SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, June 15, 2005: Is religion gaining ground in America, or are people simply looking harder for answers? Religion and spirituality books are selling strongly, while the number of Americans not identified with religion is rising. It appears that more and more people are seeking God on their own rather than through established belief systems, says this article. The new book “God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths” by Sankara Saranam shows seekers how to develop a direct understanding of God, unhindered by dogma, creed or ritual. At last week’s BookExpo America in New York City, religion titles dominated, continuing the growth trend that showed a 17 percent gain in religious book sales in 2004 to reach US$3.8 billion. On the other hand, according to a survey by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research in San Francisco, the number of Americans with no organized religious affiliation has doubled over the last decade. In fact 16 percent of the population–more than 47,000,000 Americans–has no religious affiliation, the article continues. Though not yet officially released, “God Without Religion,” with a foreword by nonviolence activist Arun Gandhi, has already racked up significant sales on Amazon.com, on June, 7, hitting number 65 out of the site’s top 100 religion and spirituality bestsellers.
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