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zilfworks's review against another edition
3.0
The flip side to Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion," which I'm also reading and would give the same rating to. Both authors explain their own convictions well but probably won't change anyone else's mind.
krixano's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is not meant to be academically rigorous. The arguments are basic - they don't have to be complex because it's going against New Atheism's less-than-basic arguments (if you really cared about Atheist views, you would read plenty other much better philosophers than Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, like Nietzsche for example). I would hope anyone who's read Sam Harris would know how basic and presumptuous Harris' arguments are.
Because the book is geared towards a wider audience, it would be unfair to say anything about Wholpe's academic writing - because this book was not intended to be very academic.
Regardless, this book will challenge a common view that religion is always in conflict with reason/science. Rather, they both go hand-in-hand, and this view has a strong tradition within religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Another big part of the book is to show how religion creates less violence by holding people to a sort of moral standard that recognizes the flaws in human beings and drives them to be better. The biggest evidence of this is when secularism led to some of the biggest and most violent non-religious wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is obviously not to say that secularism is completely bad (especially when it leads to greater religious freedom) - but that it should not take away from an individual's religion.
The book also takes up some misconceptions about what religions really teach, particularly Christianity and Judaism, and showing how they have a primary emphasis on morality and being better. Religious extremism is also taken into account in the book, and in this way the book offers a nice balance of views.
Yes, most of the book is basic arguments, but that does not mean they are not essential, because a lot of people have fallen into the trap of New Atheism's strawman arguments, oversimplifications, and stereotyping of religions.
Because the book is geared towards a wider audience, it would be unfair to say anything about Wholpe's academic writing - because this book was not intended to be very academic.
Regardless, this book will challenge a common view that religion is always in conflict with reason/science. Rather, they both go hand-in-hand, and this view has a strong tradition within religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Another big part of the book is to show how religion creates less violence by holding people to a sort of moral standard that recognizes the flaws in human beings and drives them to be better. The biggest evidence of this is when secularism led to some of the biggest and most violent non-religious wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is obviously not to say that secularism is completely bad (especially when it leads to greater religious freedom) - but that it should not take away from an individual's religion.
The book also takes up some misconceptions about what religions really teach, particularly Christianity and Judaism, and showing how they have a primary emphasis on morality and being better. Religious extremism is also taken into account in the book, and in this way the book offers a nice balance of views.
Yes, most of the book is basic arguments, but that does not mean they are not essential, because a lot of people have fallen into the trap of New Atheism's strawman arguments, oversimplifications, and stereotyping of religions.
jeremychiasson's review against another edition
3.0
As an answer to writers like Harris and Hitchens and Dawkins [oh my!], "Why Faith Matters" seems a tad mild. Rabbi Wolpe seems to have decided to fight fire with yogurt. I think he recognizes that Faith doesn't win people over through intricate arguments, so much as through stories, metaphors, and life experience.
That's not to say he isn't a smart man, but he certainly doesn't compare to Hitchens in terms of intellectual rigor and literary verve. Coming in at under 200 pages, Wolpe is really only saying this: Life has meaning, you just have to let it have meaning. Faith and Religion can help with that, but you have to open your heart.
Still, this was a very pleasant read, with lots of theological jokes, and touching stories. I didn't object to most of his arguments, but they're such meek arguments, it seemed almost rude to object. Wolpe seems like a very sincere and wise man, but this book isn't going to convince any atheists, that's for sure.
Wolpe's not trying to piss people off, or start a war of belief, he just wants to represent and defend his beliefs against the tide of New Atheism. And even if his book isn't as exciting as one by Hitchens, I think I'd rather sit down and have a cup of coffee with Wolpe.
That's not to say he isn't a smart man, but he certainly doesn't compare to Hitchens in terms of intellectual rigor and literary verve. Coming in at under 200 pages, Wolpe is really only saying this: Life has meaning, you just have to let it have meaning. Faith and Religion can help with that, but you have to open your heart.
Still, this was a very pleasant read, with lots of theological jokes, and touching stories. I didn't object to most of his arguments, but they're such meek arguments, it seemed almost rude to object. Wolpe seems like a very sincere and wise man, but this book isn't going to convince any atheists, that's for sure.
Wolpe's not trying to piss people off, or start a war of belief, he just wants to represent and defend his beliefs against the tide of New Atheism. And even if his book isn't as exciting as one by Hitchens, I think I'd rather sit down and have a cup of coffee with Wolpe.
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