Suspicion And Faith

Are there legitimate uses for atheists' critiques of religion? Westphal says yes, if we take a closer look not at the atheists' arguments against the existence of God, but at their observations about the sometimes disreputable functions of religious practice and belief, as demonstrated in the "atheism of suspicion, " put forth by Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche.

"An illuminating and powerful reading of three of the most important contemporary professedly antireligious thinkers... stinging critiques of Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche."-C. Stephen Evans, Society of Christian Philosophers

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Can someone use three well-known proponents of atheism as a tool to help religion examine itself and its motives? Westphal's answer is a resounding yes. Examining the critiques of religion offered by Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche, Westphal shows how much of their suspicion centers on legitimate judgments against some of the things that religion has engendered--power, greed, and self-interest, for instance. Westphal points out that these same judgments were made by God and Jesus in the Bible, in an effort to get their followers to find and embrace an authentic faith. This book is designed for audiences in religious contexts, whether church, academia, or seminary. When read in conjunction with other works in theology or philosophy, it should prove a lively stimulus for discussion.

Merold Westphal is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University and author of Suspicion and Faith: The Religious Uses of Modern Atheism.