A Plausible God Secular Reflections on Liberal Jewish Theology

by Silver, Mitchell

• ISBN13: 9780823226818
• ISBN10: 0823226816
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-15
• Publisher: Fordham University Press

Summary

At least since the seventeenth century, the traditional God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has been under pressure to conform to the scientific worldview. Across the monotheistic traditions there has emerged a "liberal" conception of God compatible with a thoroughgoing naturalism. For many, this liberal "new" God is the only credible God. But is it a useful God? Does belief in so malleable a deity come from, or lead to, different political, moral, psychological, or aesthetic phenomena from atheism?A Plausible God evaluates the new God by analyzing the theology of three recent Jewish thinkers --Mordechai Kaplan, Michael Lerner, and Arthur Green--and compares faith in the new God to disbelief in any gods. Mitchell Silver reveals what is at stake in the choice between naturalistic liberal theology and a nontheistic naturalism without gods. Silver poses the question: "If it is to be either the new God or no God, what does--what should--determine the choice?" Although Jewish thinkers are used as the primary exemplars of new God theology, Silver explores developments in contemporary Christian thought, Eastern religious traditions, and "New Age" religion. A Plausible God constitutes a significant contribution to current discussions of the relationship between science and religion, as well as to discussions regarding the meaning of the idea of God itself in modern life."A wonderful piece of work. . . . Many wonderful passages, with very clear and original thoughts, excellently put."--Daniel C. Dennett, author of Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

Author Biography

Mitchell Silver teaches philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of Respecting the Wicked Child: A Philosophy of Secular Jewish Identity and Education.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Preface	xi
PART 1
The New God's Relevance	3	(11)
A First Pass at Defining ``God'': The All and the One	14	(7)
A Second Pass: God as the Potential for Goodness	21	(10)
The Uses of Belief in God	31	(9)
The Usefulness of a Plausible God	40	(18)
Someone to Watch Over Me	58	(14)
Talking to and About God	72	(21)
PART 2
Avoiding Idolatry	93	(9)
A Matter of Taste	102	(12)
Truth and Beauty	114	(9)
Appendix A: The Ineffable	123	(8)
Appendix B: The Untenable God	131	(10)
Appendix C: Theories of Truth and Credibility	141	(8)
Notes	149	(26)
References	175	(4)
Index	179