Religion in Late Modernity , livre ebook

307

pages

English

Ebooks

2012

Écrit par
Robert Cummings Neville

Publié par
State University of New York Press

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307

pages

English

Ebook

2012

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Publié par

State University of New York Press

Date de parution

01 février 2012

Nombre de lectures

EAN13

9780791488256

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

6 Mo

Religion in Late Modernity runs against the grain of common suppositions of contemporary theology and philosophy of religion. Against the common supposition that basic religious terms have no real reference but are mere functions of human need, the book presents a pragmatic theory of religious symbolism in terms of which the cognitive engagement of the Ultimate is of a piece with the cognitive engagement of nature and persons. Throughout this discussion, Neville develops a late-modern conception of God that is defensible in a global theological public.

Against the common supposition that religion is on the retreat in late modernity except in fundamentalist forms, the author argues that religion in our time is a stimulus to religiously oriented scholarship, a civilizing force among world societies, a foundation for obligation in politics, a source for healthy social experimentation, and the most important mover of soul.

Against the common supposition that religious thinking or theology is confessional and inevitably biased in favor of the thinker's community, Neville argues for the public character of theology, the need for history and phenomenology of religion in philosophy of religion, and the possibility of objectivity through the contextualization of philosophy, contrary to the fashionable claims of neo-pragmatism. This vigorous analysis and program for religious thinking is straightforwardly pro-late-modern and anti-postmodern, a rousing gallop along the high road around modernism.

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Publié par

State University of New York Press

Date de parution

01 février 2012

Nombre de lectures

EAN13

9780791488256

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

6 Mo

Lycée Philosophie Philosophie Philosophie de la religion Religion Christianisme Theology Philosophy of religion Christianity

Religion in Late Modernity

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Religion in Late Modernity

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Religion in Late Modernity

Robert Cummings Neville

S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S

Published by

State University of New York Press, Albany

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, eletrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photo-copying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press,

90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Neville, Robert C. Religion in late modernity / Robert Cummings Neville. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0–7914–5423–1 (alk. paper)—isbn0–7914–5424–x(pbk.:alk. paper) 1. Religion—Philosophy. 2. Philosophical theology. I. Title. bl51 .n442 2001 200'.9'051—dc21 2001049422

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my brother James Harvey Neville 1945–1999

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Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

P A R T O N E LateModern Topics

The Contingencies of Nature Nature Deﬁned 9 Cosmological Contingency: Determinateness and Time’s Flow 13 Ontological Contingency: Creation and Eternity 19 Symbols of Ontological Asymmetry 24

Human Nature Deﬁning Human Nature 29 To Be under Obligation 31 The Human Condition 36 Orientation and Poise 39

Religious Symbols Symbolic Meaning and Religion 45 The Reference of Religious Symbols 52 The Interpretation of Religious Symbols 57 The Truth of Religious Symbols 61

The Symbols of Divine Action The Concept of God 67 What Can We Know about God? 72 When Can We Say God Is a Personal Agent? 77 When Should We Not Say God Is a Personal Agent? 84

viii

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Contents

Eternity and the Transformation of Soul Eternity as a Contemporary Problem 88 Plotinus and Eternity 91 The Transformation of Soul to Engage Eternity 95 The Engagement of Eternity 97 Eternity Engaged through the Temporal 100 Eternity in Time: Real and Illusory 102 Eternity and Immortality 105

P A R T T W O LateModern Religion

Religion and Scholarship Recent History of the Study of Religions 110 Participation and Distance in a Typology of the Study of Religions 115 Models of Spirituality among Historically Conscious Scholars 126

Religion and Society World Society, World Culture, World Community 132 The Causal Effectiveness of Religions 138 Global Modernization and Religious Traditions 144 Maitreyan Strategies 150

Religion and Politics: Spheres of Tolerance Religious Wars and the Alleged Privacy of Religion 158 Obligation and Civil Religion 162 Ultimacy and Religions’ Essential Features 164 Political Tolerance of Religions 166 Religion and Public Theology 169

Religion and the American Experiment The American Religious Scene 172 The Experiment: An Hypothesis 176 What Makes Religions Religious 179

Chapter 10. Religion and Vital Engagement Engagement and Competence 184 Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Oversoul 188

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