A magisterial book.
An analysis of secularism from Canadian philosopher Taylor (Modern Social Imaginaries, 2004, etc.), winner of the 2007 Templeton Prize.
If the author had accomplished nothing more than a survey of the voluminous body of “secularization theory,” he would have done something valuable. But, although Taylor clearly articulates his disdain for the view that modernity ineluctably led to the death of God, he goes far beyond a literature review. Insofar as belief in God is a choice, he argues, the West is now a profoundly secular society, and even the most devout in America partake of secularity. How did the West change from a society in which “it was virtually impossible not to believe in God” to one in which belief is optional? What Taylor is after in asking that question is the conditions for belief: Today, one’s “construal shows up as such”—that is, 600 years ago, people wouldn’t have reflected much on or even noticed the fact that they believed in God, but now everyone’s beliefs and non-beliefs are chosen, and they are thus both noticeable and noticed. In tracing the rise of secularism, Taylor ranges through the Reformation, the development of perspective in painting and, more recently, the creation of a youth market and post–World War II America’s obsession with authenticity. Our current society is “schizophrenic,” he concludes. We live in an “ideologically fragmented” world in which both belief and non-belief are under pressure to harness their moral sources to nurture human well-being and to reject violence. In addition to its conceptual value, this study is notable for its lucidity. Taylor has translated complex philosophical theories into language that any educated reader will be able to follow, yet he has not sacrificed an iota of sophistication or nuance.
A magisterial book.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-674-02676-6
Page Count: 896
Publisher: Belknap/Harvard Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007
Rabbi Gordis (Univ. of Judaism) leads us through the main areas of Jewish life, rebutting the charge that Judaism does not offer a spiritual path and suggesting answers to the question, Why be Jewish? Suburban Jewish life, with its emphasis on social action and a sanitized religious experience, has left many Jews unsure of Judaism's relevance, states Gordis. Writing for these Jews, Gordis moves beyond appeals to obligation or nostalgia and opens up a vision of Judaism as intellectually and spiritually compelling. He defines spirituality as the quest to feel God's presence and portrays Judaism in terms of a spiritual odyssey, exemplified by the patriarch Jacob, who struggled with God in the course of a journey. Gordis does not invoke any one denomination but simply encourages his readers to discover the tradition for themselves. He begins with the sacred texts and commentaries, ``the admission tickets to Jewish spiritual life,'' and recommends that, instead of submitting blindly, one grapple with them and so enter into a passionate and enduring dialogue with God and one's fellow Jews. Next he shows how the traditional rituals can give a sense of wonder and connectedness, with the power to transform us and show us a better world toward which we can work. Gordis sees daily observance of the many Jewish commandments (mitzvot), such as the dietary laws, as primarily a spiritual discipline and a healthy corrective to the self-absorption of our society. As for prayer, he sagely warns that this is a matter of personal struggle and growth, rather than comfort, and explores the dialectic between fixed formulas and personal feelings. Doubt and discussion, Gordis emphasizes, are grist to the mill of Jewish religious growth. There is an excellent glossary and suggestions for further reading. An accessible, attractive guide for the returning Jew.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-684-80390-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1995
An internationally renowned scholar shows that the Spanish Inquisition was originally the result of a long build-up of anti- Semitic racism for which the defense of Catholic orthodoxy was only a pretext. Within a few years of the 1391 pogroms in Spain, notes Netanyahu (The Marranos of Spain, not reviewed), conversions to Christianity reduced the country's Jewish community, the largest in the world, by nearly one third. Descendants of these converts, known as ``conversos'' (and pejoratively as Marranos, ``swine''), became a powerful elite; but following accusations that they were ``Judaizing,'' i.e., secretly observing Jewish rituals, the Inquisition was set up in 1480 to inquire into their Christian orthodoxy. Netanyahu confesses how his assumption that the conversos were Jewish martyrs was shattered when his reading revealed that they were bona fide Christians, bent on assimilation, who were regarded by other Jews as renegades and hated by their fellow Christians on account of their economic and political ascendancy. Beginning with an incisive overview of anti-Semitism in the pre-Christian world and in Christian Spain, Netanyahu shows how the Jews, as a defenseless alien minority, aligned themselves with the ruler and earned the hostility of the majority; and thus how, throughout the 15th century, the conversos were caught in a struggle between the king, their protector, and the rising power of the cities. We hear of the brilliant but unstable fortunes of the conversos under Juan II's chief minister, Alvaro de Luna, and how the ideologue Marcos Garc°a de Mora of Toledo developed a racial theory that was at odds with Church teaching and aimed at stopping the conversions. Netanyahu carefully analyzes the writings of conversos, such as Cardinal Juan de Torquemada (uncle of the notorious Inquisitor General), of their foes, and of allies, such as Alonso de Oropesa, General of the Hieronymite Order. Throughout, Netanyahu handles his vast material with confidence and sensitivity, not least when dealing with Church teaching. A vivid, magisterial resource for students of Spanish history and Jewish-Christian relations.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-679-41065-1
Page Count: 1392
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1995
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