Rational Spirituality Quotes

#1. Walk into any mosque, temple, church, or synagogue and you will find differing examples, different ways of interpreting God. The One True God is hard to find when a mishmash of human traits is constantly being projected.

Gudjon Bergmann

#2. Unless there is some kind of spiritual revolution that can keep abreast of our technological genius, it is unlikely that we will save our planet. A purely rational education will not suffice.

Karen Armstrong

#3. One of the greatest obstacles I see to our fashioning a rational approach to spirituality is to have religious superstition and self-deception masquerade as science.

Sam Harris

#4. ...no matter how liberal a church may seem, Christian dogma still revolves around an ancient, paternalistic image of God the Father, who quite frankly isn't much more believable than the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.

Gudjon Bergmann

#5. The term trans-rational is emblematic of a worldview within which rationality is included and transcended, not repressed or dismissed.

Gudjon Bergmann

#6. Our generation may be able to listen to sermons in a Joseph Campbellish way, treating Bible stories as instructional myths pointing to a deeper communal reality - that is, if we haven't replaced them with Star Wars myths or their equivalent - but don't ask us to believe with our heart and soul.

Gudjon Bergmann

#7. I say we make our voices heard. For us, for our kids, I say that it is time to figure out a new approach to spirituality, one that honors rationality.

Gudjon Bergmann

#8. The spiritual-but-nonreligious movement is largely driven by charismatic authors and speakers who attract like-minded people to their workshops and intensives.

Gudjon Bergmann

#9. A trans-rational definition of spirituality therefore encompasses these two elements. First, uncovering our peaceful internal center, and then, allowing that peace to guide our actions in the world.

Gudjon Bergmann

#10. If the way of wisdom was easy, anyone would have walked in. Wisdom is not a whore she is a shy mademoiselle so only those who strives wins her heart.

Rajesh Nanoo

#11. Today, religious fanatics and scientific rejectionists flourish under the protective wing of postmodernism, claiming that theirs is just one more valid viewpoint - a form of mental aikido (using the opponent's strength against him).

Gudjon Bergmann

#12. Christian faith is not an irrational leap.Examined objectively, the claims of the Bible are rational propositions well supported by reason and evidence.

Lee Strobel

#13. Philosophy may serve as the bridge between theology and science. All atheism is a philosophy, but not all philosophy is atheism. Philosophy ('love of wisdom') is simply a tool depending on how one uses it, and in some cases, logically understanding the nature of God and existence.

Criss Jami

#14. Breaking away from old psychological memes requires a Herculean effort in many cases. In essence, we are outgrowing a worldview while maintaining a relation-ship of sorts. Transcending an ideology can feel like going through a divorce and having to stay friends because of the kids.

Gudjon Bergmann

#15. Being spiritual-but-nonreligious sounds good in theory - at least it's better than attending antiquated religious institutions. We can do that. And we have. A growing number of us identify as spiritual-but-nonreligious.

Gudjon Bergmann

#16. ...rationality can easily unveil the futility of life and lead to depression - as the stereotype of the extremely smart, but world-weary, educated man (often portrayed as a detective, philosopher, or doctor) suggests. As such, the rational worldview has its limits.

Gudjon Bergmann

#17. Only direct experience of the peaceful internal state will remove doubt and provide enlightenment - not in a spooky, out-of-this-world kind of way, but in a rational, let's-turn-on-the-lights sort of way.

Gudjon Bergmann

#18. Practice silence and you will acquire silent knowledge. In this silent knowledge is a computing system that is far more precise and far more accurate and far more powerful than anything that is contained in the boundaries of rational thought.

Deepak Chopra

#19. Is our rational and self-reliant generation really supposed to accept the idea that God the Almighty not only created the universe but, interestingly enough, also has a stake in our lives?

Gudjon Bergmann

#20. This tendency to defend a belief structure is true in all cases, even the rational. Never underestimate our ability to convince ourselves of what we wish to be true, especially if we have invested time and money in our beliefs.

Gudjon Bergmann

#21. By exclaiming that "there are no absolute truths" the postmodern stance is also claiming that the statement it just made is an absolute truth - trying to have it both ways, rejecting absolutism with absolutism.

Gudjon Bergmann

#22. ... both spiritual teachers and preachers fall into the trap of using imprecise, emotional mumbo jumbo - if you can't define it or explain it, then it's mumbo jumbo - to connect with an audience. The audience reads into it what they want, and it makes for good theater.

Gudjon Bergmann

#23. What is it about spirituality that doesn't resonate with our core value of being rational? What makes it so difficult for us to maintain our level-headed (and slightly jaded) mindset while being spiritual at the same time?

Gudjon Bergmann

#24. For a number of people, church attendance seems to be primarily a social affair, the act of meeting other people outside of the pressures of work. For others it is pure business/politics. I get it. It's important to have access to a community like the one a church provides.

Gudjon Bergmann

#25. Prior to postmodernism, it was all but impossible to claim that one was a cultural Christian, Jew, or Muslim. There was no such thing. Now, being culturally religious is a widely accepted stance.

Gudjon Bergmann

#26. The trans-rational spiritual approach is a simple concept with wide-ranging practical implications. There are three major components involved: (1) not denying rationality, (2) pursuing the experience of a peaceful internal state, and (3) allowing that inner peace to guide behavior.

Gudjon Bergmann

#27. Once we got closer to the origins of these Eastern practices, we found that the monks and swamis were just as dogmatic and paternalistic, just as literal and conservative in their approach to spirituality as the Christian priests and ministers we were trying to get away from.

Gudjon Bergmann

#28. I find religion and spirituality fascinating. I would like to believe this isn't the end and there's something more, but I can't convince the rational part of me that that makes any sense whatsoever.

George R R Martin

#29. In essence, oversimplification tends to take a partial truth and make it all powerful.

Gudjon Bergmann

#30. Such public shaming is rampant and sometimes appropriate, but unfortunately, in recent years, shaming has morphed into coordinated reputation murders, and anyone who is slightly insensitive or not PC enough can be led to a public character lynching without due process.

Gudjon Bergmann

#31. These superhero and mythical stories have, in many cases, replaced Biblical stories as vehicles for communal myths, but they are hardly any better than ancient magical adventures tinged with mythical archetypes and the decidedly unnuanced black-and-white struggle between good and evil.

Gudjon Bergmann

#32. It is almost impossible to get anyone with a postmodern slant to say "I think" and stand by what follows, without making sure that the person listening understands, "Of course, there are other things to consider.

Gudjon Bergmann

#33. (I)ndividual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence and not in its rational capacity for conceptual and analytic procedures.

Reinhold Niebuhr

#34. Saying, "I don't agree with you," or going so far as to say, "I think your belief structure is childish," does not amount to persecution. Insensitivity is not the same as harassment or oppression.

Gudjon Bergmann