Monday, July 7, 2014 | Categories: Episodes |
A detail from the book cover "Migrations of the Holy: God, State, and The Political Meaning of the Church", by William Cavanaugh.
Public discussion of religion tends to polarize between two extremes: religious fundamentalism, and the aggressive atheism of such writers as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But much of what people actually believe falls somewhere in between. It is subtler and more tentative. David Cayley explores the work of five thinkers whose books have charted new paths for religion. Part 3: William Cavanaugh, author of Migrations of the Holy: God, State, and The Political Meaning of the Church.
These are examples of what William Cavanaugh calls Migrations of the Holy.
That's the title of a book in which he argues that what we now call
religion is often just a distraction from the real objects of our
devotion, and the ends for which we're really prepared to make
sacrifices.