On Religion

Description

In a thoroughly updated second edition of his popular and engaging book, John D. Caputo revisits Augustine's ancient question "what do I love when I love my God?" and presses it into service in the post-modern world. Accessible but without compromising the big ideas, he raises the question of what religion means today in the face of widespread religious violence after 9/11, of spreading secularization, the dazzling discoveries of contemporary cosmology, and the eerie advent of the "post-human" world. All along sculpting the idea of a post-modern, post-secular "religion without religion," which turns on the "mystical element" of our lives, he wonders what the future of traditional religion will be, or whether it even has one. On Religion will fascinate anyone interested in the challenges religion faces in the contemporary world. It offers an ideal starting point from which undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers, and lecturers can explore religion and philosophy today. On Religion- Front Cover On Religion Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Preface to the second edition contents Chapter One: The love of God Religion is for lovers The impossible The secret What do I love when I love my God? Chapter Two: How the secular world became post-secular Two The sacral age Secularization Our prophets: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche Desecularization: the death of the death of God Chapter Three: Putting religion in its place What is what? Why the why? The mystical element in life The place of religion Chapter Four: Can there be a religion with religion? Never say “only” a symbol A God before whom we can sing and dance Chapter Five: Why is religion so violent? Impossible people Religious violence Ban the Bible Ban the unconditional Why was Jesus killed? The hermeneutics of love Chapter Six: Cosmic grace: world without why, Amen God is dead—or maybe not so fast Cosmo-theology Panentheism—or the divine milieu Not your great-grandfather’s Newtonianism The post-humans Becoming divine: the electronic tree of life Cosmic grace: world without why, Amen Chapter Seven: On religion—without religion Religious truth/true religion The tragic sense of life The faith of a post-modern Axioms of a religion without religion Adieu Index