Brian Hines

Brian Hines (born October 7, 1948) is an Oregon writer and land use activist who fights to protect irreplaceable farm and forest land in Oregon from over-development. He was heavily involved in the successful passage of Measure 49 in 2007.

In 1971, Hines became a member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization based in India that teaches god-realization is possible under the guidance of a living guru. He has written three books about mysticism and spirituality, two published commercially and one by Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

Since 2004, Hines has been taking a critical look at fundamentalist religious belief in general, with a special focus on the non-scientific aspects of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, which bills itself as a “science of the soul.”

His Church of the Churchless [http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/] blog is a forum for discussing the merits of spiritual independences and the pitfalls of blind faith.

Hines lives currently in Salem, Oregon with his wife, Laurel. He earned a psychology degree with great distinction, from San Jose State University in 1971, and a Master's in Social Work from Portland State University in 1973. Hines completed course requirements for a Ph.D. in Systems Science at PSU from 1974-77. He worked in health policy and planning from 1973 to 1988: four years as a Research Associate at University of Oregon Health Sciences Center and six years as a manager at the State Health Planning and Development Agency. Hines was a co-founder and executive director of Oregon Health Decisions, a pioneering citizen network that engaged in education and action on bioethical issues. The community-based meetings of Oregon Health Decisions were instrumental in forming the foundation of the Oregon Health Plan, which prioritized health services for hundreds of thousands of low-income people. Many other states followed the lead of Oregon Health Decisions, increasing public awareness about the individual and societal dimensions of ethical choices in health care. This movement became known as American Health Decisions.

Brian Hines is well known in Oregon for his HinesSight [http://hinessight.blogs.com/] web log.

Bibliography

* Hines, Brian. "God’s Whisper, Creation’s Thunder" ISBN 978-0939660483 is a study of how ancient mysticism relates to the new physics.
* Hines, Brian. "Science, Spirit, and the Wisdom of Not-Knowing" is a 24-page essay that also explores how science and spirituality relate. [http://hinessight.blogs.com/hinessight/files/science_spirit_and_the_wisdom_of_notknowing.pdf]
* Hines, Brian. "Life is Fair" ASIN B000CBCXP2 is a modern discussion of karma, complete with cartoons, and why vegetarianism is both sensible and moral. [http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2007/03/life_is_fair_he.html]
* Hines, Brian. "Return to the One" ISBN 978-1588321008 is an exposition of the teachings of Plotinus, a Greek mystic philosopher.

External links

* [http://www.radicalacademy.com/bookreviewhines.htm] Book review of Return to the One
* [http://www.oregonhealthdecisions.org/] Oregon Health Decisions
* [http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/254/22/3213] Article in the Journal of the American Medical Association