Atheism in Christianity: The Religion of the Exodus and the Kingdom

Atheism in Christianity: The Religion of the Exodus and the Kingdom
ISBN-10
1844673715
ISBN-13
9781844673711
Category
Religion / Atheism
Pages
257
Language
English
Published
2009
Publisher
Verso
Author
Ernst Bloch

Description

In the twenty-first century, religion has come under determined attack from secular progressives in documentaries, opinion pieces and international bestsellers. Combative atheists have denounced faiths of every stripe, resulting in a crude intellectual polarization in which religious convictions and heritage must be rejected or accepted wholesale.

In the long unavailable Atheism in Christianity, Ernst Bloch provides a way out from this either/or debate. He examines the origins of Christianity in an attempt to find its social roots, pursuing a detailed study of the Bible and its fascination for 'ordinary and unimportant' people. In the biblical promise of utopia and the scriptures' antagonism to authority, Bloch locates Christianity's appeal to the oppressed. Through a lyrical yet close and nuanced analysis, he explores the tensions within the Bible that promote atheism as a counter to the authoritarian metaphysical theism imposed by clerical exegesis. At the Bible's heart he finds a heretical core and the concealed message that, paradoxically, a good Christian must necessarily be a good atheist.

This new edition includes an introduction by Peter Thompson, the Director of the Centre for Enrst Bloch Studies at the University of Sheffield.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • Postsecularism: The Hidden Challenge to Extremism
    Postsecularism: The Hidden Challenge to Extremism
    By Mike King

    Spirituality in the post-9/11 world is a complex topic. The detente between secular culture and religious faith that characterised the 20th century, the 'mutual ignorance pact,' has been shattered. From...

  • Critiques of God: Making the Case Against Belief in God
    Critiques of God: Making the Case Against Belief in God
    By Peter Adam Angeles

    As the only collection of essays to present, in a comprehensive way, the case against belief in God, this classic volume rejects the niew that moral values and human purpose...

  • God: The Failed Hypothesis : how Science Shows that God Does Not Exist
    God: The Failed Hypothesis : how Science Shows that God Does Not Exist
    By Victor J. Stenger

    Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology, while science has sat on the sidelines. Despite the fact that science...

  • Why I Became an Atheist: Personal Reflections and Additional Arguments
    Why I Became an Atheist: Personal Reflections and Additional Arguments
    By John W. Loftus

    This book is a companion volume for my book, Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2008). It presents some personal reflections and...

  • Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist
    Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist
    By Dan Barker

    Losing Faith in Faith records Dan Barker's dramatic journey from devout soul-winner to one of America's most prominent freethinkers.Following his "calling" at age 15, Dan Barker worked as a missionary,...

  • The Mythmaker's Magic: Behind the Illusion of "creation Science"
    The Mythmaker's Magic: Behind the Illusion of "creation Science"
    By Delos Banning McKown

    This amusing, acerbic collection of essays examines every facet of the evolution/creationism controversy. Delos B. McKown exposes the ambiguous standing of "creation science" in public education, its roots in American...

  • The Impossibility of God
    The Impossibility of God
    By Michael Martin, Ricki Monnier

    Most people, believers and nonbelievers alike, are unfamiliar with the variety and force of arguments for the impossibility of God. Yet over recent years a growing number of scholars have...

  • The End of Biblical Studies
    The End of Biblical Studies
    By Hector Avalos

    In this radical critique of his own academic specialty, biblical scholar Hector Avalos calls for an end to biblical studies as we know them. He outlines two main arguments for...

  • Atheism: A Reader
    Atheism: A Reader
    By S. T. Joshi

    This unique anthology assembles the best writings on atheism, agnosticism, and skepticism by some of the world's great thinkers past and present. Arranged to address the most significant questions pertaining...

  • The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture
    The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture
    By Darrel W. Ray

    What makes religion so powerful? How does it weave its way into our political system? Why do people believe and follow obvious religious charlatans? What makes people profess deep faith...