Description
Houk cites that it is certainty--often part and parcel of religion--that harms our culture, and he makes his primary concern exposing the illusion that is religious certainty. He asserts that, if we ponder some of the worst episodes and aspects of human history—e.g., thousands burned at the state for the fictional crime of witchcraft; the extermination of whole cultures in the name of Christianity; suicide bombers, inter alia—it is obvious that it is doubt, not certainty, that should be celebrated and embraced. He begins his defense of doubt and, consequently, his argument against the illusion of certainty in part one with a discussion of the “faith-based epistemology.” In part two he deconstructs “exhibit A” for irrational, faith-based thinking, namely young earth creationism. In part three the sources of religious knowledge are critiqued. Finally, in part five, the best objective arguments for the existence of God made by brilliant thinkers throughout the centuries are examined. He also considers the problem of evil. He concludes with an exhortation: “It is time for Homo sapiens to reject the failed paradigms in the past.” Annotation ©2018 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Read More
In this examination of religion's influence on society, an anthropologist critiques fundamentalism and all mindsets based on rigid cultural certainties. The author argues that the future can only be safeguarded by a global humanistic outlook that recognizes and respects differing cultural perspectives and endorses the use of critical reason and empiricism. Houk coins the term "culturalism" to describe dogmatic viewpoints governed by culture-specific values and preconceived notions. Culturalism gives rise not only to fundamentalism in religion but also stereotypes about race, gender, and sexual orientation.Turning specifically to Christian fundamentalism, the author analyzes the many weaknesses of what he calls a faith-based epistemology, particularly as such thinking is displayed in young-earth creationism, the reliance on revelation and subjective experiences as a source of religious knowledge, and the reverence accorded the Bible despite its obvious flaws. As he points out, the problem with such cultural knowledge generally is that it is non-falsifiable and ultimately has no lasting value in contrast to the data-based and falsifiable knowledge produced by science, which continues to prove its worth as a reliable source of accurate information.Concluding that there is no future to the fundamentalist mindset in a diverse world where religion often exacerbates conflicts, he makes a strong case for reason and mutual tolerance.
Read Less