I had a very doctrinaire upbringing in what was almost a sect. I describe it in Part One of the book. That dogmatic, black-and-white, fundamentalist world and my journey away from it forced me to face some tough but important questions. For example, how do we acquire knowledge? What’s the difference between knowing and believing? Are some beliefs more justified than others, and why? Can religious claims such as God’s existence be substantiated? Do holy scriptures, miracles and personal religious experience give us grounds for asserting the truth of our religion?
In Part Two of the book (“A Conversation”), I invite you to think through these questions with me. I think our conversation will show that fundamentalism and dogmatism are quite unjustified.
They are also dangerous. They create closed faith communities that act as echo chambers. They produce an “us and them” mentality in which “we are right and they are wrong”. A mentality that can radicalize young people and breed violence.
If we want a society where people of all faiths and none can live peacefully together, we need to open up the echo chambers and break down the barriers between communities. Ditch dogmatism and embrace dialogue. It’s time for believers and sceptics to engage in a genuine conversation.
How? By setting up (or joining) grass-roots dialogue groups where we can get to know our neighbours and talk. Why not start the ball rolling by making this book the focus for your group discussion?
You can order your copy from major bookstores. Alternatively, click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
To find out more, listen to my conversation with podcaster Rich Bennett: https://conversationswithrichbennett.com/ .