The Religious Case Against Belief

In The Religious Case Against Belief, James Carseidentifies the twenty-first century’s most forbidding villain:belief. In distinguishing religions from belief systems, Carseworks to reveal how belief—with its restriction on thoughtand encouragement of hostility—has corrupted religion andspawned violence the world over. Galileo, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, andJesus Christ—using their stories Carse creates his own brand ofparable and establishes a new vocabulary with which to studyconflict in the modern world. The Religious Case Against Beliefintroduces three kinds of ignorance: ordinary ignorance (amundane lack of knowledge, such as ignorance of tomorrow’sweather or the reason why your stove is malfunctioning), willfulignorance (an intentional avoidance of accessible knowledge),and finally higher ignorance (a learned understanding that nomatter how many truths we may accumulate, our knowledgefalls infinitely short of the truth). While ordinary ignorance is common to all people,Carse associates the strongest manifestation of willful ignorancewith the most fervent (and dangerous) of believers. Hepoints to the historic conflict between Martin Luther and HolyRoman Emperor Charles V both to reveal this seemingly religiouscollision as a clash of belief and to identify belief ’s inherentlydestructive characteristics. From Luther to the contemporaryChristian right, we learn that believers construct identityby erecting boundaries and by fostering aggression between thebeliever and the other. This is why belief systems choose—atgreat cost—to remain locked in bloody conflict rather than toengage in dialogue, recognizing the great deal they have in common. This is willful ignorance. In fierce contrast to willful ignorance, higher ignoranceis an acquired state enhanced by religion. Those travelingthe path to higher ignorance recognize faith teachings (suchas the Bible) as poetry intended to promote contemplation,interpretation, and a sense of wonder. For evidence of religion’sdeeply embedded rejection of singular truth and its acceptanceof diverse dialogue, Carse looks to the many faces of Jesus presentedin the books of the Bible and elsewhere. Uncontaminatedby belief systems, religion rejects the imagined boundaries thatfalsely divide people and ideas, working to expand horizons. The Religious Case Against Belief exposes a world inwhich religion and belief have become erroneously (and terrifyingly)conflated. In strengthening their association with powerfulbelief systems, religions have departed from their essentialpurpose as agencies of higher ignorance. Carse uses his widerangingunderstanding of religion to find a viable and vitalpath away from what he calls the Age of Faith II and towardopen-ended global dialogue. Far from abstract philosophicalmusing, The Religious Case Against Belief is required reading forour age.