Benjamin Riggs's Blog, page 4

The Death and Resurrection of God

The Conflict between Religion and Science When the word ‘God’ is used, it typically refers to an anthropomorphic God—an extra-terrestrial super-human who, having created the world, is charged with the laborious task of overseeing its day-to-day operations. Any statement that seeks to explain the origins of the universe or the dynamics by which it is governed is a scientific statement, not

How Belief Prevents Believing.

I have worked in substance abuse for the better part of a decade.  I regularly lecture and give workshops on 12-Step spirituality at drug and alcohol treatment centers. Often it is those of agnostic or atheistic temperament that are thought to struggle most with the spirituality of the Twelve-Step program. But this has not been my experience. In my experience, it is the more religiously

Impermanence & the Truth of Selflessness

the following is an excerpt from Finding God in the Body “No same man could walk through the same river twice because the man and the river have since changed.” ~ Heraclitus We have all heard about impermanence. It has become a threadbare spiritual catchword, along with its sterile cousin, “the present moment.” Intellectually we understand the concept of impermanence but we do not feel it.

The Light of Freedom

How Trump Became the L. Ron Hubbard of the Republican Party

What Role Does Church Play in a Modern Spirituality?

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a church service. I don’t often attend church, but there are a few in my area that I pop into from time to time. It was the Sunday before the inauguration and the sermon, as you might imagine, was about loving our enemies and welcoming the stranger in our midst—a timely message to be sure. It was a good sermon, but there was one note missing and its absence

Ellen Haroutunian Reviews Finding God in the Body by Ben Riggs

Ellen Haroutunian recently reviewed Finding God in the Body.  I am grateful to Ellen and excited to share her thoughts with you. Click here to read the review in its entirety. Here is an excerpt: "Through years of studying with contemplative spiritual teachers, I have read many, many books designed to help the restless modern mind. I was not expecting much different from this one. However,

Any Spirituality that Ignores Politics is a Defense Mechanism.

I don't see the difference between spirituality and politics. We do not live in a totalitarian state. As members of a democratic society, we have a civic duty. Our government is held in check by "we the people." In a democratic system of government, politics is just another aspect of daily living. Spirituality is not an other worldly affair. It is a principled worldview coupled with a

There is No Room for Admirers.

"Of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he." - Matthew 11:11 Conversion or the rebirth experience (metanoia) marks the resurrection of our True Self, which is of the Kingdom and not born of woman, so to speak. Metanoia is a renewal of one's mind and motivations. It is an experience

Politics and Spiritual Bypassing

A great many people see politics as a distraction from spirituality and believe avoiding politics to be the high road.  Is it really 'spiritual' to hide behind a silly smile and avoid political conversations? Or does an authentic spirituality demand that we enter those conversations? In this short episode of my podcast I talk about the relationship between politics and spirituality.Also