Religion-free spirituality?

June 10, 2:54 PMSacramento Spirituality ExaminerSteve Curless

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Yesterday, we briefly considered the "new atheists" and whether their criticisms of theism are fair and helpful. Neuroscientist and author Sam Harris is one of a "quartet" of prominent atheists mentioned, and a short video of him talking about atheism appears at the bottom of the article.

Today, let us briefly examine a key and very provocative quote from Harris in that video where he says:

Whenever human beings make an honest effort to get at the truth, they reliably transcend the accidents of their birth and upbringing. Just as it would be absurd to speak about Christian physics, though the Christians invented physics, and it would be absurd to speak about Muslin algebra, though the Muslims invented algebra, [so it] will one day be absurd to speak about Christian or Muslim ethics or spirituality."

Previously, we touched upon the question of whether it's possible to be truly spiritual without being religious, and the tentative conclusion was that it might be, although religion and spirituality are often so intertwined as to be inseparable. Harris seems to believe that it's not only possible to separate them, but that any spirituality worthy of the name should be divorced from religion.

In that regard, Harris differs from other prominent atheists who seem to reject all religion and spirituality as worthless nonsense. Harris has practiced meditation and done scientific research on the neurological underpinnings of religious belief and spiritual experience, and he's expressed the opinion that there may well be spiritual experience and insights which not only make people happier but which, unlike most religious teachings, can be supported by empirical evidence of their truth.

Yet, what would a religionless spiritual path look like? In what would its practices consist? Would it have any teachings, or would practitioners be expected to arrive at their own discoveries of truth through their practices? If there were teachings, where would they come from, what form would they take, and what function would they assume? Would they come from the various religions and be offered as hypotheses to be tested via some kind of contemplative science rather than be put forth as preestablished truths to be confirmed through personal spiritual experience?

The idea of a spiritual path whose effects upon the practitioner are untainted by established religious preconceptions is an appealing one. But to what extent is it practicable? How many people interested in partaking or leading others in such a path would come to it without religious preconceptions that they're looking to strengthen in themselves or inculcate in others? Or is it possible to take up practices within various religious traditions which lead to experiences and genuine insights shared by people of all religions who take up similar practices within their religions? That is, could we reach the point of Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths practicing traditions en masse within their faiths and arriving at a universal ethics and spirituality? If so, would it resemble the "perennial philosophy" outlined previously?

These are questions to which we'll devote further consideration in articles to come.