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...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Verlag Text & Dialog
[2014]
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In: |
Journal für Religionsphilosophie
Year: 2014, Volume: 3, Pages: 26-37 |
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. |
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ISSN: | 2194-2420 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal für Religionsphilosophie
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