Full Description
When reason fails to guide us in our everyday lives, we turn to faith, to religion; we close our minds; we reject austere reasoning. This rejection, which is a faith-based social and intellectual malignancy, has two unfortunate consequences: it blocks the way to knowledge that might enhance the quality of life and it opens the way to charlatans who exploit the faith of others. Examining two unquestionable malignancies of "the Christian Right" in present-day politics in the United States and the "secular religion" of Hitler's National Socialism, as well as the third, more complex case of Gandhi, the author asserts that we need religion, but we also need to make sure it does no harm.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: FAITH AND POLITICS
Chapter 1. Faith, Reason and Consequences
Three kinds of faith
Only believe!
Humanism
Oneness
A Point of View
Chapter 2. Religion and Persuasion in Politics
Religion and Political Involvement
The Problem of Order
What should go on and what does go on
Defining Situations
Information Costs: Political Clairvoyance
Creating Trust
Persuading Reality-testing
PART II ANTAGONISTIC RELIGIONS
Chapter 3. Desert, Marketplace, and Forum
The Religious Right (and Left) Hypocrisy
Render therefore unto Caesar
Modes of Clerical Involvement in Politics
Antagonism
Paraclerics: Repenting Religion as a Weapon: Mrs. Schiavo
The Religious Mode of Political Persuasion
Chapter 4. The Need for Enemies
Pol Pot and Secular Religion
"Ardent and Even Hysterical Passions"
Manufacturing Enemies
Group Sentiment and Violence
Hitler's Faith
Fascism and Christian Fascism
PART III: A RELIGION OF LOVE
Chapter 5. Gandhi: The Freedom Fight
The Freedom-Fight
Peacemaking Failures
Chapter 6. Gandhi's Charisma
Calculation Charisma: the Mass Audience
Charisma: Elite and Entourage
Single-Mindedness
Chapter 7. Gandhi's Religion and Political Reality
Gandhi and Hitler
Faith and Responsibility
Secular Disciplines in the Freedom Fight
Gandhian Morality and "Sectarian" religions
Gandhi's Universalism and Political Action
Chapter 8. The First Cause and the Last Word
Propagating the Faith
Walk Gently
Morality and Evolution
Oneness and its consequences: diseducation
Oneness and its consequences: strife ‾
Diseducation and Authority
Only Think!
References
Index
