House of faith or enchanted forest? : American popular belief in an age of reason / Charles W. Hedrick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hedrick, Charles W., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Religion.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 98 pages)

Place of Publication:

Eugene, Oregon : Cascade Books, [2008]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Since the Renaissance of the 14th through 17th centuries, and particularly since the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the ancient creeds of faith have been under serious fire, and the struggle has not gone well for popular religion in America. The rapid advances made by the physical sciences in the 19th and 20th centuries and the corresponding reliance on scientific accomplishments in American life have been matched by the growing influence of reason in the way Americans think about religion. Except for pockets of resistance, these developments have negatively influenced the practical role of traditional religion in American life. These essays-published over a twenty-year period as newspaper editorials addressed to the general public-confront popular beliefs and morals with the challenge of human reason. At issue in this meeting of faith and reason is nothing less than the nature of religion in the twenty-first century. Will faith embrace reason to create a House where both dwell in harmony or will faith ignore the claims of reason and continue to live in an Enchanted Forest? Each essay, written in the practical language of the streets, attempts to dialogue with the general reader and gently provoke critical thinking on sensitive issues of belief.

Contents:

God in the American streets

The Bible in American culture

Religion, self, and life in America

Does absolute truth exist?

Superstition, magic, and modern faith

Death and dying

Holy days and religious feasts

Postscript: Reason and faith.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781630874315

1630874310