Religion for Reluctant Believers

This is a volume written for persons who live in the mental world of modernity--that is, in a world that cherishes (1) freedom as the core of being human; (2) critical-thinking reason as the arbiter of what to affirm or not; (3) history, process, and dynamism at the heart of human life and society; and (4) dialogue with those who think differently yet who sense that there is somehow more to life, to reality, than meets the eye: that there is a depth or spiritual dimension not captured in our everyday experiences, which is customarily called religion. Religion for Reluctant Believers explores the meaning of life: its joys, problems, and terrors, its pluses and minuses. In short, it asks the question, do you want to buy into Religion with a capital r, into a particular religion, or into no religion at all? ""In a world where we now have terms such as 'nones' and 'dual belongings, ' where surveys have shown a seemingly paradoxical decrease in congregation numbers, but a rise in spirituality, Professor Swidler brings his years of experience and scholarship in religion studies to enlighten us. This book ought to be essential reading for both the religion scholar and the interested layperson."" --Khaleel Mohammed, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, San Diego State University Leonard J. Swidler is Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University. His numerous publications include The Study of Religion in an Age of Global Dialogue (with Paul Mojzes, 2000), Confucianism in Dialogue Today (coeditor, 2004), Jesus Was a Feminist (2007), Trialogue (coauthor, 2007), and Dialogue for Interreligious Study (2014).