"The revered images and sacred narratives of the world's religions render existence meaningful. However, when interpreted literally rather than symbolically, the spiritual essence of religion loses its creative potential and can become a destructive force. Fundamentalists of any faith, says author Stephen Larsen, are in a rapture of certainty, secure in their righteous belief and an exclusive covenant with God. Our world today is embroiled in a "clash of the fundamentalisms" as predicted by the great mythologist Joseph Campbell, and, in the words of Dr. Huston Smith, "all isms end up in schisms."" "Such thinking exists not only in religion and the "other" but in all of us - cultural creatives, left-wingers, scientists, and secularists alike. Larsen shows us how to free our minds by identifying polarized thinking in ourselves as well as others. He suggests a "natural spirituality": the awareness of the god force in everything, the humility to admit mistakes, flexibility instead of rigidity, and a willingness to tolerate differences.

"--BOOK JACKET.