Garrett, L. (2017). Losing Their Religion. Publishers Weekly, 264(13), 19-24
As Americans leave traditional faiths, publishers release books to give them alternatives
When asked to specify their religion, a growing number of Americans check the "none" box. According to the Pew Research Center, today nearly a quarter of adults say they are not members of any institutional faith.
These "nones," as they have come to be called, present a problem for traditional religions, but they create an opportunity for publishers. Many nones say they are, if not religious, still spiritual, and having severed ties to traditional faiths they seek to replace what those faiths provided—guidance, encouragement, comforting rituals and sacraments, even community. For that, they often look to books.
Publishers across different categories offer these seekers the ingredients from which to pick and choose beliefs and practices as they assemble a personal faith. "There are many portals by which people can now access their own essential nature, outside of religion, and people are having experiences of their own divine nature," says Catharine Meyers, associate publisher at New Harbinger, one of many presses publishing books that can appeal to this growing market.
Presses that offer alternatives—particularly those in the mind-body-spirit category—have found a market in the spiritual hunger of the nones, who are drawn to books on topics ranging from mindfulness to yoga to tarot and more. (PW will focus on mind-body-spirit publishing in our annual feature on the subject in August.) The self-help and popular psychology categories also have benefited from people looking for alternatives to traditional religion.
Readers seeking help with life's problems can find it in a broad range of titles like Natural Rest for Addiction: A Radical Approach to Recovery Through Mindfulness and Awareness by Scott Kiloby (New Harbinger, May) and Embracing the End of Life: A Journey into Dying & Awakening by Patt Lind-Kyle (Llewellyn, Sept.). Nones who miss the grounding and inspiration that sacraments and rituals provide may look for substitutes in books like Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Ally, edited by Stephen Gray (Inner Traditions, out now), which explores how cannabis can be used sacramentally to enhance practices like meditation and group ceremonies and to foster creativity. Alternative rituals can be found in titles such as Fasting the Mind: Spiritual Exercises for Psychic Detox (Inner Traditions, June), in which author Jason Gregory proposes emptying the mind to regain an essential spiritual nature, free of the distractions of modern life.
Beyond such specific topics are broader manifestos for ambitious new paradigms.
Authors also reconsider much of what religions have taught. In The Religion of Tomorrow: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions—More Inclusive, More Comprehensive, More Complete (Shambhala, May), philosopher Ken Wilber argues that religions can only stay relevant if they embrace the discoveries of science and the insights of psychology to offer what he calls an "integral" approach, bringing together the wisdom of many kinds of religion and spirituality and respecting the individuality of seekers. "Integral spirituality understands that individuals grow and develop through various stages," Wilber writes. "Spiritual teachings themselves should therefore be adapted and presented in the appropriate language and the appropriate level of difficulty for each individual stage."
In The Wisdom of Not Knowing (Shambhala, out now), Estelle Frankel—a therapist who also teaches Jewish mysticism—proposes that psychological, emotional, and spiritual health depend on accepting how much in life cannot be known, and that it is important to have the courage to face uncertainty and ambiguity. Frankel writes: "This book is an exploration of the role of the unknown in our lives and a guide to reclaiming what I call 'the wisdom of not knowing'…. Being receptive to the unknown, in all its many facets, allows us to become more open, curious, flexible, and expansive in our personal and professional lives."
Thinkers throughout history have developed their own concepts of God, and in God: 48 Famous and Fascinating Minds Talk About God (Running Press, Aug.), Jennifer Berne collects quotes from such luminaries as Homer, Pope Francis, and Maya Angelou, pairing them with illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist R.O. Blechman. Examples include: "Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter" (Ansel Adams); and, "All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours" (Aldous Huxley).
If you don't like the religions on offer, you can always invent your own. In November, Watkins will publish Become the Force: 9 Lessons on Living as a Master Jedi by Daniel M. Jones, who founded the Church of Jediism in 2007. It has chapters in Dubai, Canada, and the U.S. and online communities for followers, who now number more than 500,000 worldwide, according to Jones, who writes: "The Force is the living energy that created the universe…. It is available and ready to speak with anyone or anything that approaches it; everything in existence is in constant communication with it."
Writing can be a spiritual practice, argues Mark Matousek in Writing to Awaken: A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery (New Harbinger, July). Matousek provides weekly writing exercises to help readers understand the story they tell themselves about who they are, and he also shows them how to rewrite it to achieve transformation. By telling the truth about themselves, "you come to understand why you have felt fraudulent and inauthentic in your own life," Matousek writes. "Writing helps to clear away this fraudulence and show you your true face in the mirror, often for the first time." He adds, "Literary talent is irrelevant here…. Courage, transparency, commitment to the truth—along with a sincere desire to know yourself and set yourself free—these are the only assets you need. Along with a willingness to change."
If prayer seems a little too much like religion but you need a place to express your hopes and desires, how about writing a letter? In The Forever Letter: Writing What We Believe for Those We Love (Llewellyn, Sept.), Elana Zaiman—the first woman rabbi in a family of rabbis spanning six generations—refashions a little-known Jewish tradition of writing an ethical will into a tool for personal growth. She writes: "To make writing forever letters part of your life plan, you have to know why doing so is crucial…. Sometimes we can write what we cannot speak; we can better understand ourselves and our relationships; we can make ourselves known; we can ask for forgiveness and we can forgive; we can clarify our values and live with greater intention."
Though usually a solitary pursuit, reading can become about community. The Futilitarians: Our Year of Thinking, Drinking, Grieving, and Reading (Little, Brown, Aug.) is Anne Gisleson's memoir of finding solace with others who are on difficult journeys. After the deaths of her twin sisters and father and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Gisleson formed the Existential Crisis Reading Group—dubbed the Futilitarians—with other New Orleanians struggling with loss and trauma. Their readings and weekly meetings helped the Futilitarians overcome individual and collective pain.
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