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The Essence of Christianity by Robert M. Baird, Ludwig Feuerbach, George Eliot, Stuart E. Rosenbaum
ajmaese's review against another edition
The most fascinating thing I found here was how Feuerbach so often approaches the ideas of mystical theology (see citations of Jakob Bohme), but draws different conclusions from them, something like mystical theology from a humanist or naturalist perspective. Overly optimistic about humanity, at least for my taste, but fascinating.
His thoughts on the concept of the Suffering God are something of a prelude to later theologies of the cross emerging in the 20th century.
Later chapters on the contradiction between Faith and Love in relation to the sacraments are quite insightful, and unsettling to an 'orthodox' sentiment. I kept thinking of them in relation to Augustine's theology of the same. Quite the contrast.
Otherwise, the thesis is fairly simple: God is the projection of what lies latent in the universal nature of humankind, negatively manifested in religion. But this can be overcome in realizing that when we speak of God we are only speaking very loudly about ourselves in the collective sense (Feuerbach's ideas in my own words here). Feuerbach is pretty thorough with applying this to the whole of his project, which seems to include an interesting mix of elements from Hegel, Schleiermacher, Schelling, and a few important others that escape me at the moment. A must read for the student of modern theology.
His thoughts on the concept of the Suffering God are something of a prelude to later theologies of the cross emerging in the 20th century.
Later chapters on the contradiction between Faith and Love in relation to the sacraments are quite insightful, and unsettling to an 'orthodox' sentiment. I kept thinking of them in relation to Augustine's theology of the same. Quite the contrast.
Otherwise, the thesis is fairly simple: God is the projection of what lies latent in the universal nature of humankind, negatively manifested in religion. But this can be overcome in realizing that when we speak of God we are only speaking very loudly about ourselves in the collective sense (Feuerbach's ideas in my own words here). Feuerbach is pretty thorough with applying this to the whole of his project, which seems to include an interesting mix of elements from Hegel, Schleiermacher, Schelling, and a few important others that escape me at the moment. A must read for the student of modern theology.
alfonsoromero's review against another edition
4.0
Review coming. I'm playing minecraft right now, so I don't have time at the moment.
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2332364.html[return][return]Writing about a subject I am only vaguely interested in terms which I cannot be bothered to try and understand.
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