Faith Beyond Belief – Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind
By Margaret Placentra Johnston.
300 Pages | First Quest Edition 2012 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 9780835609050.
Faith Beyond Belief seems to give us a good way to understand those, who have rejected their own church, but are still engaged in a spiritual search beyond the conventional language and categories, that left them feeling empty. It is an excellent way to get a feel for the issues as they are experienced by a growing number of Americans, who are spiritual but not religious. You can feel the difference in the openness, the inquiring mind and the caring Soul, that this book unveils.
From Chapter 23 - 'Where Do We Go From Here' (p. 278):
" Rather than keep its adherents mired in childish myths, the religion of the future will lead its members toward the more fluid form of faith that can develop 'beyond belief'. It will encourage them to undertake the critical reflection required to begin the progression to mature faith. Rather than suppress diversity and self-expression in religious experience, the religion of the future will promote the spiritual exploration that is necessary to reach the Mystic level. Where the religion of the past was exclusionist, ethnocentric, judgemental and triumphalist, the religion of the future will be inclusive, universal, unitive, and accepting, The religion of the future will be Love! "
Some of these real-life accounts are by nonbelievers; others are by those among the growing numbers of the “spiritual but not religious.” The stories of the nonbelievers-including an ex-Catholic, a former Mormon and a clandestine Muslim apostate who left his community after the attacks of 9/11- show how complete confidence in human reason can lead away from literal religious interpretation, as exemplified in New Atheist writings. But, Johnston points out, while that step is a necessary one on the spiritual path, it is only intermediate. Beyond it, a person rejects human reason as the ultimate gauge of reality. Her second set of stories are of people at this “mystic” level who can tolerate paradox, see truth and reality as multidimensional and view spiritual concepts metaphorically. They may even have returned to their original church, but now with the more evolved traits of humility, forgiveness, gratitude, acceptance and a unitive worldview in which religious differences are seen as mere details. While over half of Americans claim to be Christian, the number of the unaffiliated has increased from 14 million in 1990 to 34 million in 2008. Insulated Christians rank atheists below criminals on their moral scale. Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind challenges this attitude by giving a much-needed voice to the “good” people who have left their church but whose spirituality continues to mature. An ophthalmologist, Johnston has made a career of helping people with their eyesight. Now she offers to correct blurred misconceptions on another level. Faith Beyond Belief points beyond the atheist/believer controversy wrecking such divisive havoc in our culture today. It will help doubters as well as those who are struggling to clarify their own spiritual vision to see things in a new light.
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