Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion
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Description
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. Read more
Publisher : Quest Books
Publication date : October 1, 1998
Language : English
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 083560764X
ISBN-13 : 43
Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.7 x 8.98 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #2,339,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3,506 in Comparative Religion (Books)
#3,506 in Comparative Religion (Books):
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Paperback
This is a great book especially for those interested in spirituality, which is described as a human right that is not necessarily driven by institutional religion.
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2026 by Amazon Customer
Format: Paperback
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.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2013 by tilery
Format: Paperback
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.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016 by Gaianyogi
Format: Paperback
A wonderful guide for accessing the sacred beyond the confinements of religion.
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2014 by Spencer Murray
Format: Kindle
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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Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2021 by judithdw
Format: Paperback
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.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012 by Lorenzo Neal
Format: Paperback
This is one of my favorite spiritual philosophy books. I can't say enough good things about it. I highly recommend it!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019 by Rebecca Harvey
Format: Paperback
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.
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013 by Z. Lewis