The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs: Fundamentalism and the Fear of Truth
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.55 (639 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0199964459 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 294 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-09-24 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The question of why otherwise thoughtful people accept irrational religious fundamentalism is a difficult one to address in our age of oversensitivity about challenging deeply held religious beliefs. "This is a long-overdue book about a pressing subject by a brilliant writer qualified not only by his professional expertise but by his own life experiences. Schimmel's sensitivity to the individual fundamentalist's socialization process and to the storied loss of faith that profoundly shapes ex-fundamentalists makes the book a highly original contribution to interdisciplinary fundamentalism studies. Scripture scholars, comparativists, and Christian readers unacquainted with yeshiva-based Jewish intellectual life will profit from this provocative work." --Theo
"Review of The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs" according to Philip Fishman. In recent years a number of popular books have been written on the anti-scientific foundations of fundamentalist religious belief. What distinguishes this book from many of the others is that its author, a professor at Hebrew College in Boston, is a recognized Judaic scholar thoroughly versed in classical rabbinic texts such as the Talmud and was into early adulthood, a devotee of one such belief system, that of a doctrinaire version of Orthodox Judaism. His well argued critique of the foundational tenets of fundamentalist religion are written from the perspective of an insider who . Interesting Ideas, a bit too much rambling Coach K I should begin by saying that this book has a somewhat limited audience. As the book focuses primarily on the Orthodox Jewish movement, it is those in it who can relate most to what is being written. But of course, adherents to the movement's beliefs are not likely to be reading such heresy. Thus, the audience that will enjoy it most are likely to be Orthodox Jews who have either lost their faith or headed in that direction (faith here is not synonymous with observance).As such, I enjoyed the book and could relate to much of what was written. I myself have always wondered how it is . A book sure to take you out of your comfort zone Jeremy Brown Sol Schimmel has written a book that is an important read for any thinking member of the three Abrahamic faiths, although Jews, Muslims and Christians will find much that makes them uncomfortable - or should do so. Schimmel's language is very strong at times ("[o]nce again we see that very smart people can believe very stupid things"), and he acknowledges that the book has "offended and will offend many people" but perhaps the kind of questions that are really worth asking are precisely the ones that make us most uncomfortable.Biblical Criticism has left us - even those of us who ar
Professor of Education and Psychology, Hebrew College
He analyzes in depth the psychological and social reasons why people acquire, maintain, and protect unreasonable religious beliefs, and how they do so. He also examines the motives, fears, and anxieties of scriptural fundamentalists that induce them to cling so tenaciously to their unreasonable beliefs.Schimmel begins with reflections on his own journey from commitment to Orthodox Judaism, through doubts about its theological dogmas and doctrines, to eventual denial of their truth. He concludes with a discussion of why, when, and where it is appropriate to critique, challenge, and combat scriptural fundamentalists. Schimmel examines the ways in which otherwise intelligent and educated Jews, Christians, and Muslims defend their belief in the divine authorship of the Bible or of the Koran, and other religious beliefs derived from those claims, against overwhelming evidence and argument to the contrary from science, scholarship, common sense, and rational analysis. Schimmel also discusses unethical and immoral consequences of scriptural fundamentalism, such as gender inequality, homophobia, lack of intellectual honesty, self-righteousness, intolerance, propagation of falsehood, and in some instances, the advocacy of violence and terrorism. The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs is thoughtful and provocative, written to encourage self-reflection and self-criticism, and to stimulate and to enlighten all who are interested in the psychology of