VISTA, Calif., February 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Far too often, atrocities are committed in the name of religion. Whether it is in Israel, on the West Bank, in Iraq or in America, people of different faiths frequently collide. According to Pamela Smith Allen, Ph.D., this is not the point of any religion. In her new book, Awakening to the Spirit Within: Eight Paths (now available through 1stBooks), she examines eight different religions in hopes of finding universal truths, which promote peace and harmony, rather than war and conflict.
"By writing this book, (I) was committed to making a literary contribution, which would help promote peace and harmony on our planet. Because of wars and atrocities, which have been committed in the name of one religion or another, (I) wanted to reach deeply into the roots of these spiritual traditions in order to identify universal threads of connection, which would serve all of humanity," Allen says.
Awakening to the Spirit Within is a search for the Higher Self or True Self within a person. Allen explores the roots of Native American spirituality, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the New Thought Movement and the mystical traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Her book offers seven themes of connection that emerged from her research and discusses how they manifest in different cultures and belief systems. Throughout each chapter, Allen suggests a number of exercises and references, providing readers with further opportunities to discover more.
With each religion, Allen discusses methods that may help a reader tune into their "Spirit Within." With support and guidance, she encourages readers to evaluate spiritual teachings in the light of their own inner wisdom.
Awakening to the Spirit Within draws the threads of religion together to dispel conflict and help the world discover its own spirit and find peace at last.
Allen paid attention to the messages from her "Spirit Within" while writing this book. With a master's degree in special education from the University of Florida and a doctorate in psychology from the United States International University, Allen has worked for many years addressing the educational and psychological needs of children and adults. Realizing education and psychology were limited in addressing people's deeper needs, she researched and wrote Awakening to the Spirit Within, her first book.
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