Self-Deceptive Religion and the Prophetic Voice
Drawing on the sermons of the eighteenth century Anglican Bishop and moral philosopher Joseph Butler, this essay considers the way self-deception affects the religious perceptions of individuals and groups. Butler's sermons suggest that self-deception and hypocrisy are pervasive, especially in...
| Published in: | Journal für Religionsphilosophie |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Verlag Text & Dialog
[2014]
|
| In: |
Journal für Religionsphilosophie
|
| Summary: | Drawing on the sermons of the eighteenth century Anglican Bishop and moral philosopher Joseph Butler, this essay considers the way self-deception affects the religious perceptions of individuals and groups. Butler's sermons suggest that self-deception and hypocrisy are pervasive, especially in the moral and religious evaluations of our conduct. I argue that Butler's emphasis on the human propensity to self-deceptive distortion of religion reflects its centrality to the prophetic tradition shared by Christianity and Judaism. Following Butler and the prophets, this essay argues that religious adherents need to maintain a skeptical eye not only toward their own religious self-evaluations, but also toward those of their leaders, taking special care to seek the prophetic, critical voices of outsiders. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2194-2420 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal für Religionsphilosophie
|