For many spiritual people in America, the Christian Church has lost its appeal. Americans have become disenchanted with the Church's unbelievable story and ugly history. They have been turned off by the Church's use of outdated and hard-to-understand language and music. And they have become contemptuous of Church leadership littered with the uninspired, overbearing, and weak. This has created an exodus from organized religion that, in turn, has created an enormous spiritual longing in America.
Spiritual But Not Religious takes a deep look at this ever-growing problem, which in the new century is strengthening its grip on younger America and posing a mortal threat to the Church--a threat the Church has been too afraid to look at. Challenging, fascinating, and oftentimes humorous, Spiritual But Not Religious closely examines the exodus from the Church, citing its causes and implications. It also offers a detailed plan for what the Church must do to not only regain its lost members, but to regain its lost spirit. Let there be no doubt, a revolution is needed! Spiritual But Not Religious is the call for that revolution.
source:
https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-but-Not-Religious-Revolution/dp/059501108X
The spiritual but not religious ( SBNR ) movement has gotten somewhat of a negative reputation, over the decades, especially from the biblical literalist christian community. For many of them, who have not done their research on truth, with an open mind and heart, it is just more of that new agey mumbo jumbo teachings that is being spread by their perceived enemy, to deceive the masses. This SBNR movement has been growing since the 60's and some would agree, its always been there, but it was very often reserved, and suppressed, for good reasons. There may have been a generational carry over stigma against independent thought on spiritual matters.There was no place in our society for the individualist spiritual freedom seeker. Being a non-conformist toward the family religion was not an option to take lightly. It wasn't long ago that you would have been executed for holding a dessenters view with that of the orthodox institutional religion of the day. With the advent of religious freedom in recent time we are no longer burnt at the stake, by the 'thought police' , for having a different view, but, an hidden resentment still seems to linger among the 'Rightous' (We have the only truth ) banner wavers, out there.
I am one of those who fit in the 'spiritual but not religious camp'. I left the church and became obsessed with God. I can't fit God inside the narrow box of what religion portrays it to be. Most religious people believe in a separate God out there somewhere and they need a mediator of some kind to bridge the gap between them, the 'sinner', and the divine. I believe there is a place for religion for billions of people all over the world. They are devotes of worship to their conceptual idea of the divine through ritual and prayer. They are draw also to a sense of community that organized religion offers. Many misunderstand the spiritual seeker after God, who have cast themselves into a spiritual wasteland outside the walls of the institutional structure. To some the idea of leaving church to find spiritual truth is unthinkable. What they don't realize is that Jesus himself was also anti-religious. It was the religion of his day that had him killed. He spoke of the divinity within, outside the man made construct of religious forms. The spiritual but not religious are not backsliders, they are often forward runners in the ongoing quest for truth concerning God.
This has been the path I have taken on the road toward spiritual realization. I worship Life and Love as I continue discovering truth with an open mind and heart. Liberty of thought for all is a worthy goal for humanity as we continue to grow in a greater consciousness. Its only when we find out who the true self is that we will know what reality is.
