TE VIDERE IN INFERNO : (SEE YOU IN HELL) PART 1
How would you like to start?
TE VIDERE is a proctological examination of the sad and kinky phenomenon we call “religious faith”, in theory and practice, from the tribal Neolithic to the present day. The title refers to the necessary de-mystification of the doctrine of “Hell”, by which shameless priesthoods have contrived for millennia to scare the hell into us and maximize church attendance––-a signal pastoral trick that terrorizes people and fills pews to this day.
This is a rambunctious breakdown of religious faith into its cultural / psychological components, in the same region of the brain where people swoon over cultic leaders and UFOs. There are chapters engaging with, and slow-roasting, obnoxious evangelical heavy-lifters like William Craig, Dinesh D’Souza and Alvin Plantinga; others host discussions and
analyses of the most enervating religious issues of the ages–– church-and-state, the credibility of scripture, the sufferings of the righteous, the remoteness of God, etc.––on all of which it offers original and challenging insights, rich with lively inputs from science, history and philosophy. I have also striven throughout, no matter the bleakness of the subject, to make it a wise-ass fun read.
This is not just another polite screed from the “New Atheist” catalogue; in this contribution, nothing is polite or sacred but our liberation from the opiate-dependency on gods and religion; and for that, the gloves are off. (Though in the interest of fairness––I also defend faith and the faithful where I think they have been unfairly characterized in other anti-theist presentations.)