Beyond Religion: Imaging a New Humanity

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Beyond Religion: Imaging a New Humanity advocates a shift from religiosity to spirituality.That is because religion is widely misused to fragment humanity, to disable commitment to justice, and to fuel totalitarian proclivities around the world. Though evolved in response to the dynamics of Indian religio-politics, the author’s insights have global resonances. The work is informed by a keenness to sketch the truth about what is, as well as what ought to be, as an investment into safeguarding the health and sanity of humankind. Endorsing Max Weber’s argument that religions begin to decay and contradict their spiritual core when priestly classes hijack them, the author argues for a liberation of human beings from their tutelage to religious middlemen. Freedom is the temple in which spirituality and wholesome politics meet. Religious freedom becomes malignant when it is misconstrued as the license to violate spiritual values in pursuance of communal agendas. In times of religious decay, freedom for religion needs to be complemented with freedom from religion. Human beings, however, cannot live in a vacuum. The book does not argue for relinquishing religions, but for transcending them. Spirituality is the horizon beyond religion. It is the shared dwelling-place of humanity.