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David N. Elkins
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Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion Paperback – October 1, 1998

by David N. Elkins PhD (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
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Let David Elkins, psychologist and former minister, show you how to find authentic, soul-nurturing spirituality outside church or temple walls. Discover your personal path to the sacred and explore new ways to bring nonreligious spirituality into your life.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Quest Books
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.7 x 8.98 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    083560764X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0835607643
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David N. Elkins, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and a Professor Emeritus of Psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University where he trained clinical psychologists and marriage and family therapists for 30 years. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and has served twice as president of Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology, of APA.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quest Books (October 1, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 083560764X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0835607643
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.7 x 8.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

About the author

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David N. Elkins

David N. Elkins

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David N. Elkins, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and a Professor Emeritus of Psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University where he trained clinical psychologists and marriage and family therapists for 30 years. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and has served twice as president of Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology, of APA. He has worked in hospital, community mental health, and private practice settings. Dr. Elkins is the author of three books: Beyond Religion: Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion (Quest, 1998), Humanistic Psychology: A Clinical Manifesto (University of the Rockies Press, 2009), and The Human Elements of Psychotherapy: A Nonmedical Model of Emotional Healing (APA,2015). His book Beyond Religion is about spirituality as a universal human phenomenon. His book Humanistic Psychology: A Clinical Manifesto (see amazon.com) presents a critique of contemporary clinical psychology and points the way to a more humane and compassionate profession. The Human Elements of Psychotherapy: A Nonmedical Model of Emotional Healing shows that we are evolved to heal one another emotionally through human connection and social interaction and that psychotherapy is an expression of this evolutionarily derived ability.

Dr. Elkins lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
22 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

tilery
5.0 out of 5 stars The most moving book i have ever read
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2013
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While reading this book I felt my defenses fall away, and my spirit emerge. I have held deep knowledge about this existence of ours, but never, through text or real-life encounters, have I met with another who shares that knowledge. This book is the best thing I have ever read, and I feel more connected to humanity as a whole because of it.
5 people found this helpful
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Spencer Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2014
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A wonderful guide for accessing the sacred beyond the confinements of religion.
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Gaianyogi
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could have gone much farther
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016
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The book is a little dated since it was written in 1998, but it still has useful information. On the plus side, this book does a very good job of outlining the problems with organized religions and how they aren't meeting the needs of people like they used to. This book also makes also makes a distinction between terms like "soul," "spirit," and "sacred." Clearly the author's theological background has helped him in outlining the differences in these items that most authors gloss over or don't tackle at all. I really liked these parts of the book b/c they were very clearly expressed and made a lot of sense. Well done. I also felt the exercises in the last chapter were very helpful and would help me as a reader get more in touch with my soul.

Mr. Elkins goes into different aspects of soul work. I found the most useful discussions were on art, the feminine, and on the dark nights of the soul. However, I know this is more of a personal preference and another reader may have a different experience. I definitely think the chapters on the body, psychology, and nature were abbreviated and didn't provide enough "meat" to satisfy my needs. I was a little disappointed that the author is a Jungian psychologist but didn't go into very much Jungian concepts in the psychology chapter. I realize this is a difficult undertaking but nonetheless it was surprising. There is so much more he could have said on the different archetypes that would have been useful. There was nothing on dream work either and I certainly expected something to be said regarding it when it comes to psychology and soul work.

I also would have liked to have seen more discussion on how to apply mythology to our spiritual lives. He didn't do as good of a job on that as I hoped. Instead, he made a passing reference to Jean Shinoda Bolen's works on gods and goddesses in women and men. Her books are great but I really wanted to hear his take on the matter. I saw little of that. Finally, his thoughts on Personal Mythology, saying that it was inadequate, sort of left me hanging as a reader. He never really explained why they were not good enough as techniques.

What I found most lacking in the book is something I haven't seen much addressed: the loss of community that religion provides. Mr. Elkins does a great job of addressing our soul needs from an individual perspective but doesn't really discuss our need for community with like-minded individuals. This is the most perplexing problem in leaving religions today for many people. Perhaps there are other works that address these concerns but I haven't found any yet.

As I said before, the exercises in the last chapter are good but they are inadequate. He didn't have any exercises for each chapter and that would have gone a long way to providing more depth on a particular soul topic.

Overall, given the age of the book and that it is a fairly good introduction to this topic, I still gave it 4 stars despite its weaknesses as I perceive them. A book such as this is still relevant for our 21st century problems with religion and the sacred.
6 people found this helpful
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judithdw
5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2021
Very inspiring book , loved it. It describes different ways to experience spirituality in a free and safe way. There is no one truth, but different pathways to get in touch with your soul. Would recommend it for people leaving religion and feel lost or disconnected from themselves and/or the divine/God/...
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Lorenzo Neal
4.0 out of 5 stars Developing a new spiritual path
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012
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This book was a required reading for a course in my doctoral program in pastoral counseling. I approached with reluctance at first, but loved it when I learned of the different paths and the spiritual program. Elkin's approach works well within the confines of Western Evangelical Christianity but is certainly challenging. I have since used this book as a reference in my pastoral counseling sessions and have seen some tremendous results. I even used it to develop my own personal spiritual growth program. It has been a tremendous help in my life and pastoral ministry. It is challenging to those who are afraid to venture out of their comfort zone, but once they do, they will never want to go back.
11 people found this helpful
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Rebecca Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Thought provoking book
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019
This is one of my favorite spiritual philosophy books. I can't say enough good things about it. I highly recommend it!
One person found this helpful
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Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, intimate, and significant
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2005
This book, which I've read twice through and refer to from time to time, gives the reader a clear explanation of spiritual paths. They are backed up by the author's experience and knowledge of the field. Being a southern boy from a conservative christian group, many of the concepts here are foreign to the heritage in which I was raised. I have attempted at times during the course of my life to understand and fathom this yet evolving alternative spiritual tradition. This book has been a help. The fact that it is authored by a person who comes from where I come from provides validation for me of the truths of this spiritual stream. David and I come from the same place in rural Arkansas. He is six years older than I and I can distinctly remember him on pitcher's mound throwing his roundhouse curveball to Pony league batters. We grew up in an intense, close knit christian group. Zealous and extremely rational, the rules are well set and little deviation allowed. But sincere, diligent, and devout beyond reproach. Therefore, I know where he is coming from. David was always a caring, thoughtful and feeling type person. Naturally, he went into the ministry originally but eventually found his way and home in the psychology profession (lucky for you dear reader). Even though I haven't seen or talked with him since I was a teenager in the sixties I can still hear his voice when I read the book. You can perceive that he made an impression on me. The book shows that he has read widely and he draws from resources back to the Greeks and before as well as spiritual writings up to the present. It is not New Age pap. I really admired him for self-disclosure and for his guts to say some of the things he did in the sections on the feminine and the erotic. The book is intended for those "outside the walls of traditional religion". But, it is my opinion that it is no less useful for those (like myself) who are within organized religion. So read it and try out some of the paths. It is good that he provides suggested structure and discipline. Didn't Jesus say something like "My yoga is easy my burden is light"?
24 people found this helpful
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Z. Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Information
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
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The book was used for a doctoral course,the exercises in it were great and it opened the lines of communication for the entire group. The book could be recommended to clients as well through pastoral care.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Silver Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Religion
Reviewed in Australia on April 1, 2024
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A comforting and helpful book.
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Joanne Croome
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have ever read - if you want ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2015
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One of the best books I have ever read - if you want to develop a sense of spirituality appropriate foi our modern time then this book is essential reading
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2016
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Great book. Excellent condition.
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Ramunas Kontrimas
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2015
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excellent
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