Philip Goldberg Explains “Spiritual But Not Religious”

Phil Goldberg

This brilliant commentary on the growing numbers of people who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious” was written for Huffington Post by Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda, which explores how India’s spiritual wisdom seeped into America’s cultural bloodstream.

SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS:
MISUNDERSTOOD AND HERE TO STAY

A great deal has been written about that ever-expanding group of Americans who check “none” when asked about their religious affiliations. The segment of nones who call themselves “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR) now constitute at least 20 percent of the population, and 30 percent of those under 30 years of age. I have interviewed hundreds of this important cohort for my books, and I find that the media commentary about them is riddled by misconceptions.

One problem concerns why people disconnect from the religious tradition of their birth. The most prevalent explanation is the one favored by scholars Robert Putnam and David Campbell, authors of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. They attribute disaffiliation mainly to the perceived link between religion and conservative politics—a turnoff to liberal-minded youth in particular.

I don’t buy it. There is no doubt that the judgmental moralizing of right-wing preachers has alienated a great many Christians, but that doesn’t explain SBNR. Believers who disdain fundamentalism have plenty of left-leaning denominations and apolitical congregations to turn to. I see it as more of a spiritual issue than a political one. The “S” in SBNR means something. In varying degrees, SBNRs are serious about their spiritual development, and they wish to pursue it wherever it leads them. The search itself is

Larry Reavis: From Fundamentalism Through Atheism Toward Self-Realization

Larry Reavis

I moved to Encinitas on November 29, 2010, but it is my great misfortune that I was not able to meet fellow Encinitas resident and Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) devotee Larry Reavis before he passed away on December 31, 2011 at the age of seventy-five. (SRF was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi.)

However, I was still able to get to know Larry through this impressive video biography he left behind. With amazing visual effects and frequent scriptural, literary and religious references, it details his lifelong spiritual journey, from encountering Paramahansa Yogananda in 1947 through his fundamentalism and atheism phases to his ultimate quest for self-realization.

Like Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Larry’s magnum opus will entertain and edify, yet remain incomplete. He was planning to write and record more episodes when death came calling.

With the permission of Larry’s wife, Joie, who I was privileged to meet and interact with in Encinitas, I am happy to present Larry’s twenty-one-part video series here. It is sure to engage, entertain and enlighten you!

Per the wishes of Self-Realization Fellowship, Larry does not reveal any specifics of the meditation techniques he discusses. For more information on those techniques, visit the SRF website.

LARRY’S BIO: Larry Reavis, Ph.D., studied engineering before getting a doctorate (Ohio State, 1967) in Social Psychology. As a professor, he began doing home inspections when he and the Director of Southern Methodist University’s Institute of Urban Studies signed a contract with the Dallas Department of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation to survey 10,000 homes. As a master electrician, plumber, class-A building contractor, renovator, home inspector, public speaker, author and video producer, he founded his own company, Homexam, Inc. in 1986.

LARRY’S 1947 ENCOUNTER WITH PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA
(2 VIDEOS IN THIS SECTION)

LARRY REAVIS (1 OF 21)

LARRY REAVIS (2 OF

Desperate in the Dark

Experience has taught me that debating the existence of God with those who don’t believe in God is usually a waste of valuable time and energy for both parties. I mean, really, what’s the point of getting involved in a dead-end argument? As long as you’re at it, why don’t you mix in arguments about abortion and politics for, oh, I don’t know . . . eternity?

At such times, this sobering axiom comes to

The Secret to a Balanced Life

In a talk at the Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation entitled Bringing Our Lives Into Balance, Brother Achalananda blended faith and logic to articulate a compelling prescription for finding balance in our daily lives:

The more complex our lives become, the more we need to realize that there is only one reliable point of balance—and that is

Everything Else Can Wait

During his sermon at the Thursday evening service tonight, the minister spoke about investing your energy and focus in the ways of the world instead of deepening your relationship with God.

He said to imagine a banker telling you, “If you invest your money with us, you’ll do well for a while. But we guarantee that at some point—it could be next year or forty years from now—all your savings will be

The Perfect Joy of Surrender

This well-known story from The Little Flowers of St. Francis often elicits the reaction, “Whoa. Harsh!” Indeed, at first blush this narrative may seem counterintuitive and even nonsensical. But after some thought, profound insights often emerge.

St. Francis may be focused on Christ in this story, but I take a broader view that transcends any particular religious path or figure. I see it as an extreme but powerful lesson in the value of surrender. In the peace and beauty of unconditional surrender, suffering ceases to be suffering and instead becomes a gateway to transcendence.

Surrender is like an onion; you can keep peeling away layer after layer even when you think you have reached your goal. It is only when everything has been taken from you—materially, physically, mentally, emotionally—that you truly find out the depth of your surrender to God. If, as in St. Francis’ story, when there is nothing left for you to surrender except your final breath, yet you are able to hold on to the ever-new joy of Divine communion and genuinely express gratitude for whatever God is giving you (or taking away), then will you truly know the ultimate power and purity of surrender.

THE PERFECT JOY OF ST. FRANCIS

“The Stigmata of St. Francis.” a painting by Italian artist Giotto di Bondone, painted around 1295-1300 and housed in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

One winter day St. Francis was coming to St. Mary of the Angels from Perugia with Brother Leo, and the bitter cold made them suffer keenly. St. Francis called to Brother Leo, who was walking a bit ahead of him, and he said: “Brother Leo, even if the Friars Minor in every country give a great example of holiness and integrity and good edification, nevertheless write down and note carefully that perfect joy is not in that.”

And when he had walked on a bit, St. Francis called him again, saying: “Brother Leo, even if a Friar Minor gives sight to the blind, heals the paralyzed, drives out devils, gives hearing back to

It Makes No Difference to the Sun

This is a nice analogy that speaks to the existence and the ubiquity of God. You’ll find it on page 56 of the book, I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.

It is like entering a dark room. You see nothing—you may touch, but you do not see—no colors, no outlines. The window opens and the room is flooded with light. Colors and shapes come into being. The window is the giver of light, but not the

The Beautiful Terror of Uncertainty

Anita Moorjani

Anita Moorjani‘s account of her near-death experience (NDE) is one of the most profound stories I have ever encountered—not just because of her astonishing experience beyond this world but because her body healed itself of her end-stage cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) within days of her return to this life. Click here to watch a forty-six-minute video interview with Anita in which she shares the story of her NDE.

I’m currently reading and enjoying Anita’s book, Dying to Be Me. Here are two paragraphs from page 137 that contain a whole lotta wisdom.

Since my NDE, I’ve learned that strongly held ideologies actually work against me. Needing to operate out of concrete beliefs limits my experiences because it keeps me within the realm of only what I know—and my knowledge is limited. And if I restrict myself to

A Tree for Gulab

Front row (l-r): Satish Lohchab (young uncle), Sonia Rathee (cousin’s daughter), Sheela Rathee (cousin), Asha Rani (sister), Hoshiar Singh (father), Kamla Singh (wife), Sonika Lohchab (young aunt), Deypika Singh (daughter).
Back row (l-r): Surajmal Rathee (cousin’s husband), Sahil Rathee (cousin’s son), Sundeyp Singh (elder son), Sanskar Lohchab (dearest cousin), Nitin Saharan (sister’s son), Vishwanath Iyer ( son-in-law) Aashi Lohchab (loveliest cousin), Mark Rea (devotee friend).
Not pictured: Abhineyt (Nick) Singh (younger son), Usha Rathee (sister), Jay Rathee (brother-in-law), Sonia Rathee (sister’s daughter), Ankur Rathee (sister’s son), Priya Saharan (sister’s daughter), Baljit Saharan (brother-in-law), Ompati Saharan (sister’s mother-in-law), Savita Rathee (sister’s daughter), Vikas Rathee (son-in-law), Santosh and O. P. Rathee (Vikas’ parents), Ompati Lohchab (grandmother), Anubha Jalsingh (cousin).

The irreplaceable Gulab Singh

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Gulab Singh, a devoted family man and a fellow usher at the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Encinitas, California. I loved serving with Gulab. He was a model of sincerity, devotion and generosity of spirit.

Today, Gulab’s extended family gathered on the Temple patio in front of the tree that they had

So That Is What’s Possible

In the 12/27/13 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King ends his review of the book, The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer, with this:

The Interestings addresses one of fiction’s great themes: how we make peace with our own shortcomings and make the best of ordinary lives.

It’s a great theme in real life as well: How do people rearrange and rebuild their lives when dreams die hard?

Like most people, I’ve seen countless friends and acquaintances aim for careers and stardom in creative fields like acting, singing, painting and writing, only to end up frustrated and disillusioned. The cold, hard truth is that most of

Namaste on Christmas Day

Whatever your faith, whatever your beliefs, may the spirit of Namaste guide you to see every individual as a beloved child of God and all the Great

Review of “Through God’s Eyes” by Tasha Donahue

Tasha Donahue

I was honored that author Tasha Donahue reviewed my book, Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World, on her blog. Here is her review.

THROUGH GOD’S EYES: A BOOK REVIEW
by Tasha Donahue

I stumbled across this book at a Publishers and Writers meeting in San Diego. I was struck with the title, “Through God’s Eyes,” and a photo of the cosmos dramatically resembling an eye. WOW! I thought, what was inside? While I rarely review books, this is one I had to share with my readers, most especially as I recently spoke of better ways to handle your time and money at the holidays than avoiding a laser gun on Black Friday or spoiling your children with too many gifts.

Bolsta began sixteen years ago with an idea: He wanted to create a guide book that had the potential to change people’s lives. I opened the book and read what appeared to be an infinite

Spitting Into the Wind

Pure intentions and honorable actions do not always offer protection from hurtful accusations from those you had been close to. More than one instance comes to mind in which I acted with complete integrity and selfless service only to have wildly untrue accusations flung in my face. Sadly, I have seen the same unfortunate fate befall people I love.

When I am unfairly attacked, my first instinct is to defend my integrity by explaining why the accuser’s perceptions are so horribly off target. Up until recently, I believed that explaining my position with clarity and precision would always be helpful and productive.

I was wrong. Time and time again, I have learned that trying to reason with an unreasonable, irrational or psychologically damaged person is like

A Beautiful Message About “The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life”

I received a wonderful e-mail by a woman overseas who is reading my new eBook, The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason. Here are some excerpts from her note:

It was the intercession of God’s Will that a beautiful masterpiece of a book crafted in words had to reach me.

But i know, God is acting right in my life at this point in time and your ebook has been a reckoner for me to be enlightened in the true Will of God.

As i unfold my

Don’t Waste Time Counting Cars

In his posthumously published book, I Became My Heart, Leo Cocks tell stories of his experiences with Paramahansa Yogananda in the three years before the guru’s passing in 1952.

At one point, while Leo was living at Lake Shrine, a temple and spiritual sanctuary owned by Yogananda’s organization, Self-Realization Fellowship, he professed a desire to go for a car ride with Yogananda (who was called “Master’ by devotees).

Here is an excerpt that tells how Leo’s desire was granted:

I was thinking I would finally get my ride with Master. I would just be there with him and enjoy his presence. So we got in the car and headed for the Lake. I waited for him to bless me and tell me some stories. But he didn’t do that. He was looking at a newspaper! Then he would put the paper down and see a car coming. Then he would ask me, “What kind of car is that?” Now when I was a kid, I was pretty interested in cars. I used to go down to the showrooms and see the new models and all of that stuff. I’d tell Master what kind of car it was and then I’d sit quietly again. Then he’d do the same thing!

Another car came and another. It seemed like he did that six, eight, ten times! And finally it came to the point where I realized, “Well, I’m not going to be able to meditate and just be with him like I thought I would. I might just as well relax.” I thought I would start to figure out what kind of car it was as it approached. That way, Master wouldn’t have to wait for the answer. I stopped trying to meditate and started watching the approaching cars. Right at that point, he reached

Audio of Spiritual Affirmations to Listen to

I’ve occasionally received requests for an audio version of the spiritual affirmations listed here. So here is a six-and-a-half minute