God, Guilt, and Death: An Existential Phenomenology of Religion

by Merold Westphal

" . . . a profoundly stimulating and satisfying piece of philosophy. . . . It is a book from which one really can learn something worthwhile." ―Idealistic Studies

" . . . exceptionally well-written philosophy of religion . . . " ―Mentalities

" . . . a most impressive phenomenology of religion . . . a splendid achievement . . . " ―The Reformed Theological Review

" . . . challenging to scholars . . . interesting to general audiences." ―International Journal for Philosophy of Religion

" . . . equal in clarity of thought and comprehensiveness of scope. . . . profoundly original." ―The Reformed Journal

"Challenging and thought-provoking, this makes a fine . . . textbook in the philosophy of religion." ―Religious Studies Review

" . . . its virtues as a textbook in phenomenology or philosophy of religion are extraordinary." ―Faith and Philosophy

Examples from the writings of Kierkegaard, Freud, Heidegger, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, and Tolstoi illuminate Westphal's thesis that guilt and death are the central problems of human existence.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

306 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Neen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite its difficult task and, fittingly, difficult accessibility, I found it very comprehensive in explaining how death and guilt play a part in being religious. He proposes models through which we can better understand the ways of being religious that I find a lot clearer than anything I'd be able to conjure. As a religious person who struggles with the idea of punishment being what saves us from guilt, the last chapter was specially appreciated. I also like how he doesn't focus only on the Xtian ideal of guilt and death, but expands to include other perspectives.

I'd only point out it is not an easy read. A lot of the deeper/older philosophical references were complicated for me. Still, I learned a lot!

[Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot in here. The chapters are structured to make a large argument. The parts that interested me the most were about Rudolf Otto's mysterium tremendum et fascinans as related to one's sense of worth, guilt as a question of one's worthiness to be happy, Søren Kierkegaard's transformations of "resignation" and "suffering," Scheler’s account of resentment, and mimesis (imitation) in myth as a form of methexis (participation) in the cosmic drama and not merely a representation of it.

[Lunar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The material is incredibly challenging, to the point where one could mistake it for bordering on highfalutin. However at its core, these essays provide one of the most comprehensive explanations for religion one can find, and if nothing else, when read it will certainly inspire one to think deeply about the nature of one of humanities most important creations.

[Zayd Vestal · Rating 4 out of 5]

profound , stimulating , painful.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

so well-written (which for an academic book is rare). the only thing i wanted more of is exploration of lesser-known religious beliefs and rituals. feel they spent too much time on christianity which is already super well-known to me & to most of the western world.

*earlier in-progress updates* i was kind of put off by the title but this is, so far, an existential study of religious belief. so not the beliefs themselves, but the why of acolytes and how it manifests in their life (and views of death). it's one of those books where every few pages i have to stop and digest and thus is enlightening"

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The argument here is that grappling with guilt and death is something that humans do, either in secular or religious frameworks. Despite the highfalutin title, this book is for everyone, and it may help atheists to a deeper understanding of what they object to. Descriptions of various religious practices are offered and interpreted while remaining agnostic about whether those experiences have a genuine object (God or gods). Westphal is a beast.