<<The>> good and the good book revelation as a guide to life

'It is written ...,' says the believer in a sacred text, and proceeds to justify all manner of terrifying things. Or so runs a popular caricature of religious faith today. Religions that center around a revelation--around a 'good book,' like the Torah or Gospels or Quran, which is seen as God's word--are widely regarded as irrational and dangerous: as based on outdated science and conducive to illiberal, inhumane moral attitudes. __The Good and the Good Book__ defends revealed religion and shows how it can be reconciled with science and liberal morality. Samuel Fleischacker invites us to see revealed texts as aiming to teach neither scientific nor moral doctrines but a vision of what life is about overall. Purely naturalistic ways of thinking, he argues, cannot make much sense of our overall or ultimate good; revealed texts, by contrast, do precisely that. But these texts also need to be interpreted so as to accord with our independent understanding of morality. A delicate balance is required for this process of interpretation--between respecting the uncanny obscurity of our sacred texts and rendering them morally familiar. The book concludes with an account of how believers in one religion can respect believers in other religions, and secular people. 'It is written...,' says the believer in a sacred text, and proceeds to justify all manner of terrifying things. Or so runs a popular caricature of religious faith today. Religions that center around a revelation - around a 'good book,' like the Torah or Gospels or Quran, which is seen as God's word - are widely regarded as irrational and dangerous: as based on outdated science and conducive to illiberal, inhumane moral attitudes. The Good and the Good Book defends revealed religion and shows how it can be reconciled with science and liberal morality. Samuel Fleischacker invites us to see revealed texts as aiming to teach neither scientific nor moral doctrines but a vision of what life is about overall. Purely naturalistic ways of thinking, he argues, cannot make much sense of our overall or ultimate good; revealed texts, by contrast, do precisely that. But these texts also need to be interpreted in accordance with our independent understanding of morality. A delicate balance is required for this process of interpretation - between respecting the uncanny obscurity of our sacred texts and rendering them morally familiar. The book concludes with a chapter on how believers in one religion can respect believers in other religions, and secular people. -- from back cover Religions that center around a revelation—around a text, like the Torah or Gospels or Quran, which is seen as God’s word—are today widely regarded as irrational and dangerous: as based on outdated or junk science and conducive to illiberal, inhumane moral attitudes. Yet it is this kind of religion that most believers care about. This book is an attempt to defend revealed religion and show how it can be reconciled with science and liberal morality. Revealed texts are presented as aiming to teach neither scientific nor moral doctrines—which must instead be independent of religion—but a vision of what life is about overall. Purely naturalistic ways of thinking, it is argued, cannot make much sense of our overall or ultimate good; revealed texts, by contrast, do precisely that. But these texts also need to be interpreted so as to accord with our independent understanding of morality. The delicate balance required for this process of interpretation, between respecting the text’s uncanny obscurity and rendering it morally familiar, is discussed at some length, and the book concludes with an account of how believers in one religion can be pluralists: can respect the ways of life of believers in other religions, and of secular people Religions That Centre Around A Revelation - Or A 'good Book', Which Is Seen As God's Word - Are Widely Regarded As Irrational And Dangerous, Based On Outdated Science And Conducive To Illiberal, Inhumane Moral Attitudes. Samuel Fleischacker Offers A Powerful Defence Of Revealed Religion, And Reconciles It With Science And Liberal Morality. Cover 1 The Good and the Good Book: Revelation as a Guide to Life 4 Copyright 5 Acknowledgments 6 Table of Contents 8 Introduction 10 1: Truth 15 2: Ethics 35 3: Our Overall Good 54 4: Revelation 75 5: Ethical Faith 92 6: Receiving Revelation 102 7: Diversity and Respect 127 Conclusion 144 Notes 148 Bibliography 164 Index 168