Reviews

 

"Wellman makes a good case for creating a sense of spiritual clarity as a driving force of ones own evolution, rather than settling for misunderstood religious dogmas that have been misused to justify some of the most horrific crimes against humanity."

ZAIN WINTER - archaeoastronomer and author of JESUS IS A MYTH: a Handbook to Reclaim Your Celestial Inheritance

 

 

" I really liked the general idea behind this book.  The author's intension to show the importance of tolerance is worthy of respect and admiration."

                             Tami Brady, co-Dean of Religion and Spirituality at Suite University in Alberta, Canada and the author of The Complete Being

                            

 

I felt like this book helped me realize the difference between being a religious person versus being a spiritual person.  This was a very well written book that you will not want to put down, with very interesting historical facts.

                         J. Sides

 

I enjoyed it, as one who eschews organized religion, but attempts to be spiritual, in a non-judgmental, Malidoma Some/Deepak Chopra/ Gurdjieff kind of way.

                         Bijan Bayne, Author of Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball, his book reviews have appeared in Washington Post Book World, The Boston Herald, and The Crisis

 

It would be nice if more people took the time to engage in critical, skeptical reflection on religion, religious history, and religious doctrines, but for now we'll have to settle for a few intrepid individuals who would rather buck tradition than go with the flow.  One is Jackie Wellman, who has published the fruits of her reflections, research, and investigations in the book Spiritual Clarity. 

What is the "clarity" which Wellman believed she has acheived?  In short, it's the realization that one doesn't have to be religious in order to be a good person and that one can be "spiritual" without belonging to any organized church or religious organization.  This isn't a radical conclusion and does, in fact, stand well within the traditions or American individualism where religion is concerned.

Common to a lot of this, and something which Wellman occasionally shares, is the claim that "spirituality" is fundamentally different from "religion" or that violent religion is somehow "false" while peaceful religion is somehow "genuine."  So there is nothing especially unusual about this, except that most people who go through transformation don't set pen to paper to share their experiences.

                            Austin Reed Cline, About.com-Guide to Atheism, Agnosticism, Religion & Spirituality

 

This is Jackie Wellman's first book and in one sentence, I found the book informative, entertaining and in many parts funny.

The book is divided into five sections which demonstrate the manner in which Ms. Wellman has conducted her study.  It follows the natural progression when a study is made and this aids in making the book a pleasurable read.

Throughout the book, there is use of humor; this, coupled with a personal touch immediately draws a reader into Ms. Wellman's quest.  This lightness in her words makes reading such heavy stuff a pleasure.

If there is a single criticism I can make, it has to do with the design of the jacket cover.  For a book entitled, "Spiritual Clarity", the exact design on the cover is very hard to make out!

In all, this has been an enjoyable, relaxing and informative read.

                              Aneeta Sundararaj, the creator of bestselling program "How To Tell A Great Story" (4th edition), http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com