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The Case for Religion
A brilliant and accessible rebuttal of The God Delusion from one of Christianity's most incisive thinkers
In this, his first new book since the best-selling A Guide for the Perplexed (Oneworld, 2002), Keith Ward turns his attention to the role - and the validity of religion over the centuries and in the world today. His erudite yet informative and factual narrative outlines the various attempts that have been made throughout history to explain religion, including the anthropological, psychological, sociological and philosophical theories of key thinkers from Immanuel Kant to Sigmund Freud. Adopting a comparative approach, the book covers all the religious traditions from West and East alike, concluding in a compelling manner that not only are the world faiths much more than a series of theoretical perspectives, but that, in the face of discord and violence, religious understanding retains more resonance than ever before within our global community.
In this, his first new book since the best-selling A Guide for the Perplexed (Oneworld, 2002), Keith Ward turns his attention to the role - and the validity of religion over the centuries and in the world today. His erudite yet informative and factual narrative outlines the various attempts that have been made throughout history to explain religion, including the anthropological, psychological, sociological and philosophical theories of key thinkers from Immanuel Kant to Sigmund Freud. Adopting a comparative approach, the book covers all the religious traditions from West and East alike, concluding in a compelling manner that not only are the world faiths much more than a series of theoretical perspectives, but that, in the face of discord and violence, religious understanding retains more resonance than ever before within our global community.
272 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2007
About the author
Keith Ward
159 books52 followersKeith Ward was formerly the Regius Professor of Divinity and Head of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford. A priest of the Church of England and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, he holds Doctor of Divinity degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He has lectured at the universities of Glasgow, St. Andrew's and Cambridge.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 18, 2015
"It shows just why and how religions differ they are not in chaotic conflict but they explore the logical possible set of answers to basic human questions of spiritual meaning"
Keith Ward - the case for religion
( somebody give him a newspaper please.)
Misnamed, more a walk through religious history with some comments on the side, some quite good. Some good criticism of the so called new atheists, yet too much cheery picking in favor of religions. Overstates the good that can be attributed to religion while underplaying the bad stuff.
" The stage set for ... God given rights" p153 ... seriously? Assertion, citation required.
"...explains why we should tolerate and respect views other than our own" p230 bold assertion, um, no, it depends on what those views are, if the views are such that one should murder those who have other views then we should not only not respect them but actively discourage those particular religious views ( same would go for non religious ideologies of course).
If he means religion in the sense of people being "bound" together to help others etc then yay. A case for religion? ... this isnt.
Keith Ward - the case for religion
( somebody give him a newspaper please.)
Misnamed, more a walk through religious history with some comments on the side, some quite good. Some good criticism of the so called new atheists, yet too much cheery picking in favor of religions. Overstates the good that can be attributed to religion while underplaying the bad stuff.
" The stage set for ... God given rights" p153 ... seriously? Assertion, citation required.
"...explains why we should tolerate and respect views other than our own" p230 bold assertion, um, no, it depends on what those views are, if the views are such that one should murder those who have other views then we should not only not respect them but actively discourage those particular religious views ( same would go for non religious ideologies of course).
If he means religion in the sense of people being "bound" together to help others etc then yay. A case for religion? ... this isnt.
Want to Read
September 26, 2011Ward seeks to dismantle the case against religion presented by prominent scientists, sociologists, and psychologists. He traces the development of religion from the ice age to the information age, clarifying what it is, how religions develop, and how and why they differ. He argues that, while religion is one of the few ways to solve modern problems, it requires a new vision more inclusive of
different world faiths.
different world faiths.
January 17, 2024
Great book on the histroy of religon and how it evolved. A must read for those in religion
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews