In Defense of Religious Moderation

Zusammenfassung William Egginton laments the current debate over religion in America! in which religious fundamentalists have set the tone of political discourse--no one can get elected without advertising a personal relation to God! for example--and prominent atheists treat religious belief as the root of all evil. Neither of these positions! Egginton argues! adequately represents the attitudes of a majority of Americans who! while identifying as Christian! Jewish! or Muslim! do not find fault with those who support different faiths and philosophies. In fact! Egginton goes so far as to question whether fundamentalists and atheists truly oppose each other! united as they are in their commitment to a "code of codes." Fundamentalists--and stringent atheists--unconsciously believe that the methods we use to understand the world are all versions of an underlying master code. This code of codes represents an ultimate truth! explaining everything. The moderately religious! with their inherent skepticism toward a master code! are best suited to protect science! politics! and other diverse strains of knowledge from fundamentalist attack and to promote a worldview based on the compatibility between religious faith and scientific method.

Product details

• Authors: William Egginton, William (Professor Egginton, Egginton William
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.07.2011
• EAN: 9780231148788
• ISBN: 978-0-231-14878-8
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 146 mm x 216 mm x 25 mm
• Series: Columbia University Press
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; RELIGION / Comparative Religion, RELIGION / Philosophy, RELIGION / Atheism, Religion & beliefs, Interfaith relations, Philosophy of religion, Social groups: religious groups and communities, Eclectic and esoteric religions and belief systems, Atheism; Fundamentalism; religion