The Persistence of Faith: Religion, Morality and Society in a Secular Age

Sacks argues that faiths must remain open to criticism, keep alive their separate communities and still contribute far more to national debates on moral issues. they m, ust also learn to get along better. His thesis is that we still live under a Biblical canopy and that a cohesive morality needs the uniting bonds of faith. Confidence in a faith is a subtle quality and lack of it shows in many ways, some contradictory. Dr Sacks has that confidence and the quiet charisma to communicate it. The subject of this book - religions and ethics- is good ground for him to build on: The Jewish contribution to ethics is distinctly rational and has a long and illustrious tradition. Moral philosophy is after all a Jewish preoccupation. In recent years, he writes, religion has taken us unawares. The rise of the Moral Majority in the USA, the Islamic Revolution, the growth of religious parties in Israel, the power of Catholicism in Poland and the African continent all run contrary to the basic thesis that modernity and secularization went hand in hand and could almost be regarded as synonyms. Instead and against all prediction religion has resurfaced in the public domain. In this book Sacks argues the case for a broadly based return to tradition within the context of religious pluralism and tolerance. Religious values remain a strong force within our culture to be renewed. For our society to be viable indeed they must be renewed.

Author: Jonathan Sacks
Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum
Published: 01/04/2005
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.32lbs
Size: 7.88h x 5.18w x 0.39d
ISBN: 9780826478559


Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2006 pg. 14

About the Author

Sir Jonathan Sacks is Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Britain and the Commonwealth. He is the author of numerous books, including "Celebrating Life," "From Optimism to Hope," "The Persistence of Faith" and "The Dignity of Difference," for which he won a Grawemeyer Award in Religion.


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