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The Reasonableness of Christianity
In The Reasonableness of Christianity philosopher John Locke offers an antidogmatic, empirical, rational perspective on the Gospels.
John Locke (1632-1704) is one of the greatest Western philosophers, whose thought is generally associated with the doctrines of empiricism and classical liberalism. He is most famous for his Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Second Treatise on Government.
John Locke (1632-1704) is one of the greatest Western philosophers, whose thought is generally associated with the doctrines of empiricism and classical liberalism. He is most famous for his Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Second Treatise on Government.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1695
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About the author
John Locke
1,949 books1,451 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
John Locke was an English philosopher. He is considered the first of the British Empiricists, but is equally important to social contract theory. His ideas had enormous influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and contributors to liberal theory. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. This influence is reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.
Locke's theory of mind is often cited as the origin for modern conceptions of identity and "the self", figuring prominently in the later works of philosophers such as David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. Locke was the first Western philosopher to define the self through a continuity of "consciousness." He also postulated that the mind was a "blank slate" or "tabula rasa"; that is, contrary to Cartesian or Christian philosophy, Locke maintained that people are born without innate ideas.
John Locke was an English philosopher. He is considered the first of the British Empiricists, but is equally important to social contract theory. His ideas had enormous influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and contributors to liberal theory. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. This influence is reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.
Locke's theory of mind is often cited as the origin for modern conceptions of identity and "the self", figuring prominently in the later works of philosophers such as David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. Locke was the first Western philosopher to define the self through a continuity of "consciousness." He also postulated that the mind was a "blank slate" or "tabula rasa"; that is, contrary to Cartesian or Christian philosophy, Locke maintained that people are born without innate ideas.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 30, 2024
We live, Joan Didion has said, in a world of rapid-fire atomization of values:
Things fall apart, the centre will not hold -
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Yeats in the thirties was right. Faith has become an object of quaint obsolescence, now that WE WANT IT ALL NOW!
John Locke was the Father of British Empiricist Philosophy, in a far distant age of settled morals - teaching the philosophy of down-to-earth, ordinary, everyday simple observation and experiment. And his religion is refreshingly, radically Liberal.
He believed that those poor souls who follow their flesh will simply perish: Be stricken from the record - and that’s RADICAL. But it's relevant now. And the poet William Blake would have agreed: the devil for him was Nobodaddy, the spiritual equivalent of a Physical Vaccuum, or Black Hole.
Don’t go there.
You know, if that’s the case, I believe aspies like me can simply reap the spiritual whirlwind, unless we’re smart. Why not? I face it daily now, with postmodern atomization.
But it is ONLY in that storm that we finally hear God’s voice… like Elijah and like Job. At least if that happens we can witness to it.
THIS, then, is HIS powerfully inspiring and innovative vision of what Christianity really meant to him - in SIMPLE, CLEAR terms. No holds barred.
Here you will find none of the overarching angst and inner probing of a Kierkegaard or a Tillich - no soul-wringing, gut-wrenching exposés of what it might mean to be Real on a kitchen-sink human level. No self-absorption.
And if you are a man or a women dutifully fulfilling all the obligations of modern office and family life - and find you’re mostly on top of every crisis that might rear its head in your life - then this could be THE book that most simply lets you in on the secret of what it means, intellectually, to be a Christian. This is for you.
It is a wonderful book, especially in our Age of Widespread Confusion. It will untie your knots and give you peace of mind and may just lead you to the peaceful end of your own personal Odyssey.
For me it reopened old wounds. For my Dad seemed to be approaching death as I read it. That crisis though, thank heaven, passed!
It is an old book, too, so be forewarned. It would be so nice if some enterprising young seminarian were to modernize Locke’s sometimes sententious-sounding lingo for us leisure-famished folks!
Locke was aiming at clarity - but for an audience at the forgotten time of the Restoration, and that’s a long time ago.
But you know, so many preachers have a hidden agenda and a smokescreen.
Not so Locke.
His noble preeminence in the restored Monarchy of Charles II was unquestioned. His Olympic gaze was dispassionate and profound. He argues solely on our religion's REASONABLENESS.
He only wanted to curb the Dogs of overzealous politicians and agitators and restore simple peace and harmony to the hearts of the British people he loved.
He wanted to give them the Straight Goods.
He can do it for you too.
But get a good updated translation, if you can find one in print. One that speaks to you. I couldn’t - because with my weak eyesight I only read now on my large-print Kindle, and nothing more modern is currently available for e-readers.
Now - just to give you an example of his effortless and UNPUSHY thinking...
“(Adam’s fall was) also called a fall from Justice... and by this fall he lost his peace, happiness and immortality.”
Why? Because life was no longer FAIR, and so not worth the trouble. The story of our modern lives, right? But we are saved by Hope. Otherwise you cease to exist - to have even an instant more of happiness. You have defaulted on your responsibilities!
So this is the start of our constant unrest - mine and yours.
Locke spoke to ME when I was 18, a young college Freshman, in his philosophy because he had NO AXES TO GRIND - he just wanted to bring back peace and happiness to England after its long disharmony.
And in the Seventeenth Century that’s what philosophers like Locke, Spinoza and Descartes All wanted.
To bring rational peace of mind back to the forefront of life.
You will note my opinion of this book has reversed itself since my first reading, below, at an unsettled time in my life.
My Dad’s health was rapidly declining and his doctors had abandoned all hope, as had I. He has since become appreciably better. And this year he has just turned a very alert 99, still keeping up with science news.
But my rating is the same - due to the awful antiquated version I own.
You know, we all LEARN from the vicissitudes of life, though we each have our moments.
And if you are at one of those moments now, this book could really help.
It was a breath of fresh air to me. But it also gave more fuel to the fire at the time!
And now that that fire is extinguished, my life is undisturbed.
Thank you, Mr. Locke.
Things fall apart, the centre will not hold -
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Yeats in the thirties was right. Faith has become an object of quaint obsolescence, now that WE WANT IT ALL NOW!
John Locke was the Father of British Empiricist Philosophy, in a far distant age of settled morals - teaching the philosophy of down-to-earth, ordinary, everyday simple observation and experiment. And his religion is refreshingly, radically Liberal.
He believed that those poor souls who follow their flesh will simply perish: Be stricken from the record - and that’s RADICAL. But it's relevant now. And the poet William Blake would have agreed: the devil for him was Nobodaddy, the spiritual equivalent of a Physical Vaccuum, or Black Hole.
Don’t go there.
You know, if that’s the case, I believe aspies like me can simply reap the spiritual whirlwind, unless we’re smart. Why not? I face it daily now, with postmodern atomization.
But it is ONLY in that storm that we finally hear God’s voice… like Elijah and like Job. At least if that happens we can witness to it.
THIS, then, is HIS powerfully inspiring and innovative vision of what Christianity really meant to him - in SIMPLE, CLEAR terms. No holds barred.
Here you will find none of the overarching angst and inner probing of a Kierkegaard or a Tillich - no soul-wringing, gut-wrenching exposés of what it might mean to be Real on a kitchen-sink human level. No self-absorption.
And if you are a man or a women dutifully fulfilling all the obligations of modern office and family life - and find you’re mostly on top of every crisis that might rear its head in your life - then this could be THE book that most simply lets you in on the secret of what it means, intellectually, to be a Christian. This is for you.
It is a wonderful book, especially in our Age of Widespread Confusion. It will untie your knots and give you peace of mind and may just lead you to the peaceful end of your own personal Odyssey.
For me it reopened old wounds. For my Dad seemed to be approaching death as I read it. That crisis though, thank heaven, passed!
It is an old book, too, so be forewarned. It would be so nice if some enterprising young seminarian were to modernize Locke’s sometimes sententious-sounding lingo for us leisure-famished folks!
Locke was aiming at clarity - but for an audience at the forgotten time of the Restoration, and that’s a long time ago.
But you know, so many preachers have a hidden agenda and a smokescreen.
Not so Locke.
His noble preeminence in the restored Monarchy of Charles II was unquestioned. His Olympic gaze was dispassionate and profound. He argues solely on our religion's REASONABLENESS.
He only wanted to curb the Dogs of overzealous politicians and agitators and restore simple peace and harmony to the hearts of the British people he loved.
He wanted to give them the Straight Goods.
He can do it for you too.
But get a good updated translation, if you can find one in print. One that speaks to you. I couldn’t - because with my weak eyesight I only read now on my large-print Kindle, and nothing more modern is currently available for e-readers.
Now - just to give you an example of his effortless and UNPUSHY thinking...
“(Adam’s fall was) also called a fall from Justice... and by this fall he lost his peace, happiness and immortality.”
Why? Because life was no longer FAIR, and so not worth the trouble. The story of our modern lives, right? But we are saved by Hope. Otherwise you cease to exist - to have even an instant more of happiness. You have defaulted on your responsibilities!
So this is the start of our constant unrest - mine and yours.
Locke spoke to ME when I was 18, a young college Freshman, in his philosophy because he had NO AXES TO GRIND - he just wanted to bring back peace and happiness to England after its long disharmony.
And in the Seventeenth Century that’s what philosophers like Locke, Spinoza and Descartes All wanted.
To bring rational peace of mind back to the forefront of life.
You will note my opinion of this book has reversed itself since my first reading, below, at an unsettled time in my life.
My Dad’s health was rapidly declining and his doctors had abandoned all hope, as had I. He has since become appreciably better. And this year he has just turned a very alert 99, still keeping up with science news.
But my rating is the same - due to the awful antiquated version I own.
You know, we all LEARN from the vicissitudes of life, though we each have our moments.
And if you are at one of those moments now, this book could really help.
It was a breath of fresh air to me. But it also gave more fuel to the fire at the time!
And now that that fire is extinguished, my life is undisturbed.
Thank you, Mr. Locke.
March 19, 2022
Locke’s basic thesis is that the Christian faith makes up for the inability of most men to follow the natural law (basically the ten commandments) which philosophers have at different times articulated at least parts of but lacked the authority and motives to spread among the masses who lack the means and abilities to devote their lives to philosophy. Locke devotes most of the book (too much in my opinion) to scriptural passages demonstrating for him the key article of faith that Jesus is the messiah to rule over humanity in the world to come as the meaning of being the son of god which is actually the same necessary article of Christian faith given by Thomas Hobbes. Locke seems to embrace unorthodox beliefs such as the nature of original sin being mortality inherited from Adam not evil as such and concludes that besides Christ being the messiah other articles of Christian faith are ancillary for those who are already Christian and seems to ignore the issue of the godhood and the trinity and was thus accused of Arianism or Socinianism. Nevertheless secular readers can understand that the role of the messiah was to deliver to humanity the moral law (the golden rule) in its purest form understandable to the masses by means of miracles and parables motivated by the promise of a future state of reward and punishment, as Locke invokes the criterion of utility.
October 14, 2016
A fairly good if prolonged argument.
January 17, 2019
Though his empirical roots lead him to give up more than I am comfortable with, Locke delivers a reasonable and understandable defense of the Faith. This short glimpse into Enlightenment religion is well-worth the read.
Read
February 4, 2008This is a great book if you like philosophy. John Locke had an exceedingly reasonable mind. He got so much right on.
April 1, 2012
Summer reading group.
April 7, 2014
While his ideas were certainly a product of his time period, a deist John Locke was not.
January 12, 2024
Molto interessante
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews