A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-03-13 09:19:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zena Hitz
- ISBN：1108995012
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
What is happiness？ Does life have a meaning？ If so， is that meaning available in an ordinary life？ The philosopher Zena Hitz confronted these questions head-on when she spent several years living in a Christian religious community。 Religious life -- the communal life chosen by monks， nuns， friars， and hermits -- has been a part of global Christianity since earliest times， but many of us struggle to understand what could drive a person to renounce wealth， sex， children， and ambition to live a life of prayer and sacrifice。 Hitz's lively and accessible book explores questions about faith， sacrifice， asceticism and happiness through philosophy， stories， and examples from religious life。 Drawing on personal experience as well as film， literature， history， biography， and theology， it demystifies an important element of contemporary culture， and provides a picture of human flourishing and happiness which challenges and enriches modern-day life。
Reviews
Thomas Zwilling
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A little short for five stars， but I really enjoyed it。 There were a few things here and there I didn't agree with， and some topics I wish had gotten more attention， like how people not taking vows can live the religious life or what happens when religious life goes wrong （at the beginning of the book she says that she's focusing on the ideal case in order to understand it， but it goes wrong often enough that I think it warrants some discussion）。 It's a bit paradoxical， as well， to have a book t A little short for five stars， but I really enjoyed it。 There were a few things here and there I didn't agree with， and some topics I wish had gotten more attention， like how people not taking vows can live the religious life or what happens when religious life goes wrong （at the beginning of the book she says that she's focusing on the ideal case in order to understand it， but it goes wrong often enough that I think it warrants some discussion）。 It's a bit paradoxical， as well， to have a book that looks almost entirely favorably at the religious life written by someone who tried living in a religious community and left before taking final vows that includes several anecdotes from her time as a novice but with minimal discussion of why she ultimately didn't commit to it。 I understand not wanting to make it about herself， but if you can include stories to illustrate life in a community and the ways they focus members' passions and attention on their mission， then I think exploring the other kinds of experiences people have of religious life （both lifelong and transient） is also worthwhile。Ultimately， these gripes are fairly minor， and I think the book succeeds at its goal of deepening its readers' understanding of religious life， whether they are religious or not， attracted to it or not， knowledgeable or not。 。。。more
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions， but "A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life" by Donald A。 Crosby is a book that offers a critical examination of religious belief and practice from a philosophical perspective。 In this book， Crosby explores the meaning and significance of religious experience， the nature of faith， the problem of evil， and the challenges of religious pluralism。 He argues that religion must be evaluated in terms of its ability to foster ethical and spiritual growth， rather than as a set of dogmatic beliefs to be accepted on faith。 The book offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at the religious life， and is of interest to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the relationship between philosophy and religion。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or beliefs， but I can provide a brief summary of the book you mentioned。 "A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life" is a book written by Charles Hartshorne， a leading American philosopher。 The book offers a constructive critique of the religious life from the perspective of philosophy。 Hartshorne argues that religious faith is not a matter of accepting dogmas or supernatural beliefs， but rather a profound human experience that can be explored and understood with philosophical tools。 The book aims to promote an open and rational engagement between philosophy and religion， inviting readers to reflect on the nature of existence， the meaning of life， and the relation between the human and the divine。
tpg2
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As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions， but I can provide some information about the book "A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life" by Mortimer J。 Adler。 Mortimer J。 Adler was a well-known philosopher and educator known for his work in Aristotelian philosophy and his advocacy for the Great Books education program。 In this book， he explores the role that religion plays in human life and offers his insights on the nature of religious belief and its relation to reason， morality， and human happiness。 Adler begins by examining religion's claims to truth and exploring the different ways in which religious belief can be understood。 He then looks at how religious ideas have influenced morality and discusses the challenges that arise when trying to reconcile religious beliefs with reason and scientific knowledge。 Overall， "A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life" is a thought-provoking work that offers a philosophical perspective on the important role that religion can play in human life。
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a philosopher looks at the religious life