Anatheism

Returning to God After God

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Religious
Cover of the book Anatheism by Richard Kearney, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Kearney ISBN: 9780231519861
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: November 19, 2009
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Richard Kearney
ISBN: 9780231519861
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: November 19, 2009
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Has the passing of the old God paved the way for a new kind of religious project, a more responsible way to seek, sound, and love the things we call divine? Has the suspension of dogmatic certainties and presumptions opened a space in which we can encounter religious wonder anew? Situated at the split between theism and atheism, we now have the opportunity to respond in deeper, freer ways to things we cannot fathom or prove.

Distinguished philosopher Richard Kearney calls this condition ana-theos, or God after God-a moment of creative "not knowing" that signifies a break with former sureties and invites us to forge new meanings from the most ancient of wisdoms. Anatheism refers to an inaugural event that lies at the heart of every great religion, a wager between hospitality and hostility to the stranger, the other-the sense of something "more." By analyzing the roots of our own anatheistic moment, Kearney shows not only how a return to God is possible for those who seek it but also how a more liberating faith can be born.

Kearney begins by locating a turn toward sacred secularity in contemporary philosophy, focusing on Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Ricoeur. He then marks "epiphanies" in the modernist masterpieces of James Joyce, Marcel Proust, and Virginia Woolf. Kearney concludes with a discussion of the role of theism and atheism in conflict and peace, confronting the distinction between sacramental and sacrificial belief or the God who gives life and the God who takes it away. Accepting that we can never be sure about God, he argues, is the only way to rediscover a hidden holiness in life and to reclaim an everyday divinity.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Has the passing of the old God paved the way for a new kind of religious project, a more responsible way to seek, sound, and love the things we call divine? Has the suspension of dogmatic certainties and presumptions opened a space in which we can encounter religious wonder anew? Situated at the split between theism and atheism, we now have the opportunity to respond in deeper, freer ways to things we cannot fathom or prove.

Distinguished philosopher Richard Kearney calls this condition ana-theos, or God after God-a moment of creative "not knowing" that signifies a break with former sureties and invites us to forge new meanings from the most ancient of wisdoms. Anatheism refers to an inaugural event that lies at the heart of every great religion, a wager between hospitality and hostility to the stranger, the other-the sense of something "more." By analyzing the roots of our own anatheistic moment, Kearney shows not only how a return to God is possible for those who seek it but also how a more liberating faith can be born.

Kearney begins by locating a turn toward sacred secularity in contemporary philosophy, focusing on Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Ricoeur. He then marks "epiphanies" in the modernist masterpieces of James Joyce, Marcel Proust, and Virginia Woolf. Kearney concludes with a discussion of the role of theism and atheism in conflict and peace, confronting the distinction between sacramental and sacrificial belief or the God who gives life and the God who takes it away. Accepting that we can never be sure about God, he argues, is the only way to rediscover a hidden holiness in life and to reclaim an everyday divinity.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Varieties of Temporal Experience by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Masks of Conquest by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Ecological Economics for the Anthropocene by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Animals and Society by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Psychosocial Capacity Building in Response to Disasters by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Rescuing Retirement by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Friendship Reconsidered by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Race Unmasked by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Law and War by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Animals and the Moral Community by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Love and Revolution by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book The Designing for Growth Field Book by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book Envisioning The Tale of Genji by Richard Kearney
Cover of the book The Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945 by Richard Kearney
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy