A fascinating exploration of religious belief as the key to understanding ourselves and other people, societies, and cultures
When we explore the problem of God, we are exploring issues that force us to dig down into the very foundation of who we are, why we are who we are, and why we believe what we believe. Does God exist? What do we mean by "God"? Why believe?
The Problem of God explores the challenges of religious belief and spirituality through the lenses of both historical and contemporary sources from religious traditions around the globe, including the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Confucian, and Daoist traditions. This book engages with the fundamental concerns of belief in God, including the existence of God, the nature of God, different forms of theism and alternatives to theism, warranted belief, and the challenges posed by the problem of evil, pain and suffering, modern science, atheism, and religious pluralism. Cline invites readers to consider different religious beliefs through compelling stories that foster an understanding of human actions and motivations throughout history.
The curious and the spiritually hungry will benefit from discovering that there is not one problem of God but many, and that understanding the spiritual dimension of human life holds the key to better understanding ourselves and one another.
Reviews
"Drawing on her many years of undergraduate teaching, Erin Cline has written a fine introductory book on the problem of God as a still-urgent philosophical and theological topic. With insight and imagination she has afforded it the breadth and breathing room of an interreligious perspective, so indispensable today. It is all the more amazing that she has managed all this in such a lucid and accessible fashion, academic and personal at the same time. The Problem of God invites quiet reading, group discussion, and indeed, use in high school and college courses."—Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University
"Cline contemporizes John Courtney Murray's classic text, The Problem of God, in ways he would delight in. Artfully addressing age-old questions of faith and meaning, she brings Christian sources into lively dialog with Hindu, Daoist, and Confucian texts. This kind of interreligious dialogue is much needed today."—Kevin O'Brien, SJ, vice provost, Fairfield University
"Never has a book so deftly explored questions of faith, spirituality, and the ultimate meaning of human existence in such an interreligious fashion. With an overarching emphasis on the practical implications of religious belief, Cline's book makes traditional theological debates relevant anew."—Conor Kelly, associate professor in the department of theology, Marquette University
About the Author
Erin Cline is the Paul J. and Chandler M. Tagliabue Distinguished Professor in Interfaith Studies & Dialogue at Georgetown University. She is also a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and is the author of numerous books, including A World on Fire: Sharing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with Other Religions (2018).
