Yunus Publishing·Jul 28Religion: Reality Behind the MythsDespite religion being a core theme of many contemporary debates, a solid and settled definition of the concept has not yet been reached. Nevertheless, it is regularly assumed that, because of their common characteristics, we are able to recognize religious phenomena when we see them. For example, it is often…Religion2 min readReligion2 min read
Yunus Publishing·Dec 21, 2022Religion, violence, secularism, and spiritualityJonas Atlas in conversation with professor William Cavanaugh Many years ago, when I first read Professor William Cavanaugh’s book The myth of religious violence, it thoroughly shook my views on religion and secularism. Religion is generally thought of as something inherently violent because it is based on irrational beliefs, while…Religion12 min readReligion12 min read
Yunus Publishing·Sep 2, 2022Researching the vertical dimension of lifeJonas Atlas Researching themes like spirituality and religion leads to particular conundrums. One of them is the fact that any discussion about religion is always framed within a particular worldview and thus, inevitably, always also brings along its own religious presuppositions. In this respect, it seems fair to say that…Sbnr2 min readSbnr2 min read
Yunus Publishing·Aug 26, 2022An idealist perspective on God and religionJonas Atlas The dominance of the mechanistic-materialist world view seems to be broken. Important findings in the field of quantum mechanics have made scientists and philosophers question the paradigm that was long taken for granted. On top of it, that paradigm turned out to be incapable of solving the hard…Idealism2 min readIdealism2 min read
Yunus Publishing·Apr 7, 2022Spiritual development, Greek philosophy, and the birth of monotheismby Jonas Atlas Psychotherapist and author Mark Vernon published several books on philosophy, spirituality, Christianity, and the evolution of consciousness. In our podcast conversation we sat down to discuss the relationship between these various topics. Ancient Greek philosophy is generally described as a strain of thought that was predominantly concerned…Religion9 min readReligion9 min read
Yunus Publishing·Mar 9, 2022The spiritual journey of individuals and humanityTogether with Mark Vernon, Jonas Atlas discussed various aspects of spiritual development. Vernon’s latest book takes a deep dive into Dante’s Divine Comedy, a classic masterpiece, which, after many centuries, still provides many helpful insights for those who find themselves on a spiritual journey. In their podcast conversation Atlas and…Journey Of Life2 min readJourney Of Life2 min read
Yunus Publishing·Oct 5, 2020Good anger, bad anger and the potential of prophetic healingJonas Atlas in conversation with Abdal Hakim Murad The islamic scholar Abdal Hakim Murad is the dean of the Cambridge Muslim College. In the 2020 edition of The Muslim 500, he’s placed in the top fifty of the most influential muslims in the world once again. Earlier this year Murad…Islam12 min readIslam12 min read
Yunus Publishing·Sep 13, 2020Guarding sacred spaces in Syria and Iraq where Christians and Muslims unify in prayerFr. Jens Petzold I belong to a small Christian monastic community of nuns and monks who contemplate Islam and interact with its different currents. Our community was founded in 1991, after the restoration of Deir [Monastery] Mar Musa in Syria. The site is an old sacred one, named after Mar…Islam7 min readIslam7 min read
Yunus Publishing·Jun 30, 2020How colonialism and racism determined our view on religionJonas Atlas Most people take it for granted that the concept of ‘religion’ is something age-old and universal. They suppose that throughout history, it has been an important aspect of all cultures. In reality, this is far from the case. Until about two or three centuries ago — that is…Religion2 min readReligion2 min read
Yunus Publishing·Nov 6, 2019Re-visioning SufismJonas Atlas’ book is available now Sufism is often described as ‘the mystical branch of Islam’. Giving some more attention to this underexposed spiritual side, it is often proposed, could help us to ease certain contemporary societal tensions. …Islam2 min readIslam2 min read
