Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious, Chapter 3

For many years, Ross Douthat has written columns as both a committed Catholic and a conservative in the New York Times. He is an astute observer of culture who manages to write with great depth without being condescending or “hackish.” This book on the reasonablenes of religious belief comes at a time when there is a fresh interest in religious belief in parts of society that were, up until recently, dismissive of the role of religion in modern life.

Douthat has a modest goal with this book. For readers who may have begun to question the relevance of religion to consider taking the first steps toward religious belief but not merely because religious belief is “psychologically helpful.”

Instead, he claims that unbelievers should consider religious belief because it has a real “intellectual advantage.” Religious belief, in other words, is the best explanation of reality. It is nonbelief, not religious belief, that requires us to deny what our reason tells us.

Join us as we continue our new book study, reading and discussing chapter three. Valerie Mitchell will facilitate.

All are welcome.