Transcending Religion to Find Spirituality: Creating a Spiritually Inclusive Society

The spiritual soul has no concept of religion, it only knows spirituality - this is the objective for humanity and the Higher Power.

Blending fiction with reality, this book intertwines concepts of spiritual living through the journey of Adam and Esther (a fictional couple based upon the true experiences of an interfaith family). As an interfaith and interracial pair, they navigate the treacherous waters of racism and exclusion, confronting prejudices both within their families and the larger communities they inhabit.

Without disregarding established religious beliefs or valued traditions, this work introduces a groundbreaking perspective rooted in biblical and contemporary sources, where religion is surpassed, pivoting towards fostering both personal and collective spiritual experiences that align with the objectives of a Higher Power.

Delving into humanity through the lens of the soul and spirit, this work seeks to discern the desires of a higher power for mankind. Unshyingly probing the soul's inner dynamics and its sway towards both love and hate, it confronts topics like religion, love, hate, and death, even questioning the higher power's expectations and relationship with humanity. Ultimately, it suggests a novel framework for moving beyond religious constructs to embrace an ultimate form of spirituality.

This is a revolutionary work that suggests a framework that transcends entrenched religious division and proposes to break down the barriers of seclusion and blur the lines of social, religious, and political differences. The response to exclusion is inclusion. The inclusion of different faiths, the inclusion of different cultures, colors, nationalities, sexual orientations, and beliefs all come together to create an amazing tapestry of vibrant colors that make up humanity centered around a single goal - increased spirituality to realize a divine plan for humanity.

Gideon, who grew up in a traditional Jewish home and proudly practices his Judaism, is married to Elaine, an ordained pastor for the United Methodist Church in Southern California. Together, they believe that we are all children of God and can connect on the level of the soul instead of the established physical, cultural, or religious groupings that tend to segregate and divide us. The experience of finding each other and living a blended life where the beliefs and values of each other are valued and combined has opened their eyes to the possibilities of a world where religious boundaries are broken down, and respectful coexistence becomes the accepted norm. Gideon credits much of his understanding of the soul, the spirit, and God to his marriage to Elaine; together, they openly explore their spirituality and attempt to decipher what God is asking of each of us. Instead of focusing on religious differences, they attempt to find commonality and promote spiritual compatibility in place of religious compatibility. Gideon grew up in a Jewish home in Windsor, England, where education, Jewish practice, and coexistence were fundamental values. His experiences growing up Jewish, in a place almost devoid of fellow Jews, enabled him to accept and respect other religions. Living in The United Kingdom, Israel, France, and the United States has shaped Gideon's understanding of cultural and religious differences and given him respect for those who use their religion to better humanity. He believes that all religions walk a spiritual path that leads them to God. The paths may be different, but eventually, they lead to the same place - God and ultimate spirituality. "When we substitute the destination for the path, we are losing sight of the objective of religion and dividing humanity based on religious practice." Gideon and his wife, Elaine, strongly believe that regardless of religion, we find more commonality than differences when we work towards a shared spiritual goal. Gideon is an engineer who develops complex web applications and works with companies to improve their engineering business processes. In his spare time, he enjoys studying scripture, endless spiritual discussions with his wife, Elaine, and writing alternative commentaries to the Torah. Staying active, Gideon enjoys cycling, hiking, working out, and traveling. Gideon is father to four children and, at the time of writing, six grandchildren.