The Soul's Religion: Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual Way of Life

by Thomas Moore

the long-awaited companion volume to thomas Moore's bestselling Care of the Soul. the Soul's Religion is thomas Moore at his most provocative, as he celebrates the mystery of the spiritual and rejects the simplistic paths to religious vision. In the Soul's Religion Moore goes beyond understandings of the traditional and public religious practice to show how readers can find the spirit moving in everyday life. He provides a challenging and comprehensive revision of religion and spirituality, provoking the reader to re-imagine how a rich and personal spiritual life can be within the grasp of every seeker. Written in beautiful and accessible language this is an astounding addition to the thomas Moore collection.

Genres: Spirituality, Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Religion, Self Help, Christianity

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Thomas Moore is the author of the bestselling book, Care of the Soul, Ageless Soul, and fifteen other books on deepening spirituality and cultivating soul in every aspect of life. He has been a monk, a musician, a university professor, and a psychotherapist, and today he lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and the arts. He lectures frequently in Ireland and has a special love of Irish culture. He has Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University and has won several awards for his work, including an honorary doctorate from Lesley University and the Humanitarian Award from Einstein Medical School of Yeshiva University. He also has a B.A. in music from DePaul University, an M.A. in musicology from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. in theology from the University of Windsor. He also writes fiction and music and often works with his wife, artist and yoga instructor, Hari Kirin. He writes regular columns for Resurgence and Spirituality & Health.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Adodom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delicious book and one I will return to for reflections. There were so many things written that, as I age, I found extremely important regarding spirituality. Moore writes like music and was a joy to read.

[Chayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library on a whim and found it actually pretty good. I haven't read his other books, and can't exactly remember much from this one, but the one thing that I think made it completely worthwhile was his notion about how we read spiritual texts and puruse spirituality to better "embrace" the mystery and not to "understand" it. I feel as if I want to KNOW what it all means, and for it to be concrete, but really... we should be interested in it to better accept and enjoy the intangibility of not knowing instead. It is in that we are able to understand.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

: confession
I wish Thomas Moore was my dad.
Oh I know, he's not so very much older than me, but his tender wisdom, dispensed with such tolerance and care;his warmth and sense of playfulness;and above all his attentive appreciation of the other, are all qualities children need to blossom into confident, creative and capable adults.If he was my dad he might have been able to offer me some spiritual guidance,and guaranteed lively conversation at the dinner table that would have pre-empted the heavy silences punctuated by meaningless chatter that so stultified my soul and ruined my digestion.

That said,can I be trusted to give a useful account of this book? I think so.
The fact that I love TM and loved this book does not outweigh my opinion that, while introduced as a sequel of sorts toCare of the Soul: Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life,comparing the two,SR lacks somewhat in complexity,intensity and impact. In a seven star sysyem I would give a 6;in the GR system, 4 will have to do.

TM certainly does a thourough job of cataloging contemporary dissillusionment with organized religion.As a former priest,he is pretty disillusioned himself about THE CHURCH.That is one of the things that impressed me right away when I was introduced to his work, how he takes his issues and moves though them,facing square on things many spiritually inclined authors might entirely gloss over.

The Souls Religion is presented in 40 succinct chapters,almost like sermons but with no hint of moralizing.The chapters are further classified into eight sections,each adressing the main points Moore wants to emphasize. He makes a passionate case regarding not the dangers or the temptations or even the drawbacks of an entirely secular life, but the dangers of the ommission of the sacred in our lives and dealings.TM would return a sense of mystery and romance to the sacred dimension, instead of relegating it to a minor and mainly social option.

Moores arguements stem from his conviction that all life is sacred and all religions have something important to contribute to the ethics of it. He contradicts the ruthlessly scientific viewpoint that dominates modern philosophy and undermines the sacredness of being by reducing it to physical symptoms. "You can't kick it, but you can feel it" he notes. It is our passions,our desire for freedom,our loves our appreciation and zest for life, our unique viewpoints and sensitivities. These are our only weapons against the soul crushing conclusions of a nihilism that regards individuals as interchangable units and life as an essentailly dreary burden.It is Moores gift to restore to us a vision of life rich in choices,recieved as a gift,infused with joy.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each time I sat to read this book, I felt like I was wearing a warm and fuzzy blanket. Moore writes from the heart. For someone who is a seeker, his writing is a welcome and supportive addition to my journey.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our capacity to see through the imperfections of Religion that is accessible only to the imagination schooled in the sacred
My favourite author
He walk this time with religious activities about some absurd perceptions of practices and thoughts
Any amount of change may destroy the concept of religion.
If we go deep you may look so much of flaws in practice in religion but it has a chance of continuing is certain because 99 percent of the people follow the religion in shallow depth and 1% can feel the discomfort of the behaviour of church or temple
I loved this book Coz it was written with immense enlightenment and it brushes lightly and precisely
Thomas Moore never disappoint his readers

[Belle Meade School]

291.44

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional journey away from religion and back to God.

[Michael Adam Reale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me to realize that the souls religion differs from dogma and organized rituals. We can create our own spirituality based on what speaks to our condition.

[Theresa Sjoquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Soul's Religion - Thomas Moore

Cultivating a profoundly Spiritual Way of Life. A companion to Care of the Soul.

HarperCollins

The Soul's Religion is essentially a rendition of Thomas Moore's personal journey through and towards spirituality.

He touches again and again upon his birth given religion, Catholicism, but stands apart from it, open to the entry of other forms of spiritual understanding. While he is willing to acknowledge the shortcomings of Catholicism, he appreciates also the modes of worship and philosophical outlook it provides.

The Soul's Religion offers a refreshing advocacy of the allowance of mystery into our lives, in combination with the idea that no belief or spiritual outlook should be fixed. Moore invites the reader to an openess of mind and heart and he encourages the exploration of the material world as a mode of living spiritually.

Thomas Moore's willingness to be wrong makes The Soul's Religion a gentle invitation to explore our own beliefs about the meaning of life and our place in it, and the place of God in our deeply personal lives.

This is a thought provoking book and a non-judgemental, joyful encounter with spirituality. It's well written, easy to assimilate, and split neatly into short chapters. Highly recommended for those seeking answers to spiritual questions.

First Published in Good Reading Magazine

[Craig Bergland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it difficult to fairly evaluate this book. It was on the whole very good, though at times I found it to get bogged down. That may be more my own struggle with what I found to be some inconsistencies in Moore's thought around monasticism, which I found to be a bit idealistic at times - especially for someone who left the monastery. Considering the book as a whole, he seems to drift a bit on the issue of religious authority and at times almost contradicts himself. Still, it's very good and I may be nit picking. I would recommend it.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moore's other books, Care of the Soul and Soul Mates were much better than this one. This book has an airy quality to it, I never feel quite grounded while I'm reading it. However, one quote impressed me in the way it spoke to my life: "practicing therapy was my spiritual practice and now writing has taken its place". Perhaps that is why this book seems ungrounded - it may be an expression of his religion/his soul - which makes it indefinable territory for a reader.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite of his books. Moore always has a keen insight, a comforting word, a guiding story, and he never comes across as pedantic. There were lots of great thoughts in this book too, but somehow it didn't cohere for me. I ended up distracted and had to force myself to finish it. Maybe what i needed was to reread his 'Re-enchantment with everyday life' or 'original self' again...

[Rebecca Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

In general this book isn't quite doing it for me. There are insights I appreciate and that provoke thought, but there's something didatic about the tone that often doesn't sit well. I find myself thinking about Rachel Naomi Remen's books and appreciating the modesty of her approach to similar themes.

[John Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this of all Thomas Moore's books. It turns religion on its back where it can rest and scratch comfortably. It helps me understand, of all things, the Yoga Sutras, as well as Christianity. An easy read on theology. I have read it many times.

[Phyllis Fredericksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as a daily meditation and loved it. Moore really speaks to me right now. In this book, he focuses on finding the sacred in everyday things, people, life. That makes so much sense to me right now.

[Soul-jurney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually like this view on religion....from a less legalistic point of view, a spiritual flow so to speak..very refreshing

[Robbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful as all of Moore's books are.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Moore is well versed in the ways of the soul and how to make you more attuned to your own spirituality.

[Mdorcius · Rating 3 out of 5]

He breaks down Religion vs spirituality in depth!

[Emily Kynaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just like his books, his wording seems to flow for me, I enjoyed it.