Beyond Religion

By Ashley C. Neal and John C. Seniff

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0741420147
• ISBN13: 9780741420145
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Infinity Publishing
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Exploring the Heart of Religion

Beyond Religion is based on dialogues that took place over a period of about three years between an Episcopal Priest (Ashley Neal) and a Buddhist Priest (John Seniff). The two met informally in various locations and without the constraints of audiences and allotted time. The results are extraordinarily deep conversations about a range of topics--the nature and source of being; coping with a chaotic world; pitfalls of trying to organize religion; the nature of freedom, of faith, of suffering, and of belief; spiritual practice; Self-knowledge; ultimate truth; death; and Self-realization. Because the two Priests understand each other's language and ask good questions, the dialogues reveal important insights about each important topic. In addition, the loving way in which the questions were received and responded to is inspirational. The book reminded me of lines from Rumi: "Out beyond ideas...there is a field. I'll meet you there...When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense." Even though the authors are in verbal dialogue, the expansiveness of the topics in Beyond Religion provides glimpses of the field Rumi also used words to point to. This book illustrates the potential of moving inter-religious dialogue out of the public arena with its sound-bite frenzy and fetish for over-simplification and into an arena where exploration can occur and common ground is more likely to be found. This book sets a good example. It should be of interest to anyone looking for ways to build bridges across religious boundaries.

The paths are many, but the Truth is one.

Beyond Religion is the perfect name for this little gem. At first glance it may seem as though this book is comparing religions, but it goes much beyond that. Ashlely Neal asks intelligent questions that I feel most Christians would want to know about Eastern thought. John Seniff has the ability to discuss complex ideas in a down-to-earth and entertaining way. The authors' dialoques, although of significant importance, are discussed in a casual, relaxed way enabling the reader to feel a part of the conversations...just enjoying a cup of coffee with the authors. However, don't let the beginning story about the bologna sandwich suggest the conversations are too casual...it's much "meatier" than that. Thought provoking and enjoyable.

Little book with big impact

I found this book to be very thought provoking. It had fresh insights on religion. I'd recommend it to anyone searching for new outlooks and a contemporary view on east meets west.