9 - Agnostic Religion?

Summary

You might think it an unfortunate thing that the idea of triple transcendence should receive a new lease on life just when we’re forced, by the same circumstances that provide it, to be agnostic about whether the idea is true. Even if the idea of transcendence gets a new lease on life, religion itself – and here we’re back to talking about robust, transcendence-friendly religion – apparently doesn’t. But notice what you’re assuming. You’re assuming that religion in an age of immaturity should have the same basic attitudes it’s always had. And that seems highly questionable. Sure, religion as we’ve seen it so far is full of detailed conviction and passionate belief. It’s tempting to suppose that this is how things have to be in the religious domain. Call this view believerism. But if there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s not to take religion as we’ve seen it so far to be representative of religion, period.