Enlightenment in a Book

NORFOLK, Va., July 30 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- The research article "Privatizing Enlightenment in the Re-Emergence of Religion" and studies exploring similarities between writings of Eckhart Tolle (2005) and Belzebuub (2001, 2002) reveal new insights about contemporary spirituality. Author, Dr. Gabrielle Wood will release the research online starting today July 30.

"Privatizing Enlightenment in the Re-Emergence of Religion" was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Dharma (Dec.2009, 431-444). It will be available online for the first time on July 30. The article explores the impact of spiritual leaders regulating access to spiritual teachings and guidance.

"It is increasingly common for spiritual leaders to charge money for teachings or to reserve special teachings for the elite," explains Dr. Wood. "Interestingly, this international trend is occurring during a time in which progressively more people are seeking spiritual guidance."

The implications of privatization are illustrated through in-depth comparisons of Eckhart Tolle and Mark H. Pritchard "Belzebuub." "The two were chosen because one could argue that they have strikingly similar teachings, but that they differ with regard to privatization," explains Dr. Wood in the article.

Readers will also be able to view the studies, which were cited in the article, on the similarities between Eckhart Tolle's (2005) "A New Earth" and Belzebuub's (2001, 2002) "Searching Within: A Nine Week Course" and "The Journey to Enlightenment: A Nine Week Course."

In addition to the contemporary examples of Tolle and Belzebuub, the article examines examples from Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and other religions. "Examples of well-known figures such as Jesus Christ and Buddha indicate that spiritual teachings are divinely inspired, given for the sake of all humanity, rather than for just the wealthy or elite," says Dr. Wood.

The article concludes by considering the practical implications of this trend and by addressing questions such as the following:
* Is there justification for privatizing spiritual teachings?
* Does the choice to privatize affect how spiritual leaders present their teachings?
* Is it accurate to call privatized teachings "spiritual?"

Starting July 30, 2010 the full-text article will be available online, courtesy of the Journal of Dharma. Readers can also view the studies comparing Tolle and Belzebuub on the website: sites.google.com/a/cnu.edu/gabrielle-wood/.

More Information:
Dr. Gabrielle Wood, psychologist, lectures on leadership studies at Christopher Newport University. Her research focuses on positive leadership approaches, with an emphasis on authentic and spiritual leadership. More information can be found here: sites.google.com/a/cnu.edu/gabrielle-wood/researcherprofile.

The Journal of Dharma is an international, peer-reviewed Journal of Religions and Philosophies, published by the Centre for the Study of World Religions of the Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore, India.
NEWS SOURCE: Dr. Gabrielle M. Wood