Totality Beliefs and the Religious Imagination

By Anthony Campbell
$3.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Nov. 01, 2009
Words: 55964 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

There seems to be a widespread notion that belief is, in itself, a good thing, but in this book I argue that, for at least some people, freeing oneself from all belief systems brings a huge sense of relief. I illustrate this by describing my own experience of Roman Catholicism and Transcendental Meditation. An insider's view of religion and moving beyond religion.

Extended description

Many books criticising religion have appeared in recent years, but most have been written by people who never had a religious belief or lost it early in life. This one is different, in that it offers an inside view of what it feels like to be immersed in two quite different religious belief systems and then to leave them.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic, and I explain what this was like and how I came to leave the faith, starting in my early twenties. Later I practised Transcendental Meditation for a number of years and became deeply immersed in the Advaita Vedanta metaphysical system of Indian philosophy. But eventually I moved away from that as well.

So the early chapters are autobiographical, in that they trace the way my thinking about these systems of thought evolved. The later chapters go on to consider some aspects of religion in a less personal way. They look at claims for access to mystical knowledge and miracles, and at ideas about the soul. There is also a chapter on... (Read more) Many books criticising religion have appeared in recent years, but most have been written by people who never had a religious belief or lost it early in life. This one is different, in that it offers an inside view of what it feels like to be immersed in two quite different religious belief systems and then to leave them.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic, and I explain what this was like and how I came to leave the faith, starting in my early twenties. Later I practised Transcendental Meditation for a number of years and became deeply immersed in the Advaita Vedanta metaphysical system of Indian philosophy. But eventually I moved away from that as well.

So the early chapters are autobiographical, in that they trace the way my thinking about these systems of thought evolved. The later chapters go on to consider some aspects of religion in a less personal way. They look at claims for access to mystical knowledge and miracles, and at ideas about the soul. There is also a chapter on Buddhism, which I think has something useful to offer to secularists.

At the end I conclude that letting go of all belief systems brings about a surprising sense of peace and freedom. Religion, it seems to me, is often based on a desire for certainty, but I have found that the more I let go of that desire, the better I feel.
(Less)

Tags

buddhism, atheism, jung, skepticism, transcendental meditation, maharishi mahesh yogi, roman catholicism, agnosticism, personal account

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 25%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Online Reading (JavaScript, experimental, buggy)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

This book has not yet been reviewed.

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: