(Ebook) Being Spiritual But Not Religious : Past, Present, Future(s) by William B. Parsons (Ed.) ISBN 9781315107431, 1315107430

(Ebook) Being Spiritual But Not Religious : Past, Present, Future(s) by William B. Parsons (Ed.) ISBN 9781315107431, 1315107430

In its most general sense, the phrase “Spiritual but Not Religious” denotesthose who, on one hand, are disillusioned with traditional institutionalreligion and, on the other hand, feel that those same traditions contain deepwisdom about the human condition. This edited collection speaks to whatnational surveys agree is a growing social phenomenon referred to as the“Spiritual but Not Religious Movement” (SBNRM).Each chapter of the volume engages the past, present, and future(s) ofthe SBNRM. Their collective contribution is analytic, descriptive, andprescriptive, taking stock of not only the various analyses of the SBNRMto date but also the establishment of a new ground on which the continuedacademic discussion can take place.This volume is a watershed in the growing academic and public interestin the SBNRM. As such, it will vital reading for any academic involved inReligious Studies, Spirituality, and Sociology.William B. Parsons is Professor of Religion at Rice University. Hispublications include The Enigma of the Oceanic Feeling (1999); Religionand Psychology: Mapping the Terrain (2001); Teaching Mysticism(2010); Mourning Religion (2008); Freud and Augustine in Dialogue:Psychoanalysis, Mysticism, and the Culture of Modern Spirituality (2013);and dozens of articles in multiple journals and edited books. He has servedas Chair of the Department of Religion and Director of the HumanitiesResearch Center at Rice University and as Editor (the psychology of religionsection) with Religious Studies Review and has been a fellow at the MartinMarty Center of the University of Chicago and at the Institute for AdvancedStudies at Hebrew University.