The Religious Case Against Belief

The Religious Case Against Belief

An insightful explanation for why belief—not religion—keeps us in a perilous state of willful ignorance. Through careful, creative analysis, James P. Carse’s The Religious Case Against Belief reveals a surprising truth: what is currently criticized as religion is, in fact, the territory of belief. Looking to both historical and contemporary crises, Carse distinguishes religion from belief systems and pinpoints how the closed-mindedness and hostility of belief has corrupted religion and spawned violence the world over. Drawing on the lessons of Galileo, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus Christ, Carse creates his own brand of parable and establishes a new vocabulary with which to study conflict in the modern world. Carse uses his wide-ranging understanding of religion to find a viable and vital path away from what he calls the Age of Faith II and toward open-ended global dialogue.

About the author(s)
James Carse is Professor Emeritus of Religion at New York University where for thirty years he directed the Religious Studies Program. His previous books include The Silence of God, Finite and Infinite Games, and Breakfast at the Victory. He divides his time between New York City and Massachusetts.