28 Dec 2009

Reason, Faith and Revolution

I am not a believer but some of the best people fighting for socialism and ecology are! This is from a review of Terry Eagleton's new book challenging some critics of religion:

Eagleton, a confessed non-believer, who does not spare organised religion responsibility for its crimes in this book, nonetheless outlines at length what he believes would be a positive, emancipatory theology. This can be derived directly from the Gospels, which after all form an account of Jesus’ struggle against organised religion. Jesus appears in Eagleton’s account as almost a guerrilla fighter, contemptuous of the wealthy, the powerful and the hypocritical. Instead of acting as a respectable middle-class vicar, he challenges the authorities and preaches the overthrow of existing social relations. He consorts openly with the lowest elements of Palestinian society – lepers, money-lenders, prostitutes and the heretical sect of Samaritans. In contrast to many centuries of Christian puritanism, Jesus is so relaxed about sexual morality that he says virtually nothing about it.

More here

1 comment:

Jim Denham said...

derek: I - a member of the AWL - have previously asked you to debate or discuss your differences with me. following your sneering remarks about the AWL.

Once again, I offer you the opportunity to do so. But I suspect you're unwiling to do so. When you fail to do so I will draw my own conclusions.

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