Spokane FAVS shares contributor's book review

Contributor Thomas Schmidt reviews Thomas Moore's new book, A Religion of One's Own, "Finding spiritual meaning in life", for the Spokane Faith & Values site.

Schmidt writes, "[Moore] sees every individual as having her or his own experience, their own upbringing in their culture. He suggests that everyone will have to find their own truth, and by truth he means a sense of beauty and joyful significance. Thus spirit is closely associated with cultural awareness and aesthetic appreciation. The two mental habits that prevent this awakening from happening are a moralism — I’m right and you’re wrong — and a literalism — the restriction of meaning and imagination to set forms and interpretations. We must use our imaginations and uncover new meanings and associations, avoiding harming ourselves and others, yet bringing into our days new practices and experiences. As we repeat our spiritual practices, a process he closely associates with contemplation, we will discover new meanings and relationships."

Schmidt's biographical description includes that he "is a retired psychotherapist and chemical dependency counselor who belongs to the Sufi Ruhiniat International order of Sufis and is a drummer in the Spokane Sufi group and an elder at the Country Homes Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church.