The Seven Myths About Religion & The Problem with Spiritual But Not Religious | Jonas Atlas

Jonas Atlas is a scholar of religions, author, and lecturer whose work explores the intersection of religion, politics, and mysticism. Rooted in the Christian tradition, he has immersed himself in Hinduism, Islam, and Sufism, and has been active in local and international peace work with a focus on cultural and religious diversity. He currently teaches ethics and spirituality at the KDG University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is the author of several books including "Halal Monk," "Re-visioning Sufism," and most recently "Religion: Reality Behind the Myths."In this conversation we explore why misunderstanding religion is a problem, the seven myths about religion and what they get wrong, and whether religion necessarily constitutes dogma.We get into whether religion is fundamentally about God and transcendence, the difference between spirituality and religion — and the problem with "spiritual but not religious" as a position — defining what religion actually is, and the challenge of à la carte spirituality and why sticking to a path matters.We also explore the limits of language in describing religious experience, the false dichotomy of secular and religious, and why the real issue underlying most problems with religion is literalism and fundamentalism — not religion itself.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗Jonas's personal site Religion: Reality Behind the Myths — Jonas Atlas Maps of Meaning — Jordan Peterson, in-depth book summary🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Introduction2:40 - Jonas's upbringing and what led him to studying religion10:05 - Why misunderstanding religion is a problem19:55 - The seven myths about religion25:00 - Does religion constitute dogma?38:15 - Is religion about God and transcendence?43:20 - Is there a difference between spirituality and religion?57:04 - Hermitage interlude1:02:16 - Defining religion1:13:59 - The problem of à la carte spirituality and the importance of sticking to a path1:20:56 - The limits of language1:22:38 - The false dichotomy of secular and religious1:36:57 - The real issue is literalism and fundamentalism*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional