Book description
From its gradual decline during the latter part of the twentieth
century, religion has been catapulted back into public consciousness,
not least by acts of violence, extremism and various forms of
fundamentalism. In this lively and provocative contribution to the
debate the leading British feminist theologian, Tina Beattie, argues
that the threat of religious fanaticism is mirrored by a no less
virulent and ignorant secular fanaticism which has taken hold of the
intellectual classes in Britain and America. Its High Priest is Richard
Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, but its disciples and acolytes
include well-known public figures such as philosophers Sam Harris,
Daniel Dennett and A C Grayling, journalists Christopher Hitchens and
Polly Toynbee, and novelists Martin Amis and Ian McEwan. Theologians
such as Alister McGrath and Keith Ward have defended the rationality of
Christian beliefs about God, but both sides neglect wider questions
about faith, science, power and justice in a postmodern world, which
impinge deeply on all our lives. The New Atheists calls for a more
wide-ranging and creative dialogue across religious and cultural
boundaries. It will intrigue every open-minded reader, believer or
non-believer. From its gradual decline during the latter part of the
twentieth century, religion has been catapulted back into public
consciousness, not least by acts of violence, extremism and various
forms of fundamentalism. In this lively and provocative contribution to
the debate the leading British feminist theologian, Tina Beattie, argues
that the threat of religious fanaticism is mirrored by a no less
virulent and ignorant secular fanaticism which has taken hold of the
intellectual classes in Britain and America. Its High Priest is Richard
Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, but its disciples and acolytes
include well-known public figures such as philosophers Sam Harris,
Daniel Dennett and A C Grayling, journalists Christopher Hitchens and
Polly Toynbee, and novelists Martin Amis and Ian McEwan. Theologians
such as Alister McGrath and Keith Ward have defended the rationality of
Christian beliefs about God, but both sides neglect wider questions
about faith, science, power and justice in a postmodern world, which
impinge deeply on all our lives. The New Atheists calls for a more
wide-ranging and creative dialogue across religious and cultural
boundaries. It will intrigue every open-minded reader, believer or
non-believer.
