Religion and Culture

Works of Christopher Dawson

by Christopher Henry Dawson

Religion and Culture was first presented by historian Christopher Dawson as part of the prestigious Gifford Lecture series in 1947. It sets out the thesis for which he became religion is the key of history. The book makes two parallel arguments. First, Dawson argues that religion is, and should be treated as, a separate category of human experience. Second, Dawson claims that religion has a unique place in human culture and has defined and developed different cultures in identifiable ways. Without understanding both premises, he argues,
one cannot understand cultural development. Drawing on his profound and sympathetic reading in anthropology, sociology, comparative religion and the literatures of Western and non-Western cultures, Dawson seeks to bridge the gap between religion and the sciences through the tradition of natural theology. His approach respects the natural sciences and their power to plumb the mysteries of the natural world, while recognizing that they cannot, alone, explain religious intimations of the transcendent. Religion and Culture was written and published in a time not unlike our own, when the very distinctiveness of religious experience has been denigrated, and religious belief is considered in some circles as an atavistic holdover. And yet, the existence of a purely technocratic culture and its ability to embody and transmit moral or cultural norms
remains in doubt. Dawson, who in his day was respected well outside Catholic circles, is an important voice in this continuing debate. PRAISE FOR THE ORIGINAL
"Dawson has succeeded in reminding us of the immense importance of religion in the history of civilization."― Journal of Modern History "Dawson's writings are unified and consistent in point of view, and it is the breadth and perspective shown in such works as this that give profundity to his analysis of the specific problems of our age of transition and anxiety."― Journal of Bible and Religion

ABOUT THE
Christopher Dawson (1889-1970) is recognized as one of the most important Catholic historians of the twentieth century, authoring numerous books, articles, and scholarly monographs. Dawson was lecturer in the History of Culture, University College, Exeter; Gifford lecturer; and Charles Chauncey Stillman Chair of RomanCatholic Studies at Harvard University from 1958 to 1962.

Genres: Religion, History, Cultural, Nonfiction

225 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1981

About the author

Christopher Henry Dawson (12 October 1889, Hay Castle – 25 May 1970, Budleigh Salterton) was a British independent scholar, who wrote many books on cultural history and Christendom. Christopher H. Dawson has been called "the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century".

Reviews

[Rudyard L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was total gold

[Jarrett Vandiver · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Religion is the key to history.”

As it read through this I debated whether this would be a 3-4 star because I frankly had a hard time understanding exactly what point Dawson was trying to make.

As I reached his conclusion, though, it became pretty clear that his thesis is that religion is the key to understanding all human culture and is the basis of all culture. Contrary to modernists and new atheists like Richard Dawkins, religion is not a product of environmental factors or the human need to control others. Throughout the lectures in this book, Dawson shows how the religious spirit comes from the universal human desire to know and connect with a great and transcendent being. It is this desire for relationship that is the basis for politics, art, literature, etc: “In all ages the first creative works of a culture are due to a religious inspiration and dedicated to a religious end.” (P. 37). To prove this, he takes you on a cultural trip through virtually all world religions from Inuit cultures to Confucian China to really drive the point home.

I also appreciated his argument on why secular “comparative religion” studies fail to truly understand religion since they do not take its universal premise seriously: the legitimate search for a real transcendent God: “the fact that prophecy and inspiration and the higher forms of spiritual intuition are rare phenomena outside our common experience does not mean that they are incredible or unreal , The highest knowledge may be the rarest knowledge and yet at the same time the supreme standard of reality and truth . And what then is the value of a religious theory which rules out the witness of the saints, or a metaphysical system which shuts its eyes to the sources of spiritual truth?” (61).

Finally, the introduction essay on Gobekli Tempe, a 1994 archaeological find which helps prove that religion came before any other human endeavor, was worth the price of the book itself.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought provoking regarding the relation between culture and religion.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - we are granted a survey of the history of religion and culture, how they interact and evolve with one another, up to the post WWII context.

The final chapter is inspiring.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thought provoking book. It demonstrates its thesis--that culture has historically been a direct product of religion--through a broad analysis of cultures throughout the world. It goes far toward explaining why our own cultural heritage has become discredited along with the religion from which it arose.