Religion: Reality Behind the Myths
Despite religion being a core theme of many contemporary debates, a solid and settled definition of the concept has not yet been reached. Nevertheless, it is regularly assumed that, because of their common characteristics, we are able to recognize religious phenomena when we see them. For example, it is often supposed that religion is primarily based on faith, that religion conflicts with science, and that the world would be a lot less violent without religions. Yet, no matter how widespread such assumptions might be, in the end, they turn out to be incorrect. What we think about religion does not correspond to what religion really is. Offering many concrete examples from different traditions, Religion: Reality Behind the Myths dispels the main misunderstandings, breaches the contemporary opposition between secular versus religious and presents a novel view on the essence of religion.
Praise for ‘Religion’
I have been wanting to see someone crystallize the myths about religion and show them for what they are. This is an important breakthrough and major clarification. – Rupert Sheldrake, best-selling author of The Science Delusion and Science and Spiritual Practices
Jonas Atlas has taken a wealth of scholarship and presented it in brief and accessible form. Atlas replaces nonsense with nuance, and shows that many of what we think are facts are ideologically-motivated falsehoods instead. Rather than simply tearing down myths, however, this book builds bridges between “nonbelievers” and “believers,” and overcomes the tendency to separate the world into “us” and “them.” – William T. Cavanaugh, Professor of political theology, author of The Myth of Religious Violence
In the agonizingly superficial and unsophisticated discourses prevalent in the media today, “religion” has tragically become synonymous with irrationality and fundamentalism. While both irrationality and fundamentalism can be found in association with religion—just as they can be found in association with every other form of organized human activity as well—the true core of the religious intuition is something that transcends the logico-conceptual models of the intellect; it doesn’t contradict rationality. Jonas Atlas brings us on a journey of rediscovery of humanity’s greatest treasure and most valuable legacy: the maps to meaning embedded in our religious traditions. – Bernardo Kastrup, Executive Director of Essentia Foundation, author of Decoding Jung’s Metaphysics and Why Materialism Is Baloney
A clear and important demolition of some key modern myths about religion. – Abdal Hakim Murad, Dean of the Cambridge Muslim College, author of Travelling home: Essays on Islam in Europe
Re-visioning Sufism
Sufism is often described as ‘the mystical branch of Islam’. Giving some more attention to this underexposed spiritual side, it is often proposed, could help us to ease certain contemporary societal tensions. One finger then points toward the rigorous religious aggression of fundamentalism as ‘the problem’, while another points toward the soft beauty of mysticism as ‘the solution’.
Yet, no matter how well-intended the contemporary focus on Sufism might often be, in the end, it repeatedly portrays a lack of comprehension when it comes to Islamic mysticism. The typical descriptions are full of mistakes, and the conclusions they lead to need much nuance.
Those misunderstandings do not simply stem from innocent ignorance. They are misunderstandings with more profound origins and implications. They’re closely tied to enormous blind spots in the contemporary view of religion and deeply entwined with pressing political issues. In fact, the way we deal with mysticism in general and with Sufism in particular actually kindles many contemporary conflicts.
This book thus seeks to add the necessary nuances, correct the misunderstandings and unveil the contemporary ‘politics of mysticism’. It seeks to clarify how the growing interest in what is called ‘Sufism’ is connected to both the contemporary demonization of Islam and the modern destruction of profound spirituality in the East as well as the West.
Halal Monk: A Christian on a Journey Through Islam
To acquaint himself with the soul of Islam J.Y. Atlas had openhearted conversations with influential Muslim scholars and artists. From Jakarta to New York and from London to Lahore, this Christian theologian met with imams and Sufis, academics and feminists, punkers and poets. The result is a book full of novel insights that will help us to transcend today’s cultural and religious impasses.
Attempts of interfaith dialogue often stay away from the more difficult issues and remain somewhat superficial. With his ‘Halal Monk’ journey, Atlas wanted to go further. He wanted to get to the root of our current tensions. This book collects his most fascinating dialogues at the intersection of culture, society and religion. In between those conversations, some extra light is shed on key concepts of the Islamic tradition and their relevance for today’s debates.
Topics as diverse as Quranic exegesis, islamic mysticism and islamic feminism are all treated in a nuanced manner. Difficult subjects like islamic fundamentalism and jihad, aren’t circumvented but placed within their context and clarified. Aspects of the islamic faith like sharia and ijtihad are explained and juxtaposed with the Christian tradition.
Praise for Halal Monk
“We need many more books like this one. The reader emerges from this study with a real and fresh grasp of a tradition that is in movement, in dialogue with itself and so in transition.” – Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury.
“The interviews and reflections in this book offer sensitive, clear and extremely interesting insights into Islam and Islamic thought. The opportunity to ‘listen in’ on the author’s conversations is a distinct privilege.” – Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International.
“The book could not have been written any better by a Muslim – but then it is important that it was written by an upright, self-critical Christian. I will make the book a must-read for my students, both religious and non-religious.” – Shaykh Bashir Ahmad Dultz, founding president and shaykh of the German Muslim League.
“Profound understanding among Muslims and Christians is critical for civil health of the 21st century, and this book points in a promising direction.” – Rev. William E. Swing, Founder of URI and Former Episcopal Bisshop of California.
Breath: The Inner Essence of Meditation and Prayer
This little gem beautifully elucidates the flow of our mind, heart and soul during meditation and prayer. It explains how we can guide our inner being to moments of spiritual contemplation.
In a concise and poetic language, Jonas Yunus Atlas clarifies the core aspects of meditation and prayer. He does not discuss their outer forms or technical sides, but reveals their mental forms and deeper spirit. And, while doing so, also rephrases our relationship with the divine.
Many meditation books focus on bodily exercises and physical postures that are needed to open distinct energy channels. The verses in this book, however, describe the different ‘spiritual postures’ that open the ‘channels of the soul’ between ourselves and God.