aspire toward. It is an inclusive bias that does not cater to any narrowing conditioning or identity. It is ruthless with the little ego. In fact, the past successes of reason and the scientific method reveal that they are the only biases worth entertaining.

Far from being a book for curiosity seekers, God Without Religion is for serious thinkers, readers who truly are not afraid to question everything, and those determined to perfect the disciplined life of the ascetic and mystic. It is for those who are not afraid to test their knowledge. In the bigger picture, it is for those who want to understand religion's role in global conflict, dehumanization, and disempowerment. It exposes the political and economic underbelly of our religious identities. Only the blind, deaf, and demented would say humanity is not at a crossroads, with its past religious dogmas barring the way to a less violent and divisive future.

This is Saranam's debut book, but I don't expect a God Without Religion II. Really, this book leaves little more to be said. The consumate universal spirituality, undeniably, is presented for your consideration in the conclusion, and the final pages, illustrating this vision, read like poetry. While I hope God Without Religion will not be his last book, I suspect that Saranam's publishing career will follow Heidegger's, the last notable ontologist prior to him. I expect poetry, perhaps a silly dalliance with etymology, and a manifesto on tribalism. As one reviewer wisely put it, if this was the only book on spirituality you had, you'd be more the just fine. God Without Religion is the only book you'd ever need, and you'd eventually find that other books, lesser as they are, only confuse the simplicity of the spiritual -- meaning human -- life.

By the way, a colleague of mine at work introduced me to the book, so I ordered a copy at a bookstore. They didn't have it on the shelf, though, which was curious. This circumstance was disturbing after I read the book, because here was a masterpiece sitting in a warehouse while the lowest-common-denominator trash published by bottom-line-minded corporations were entitled to ample shelf space. (Yet more centralization of power in the hands of a few.)

If you choose to buy it here, I would still order it from the local bookstore managers, of both independent and chain stores, so they get the hint and stock it on their shelves.

I picked up this book, not necessarily seeking answers to any spiritual questions with which I might be grappling, but simply because its title immediately resonated with me. That resonation only intensified as I read each of the book's four chapters. It reminded me of a time when I was ten in Sunday school when fellow students ceaselessly chastised another classmate for questioning our teacher about how we could know with any kind of certainty that the accounts described in the Bible actually took place. I did not speak up in support of him for fear of facing the same fate, but I recall sympathizing with his honest inquiry. Because, as an adult, I have found myself not holding to the beliefs of any religion, and no one bothers me about that fact, that memory of my classmate's "inquisition" was buried for many years. However, the recent rise of religious fundamentalism in America and around the world has stirred that uncomfortable memory and many others from my childhood religious education. Saranam's book, with all of its admirably lofty goals, is must-reading for the inquiring mind, if for no other reason than to provide an extremely useful paradigm for understanding, dealing with and even thriving in the starkly polarized world in which we live.

"God without Religion" is excellently written. It is for the searcher. It tells us that no religion has the absolute truth,
and it advises to question religions that claim to have it.
The author also tells us that we can find God everywhere by looking at his creation. We can
feel God within us by recognizing, loving and enjoying the beauty of nature, but most of all by respecting it and trying to
live in harmony with it.
He also offers bold social criticism along with practical ways
about how to get in touch with our inner self and calm our inner
unrest. Sankara Saranam's book offers true spiritual guidance for all those of us whose spiritual needs have been left unfulfilled by organized religion.

We seem to have a God-consciousness as humans. In "God without Religion", author Saranam tells us that the cerebrum and the spinal column act as a kind of antenna to receive the messages and awareness of God. Any type of labelling ("I am a Muslim, A Christian, a Jew) would serve to limit the self and thus limit the ability to receive the Infinite that is the awareness and knowledge of the Supreme Being. Therefore, councils Saranam, it is wise to meditate yogi-style, and learn to become one with God, no matter what image of him you have in your heart.

This is a fascinating look at the philosophy of religion with a very good step-through of history, but definitely from the viewpoint of someone who is steeped in yoga (not the exercise, the meditation part.) There is plenty of advice to mind your actions as they affect others, to be "in the moment" or being mindful of your actions as you perform them. If you have trouble with the major beliefs, but you feel there is something more than the self, you might get benefit from this book. Even if you are firm in your belief, this is an extraordinary book and written with great skill, sincerity and thoughtfulness.

This is the first book I've ever been moved to write a review for. Before reading it, I was looking for more answers than what the spiritual/religious/philosophical books out there were giving. I've read so many books and visited so many web sites that had exclusive, special, scholarly, or secret knowledge, and while they helped to open my eyes to various concepts, a lingering dissatisfaction remained after reading them. They took me only so far--usually to the same plateau. They had different angles: sin, repentance, fear, love, guilt, meditation, prayer, forgiveness, acceptance, dharma, a God up there or everywhere, many gods, goddesses, devils and angels, earth changes, aliens, indigo children, reincarnation, crystals, energy vortexes, channeling, spells, secret rites, intention, fortune telling, and the big one...enlightenment....the list goes on and on. I tried so many of them, and while many had helpful information or entertainment value, by the end none of them delivered what they were promising: testable knowledge. In fact, they avoided it like the plague. I wanted more than spirituality meets psychology, spirituality meets material success, spirituality as a way out of organized religion, spirituality meets physics, and spirituality that always seemed to be flavored with one or another culture. I thought that the worst part about these books and sites was that they left me feeling hypocritical and not real with myself and others. After reading God Without Religion, I see that they were using words like God, self, and world in ways I automatically accepted. None of them were actually challenging my basic understanding of these concepts. They weren't challenging me. In trying so hard to help me, they were going right along with my sense of self instead of probing it. They echoed each other as well, and now they all seem like primers for God Without Religion. By just giving the right questions without final answers, God Without Religion offered a sense of God and the world that blew my mind. This book doesn't only show the limitations of other ideas of God, but it helped me make sense of the holes that other writings either ignored, created, fell into, or just plain could't fill. I had long since overcome the guilt I was taught to feel when asking questions, but this book asks questions that I would have never come up with on my own. And I've never read them anywhere else. By the end, this book provided the tools to test knowledge, let go of imitation knowledge, and realize knowledge. God Without Religion is a must read for anyone interested in mysticism, spirituality, religion, and a new look at world history, modern science, and today's social problems and ethical issues. GWR is for anyone who wants to straight up question everything. I'm on my second reading, and it still feels like a new book. Bravo! Sankara Saranam.

Sankara Saranam writes with clarity and depth. His pursuit of truth by exploring all the "stories" that have been created to support different religions is inspiring. The chapters each have excercises to assist the reader in finding their own path to spirituality. A very good read, especially in these troubled times.

I bought this book because I am a fan of Reverend Ellner's and was curious to read a book he called a masterpiece. He was right, it is a masterpiece; and for an aged woman like me, it is a miracle to find a book that has the capacity to challenge me, broaden my outlook, and transform me through and through. If I had read God Without Religion fifty years ago, I would have led a more meaningful life, but better late than never.

I thought I'd write a truly in depth review for this book, but "the philosophy lover" below beat me to it. So, I'll write about why everyone in the whole wide world needs to read this book because, love it or hate it, it will change you if you allow yourself to think about it.

This book is a masterpiece. And anyone who hasn't figured that out probably didn't get it or want to get it. I'll give an example.

After the first two chapters, you'll realize you are in very good hands. The author's intellectual brilliance shines light on some of the toughest religious/spiritual issues and yet is not in your face. It's nearly impossible to disagree with any of the commonsense conclusions he comes to, and you really don't want to disagree anyway.

Then chapter 3 starts and the core issues of human existence and identity are exposed. This can be quite uncomfortable for some people because you've already allowed that this author knows what he's talking about. But if he does, then you and your opinions are suddenly being taken apart piece by piece by someone you've grown to trust, and shown how things do fit and things don't fit. If you're real stubborn, you'll want to stop trusting and somehow reconcile how half the book he can be so dead-on and in the next half he's just wrong. Hint: He's on the mark the whole way through, it's just that for some of us it may start getting personal. This goes for people on BOTH sides of the cultural war. The whole point is for us to be real with ourselves and life, but being real is sometimes the last thing people want to do. And of course, the point is uniting the human race at a time of utter divisiveness.

I can easily see someone reading this book and wishing this guy was on "our side." Problem is, the only "side" this book is on is on the side of reason, no authority, and questioning everything in this world. Question after right question, and the answers we are likely holding onto are less and less tenable. It's just that we didn't know the right question! Well, this author does.

I am absolutely sure that this book is creeping around in the minds of those who didn't want to agree with it. It is that penetrating and subversive to our opinions, egos, and lives. Reading it AND discussing it with others (so that we can't escape those questions we don't want to raise ever again) is transformative. As other scholars and reviewers have said: If enough people read this book and are willing to go through the process of asking these questions, it can liberate the world of violence and introduce a genuine ethic to humanity.

Please read this book.

This is the best 21st century approach to defining existing God ideas out there. Our world is in trouble because of our current God concepts. The myths of man need to give way to a more real approach to God. This book is very good reading for the sensible reader.