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Hating God: The Untold Story of Misotheism
While atheists such as Richard Dawkins have now become public figures, there is another and perhaps darker strain of religious rebellion that has remained out of sight--people who hate God.
In this revealing book, Bernard Schweizer looks at men and women who do not question God's existence, but deny that He is merciful, competent, or good. Sifting through a wide range of literary and historical works, Schweizer finds that people hate God for a variety of reasons. Some are motivated by social injustice, human suffering, or natural catastrophes that God does not prevent. Some blame God for their personal tragedies. Schweizer concludes that, despite their blasphemous thoughts, these people tend to be creative and moral individuals, and include such literary lights as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman. Schweizer shows that literature is a fertile ground for God haters. Many authors, who dare not voice their negative attitude to God openly, turn to fiction to give vent to it. Indeed, Schweizer provides many new and startling readings of literary masterpieces, highlighting the undercurrent of hatred for God.
Moreover, by probing the deeper mainsprings that cause sensible, rational, and moral beings to turn against God, Schweizer offers answers to some of the most vexing questions that beset human relationships with the divine.
In this revealing book, Bernard Schweizer looks at men and women who do not question God's existence, but deny that He is merciful, competent, or good. Sifting through a wide range of literary and historical works, Schweizer finds that people hate God for a variety of reasons. Some are motivated by social injustice, human suffering, or natural catastrophes that God does not prevent. Some blame God for their personal tragedies. Schweizer concludes that, despite their blasphemous thoughts, these people tend to be creative and moral individuals, and include such literary lights as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman. Schweizer shows that literature is a fertile ground for God haters. Many authors, who dare not voice their negative attitude to God openly, turn to fiction to give vent to it. Indeed, Schweizer provides many new and startling readings of literary masterpieces, highlighting the undercurrent of hatred for God.
Moreover, by probing the deeper mainsprings that cause sensible, rational, and moral beings to turn against God, Schweizer offers answers to some of the most vexing questions that beset human relationships with the divine.
258 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 18, 2021
I do not know if the choice of title was ideal here as it makes it sound as if the book is going to be a furious rant, which it isn't. It is a fascinating study of the theodicy which concentrates on writers who believe in God but cannot accept what they consider to be his attitudes. I would recommend it to anybody interested in theology and literature, particularly in the presentation of God in literature where this is a subtext rather than the main theme.
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March 11, 2011Schweizer's book presents an amazingly new kettle of fish on the religious scene, which I have been studying academically for years. I wonder if the concept of "misotheism," which fills a gap in the system of religious classification, will spawn a following, one that either applauds the literati of his mentioning or alternatively stands up for their own views which, I surmise, may have been subconsciously tucked away. Mister Schweizer is shedding light on an area, which has surprisingly enough remained unnoticed until he blew some cobwebs from the book-covers of the classics and opened their content to a fresh viewing. Aware of the diverse emotions the misotheistic view may elicit, I hope the mere observation of an intellectual and literary stratum does not attract a negative response in defense of a deity whose existence amazingly enough is not questioned but in a twisted manner reinforced by the misotheists. A believer in God may have a "problem" with Satanism as a form of opposition to her deity, but a negative reinforcement of God might be a worse position yet – and so the miso-misotheist would be born. I congratulate Mister Schweizer for the discovery of a phenomenon hiding in plain sight.
January 10, 2011
I was immediately drawn to this book because it presents a completely new class of religious rebellion.
In response to the increasing attention being given to atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, this book seems to have found an emerging populace that have become increasingly more vocal about their feelings of discontent towards God.
In this book (which I have read and really enjoyed) Schweizer explains how this sort of god hatred has been around for many years, and because of the fear associated with expressing such blasphemous beliefs, was expressed primarily through literature. The book illustrates how literary giants such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman all felt profound hatred towards God.
When I look at the world today, with increasing secularism, religiously motivated mass bloodshed, and considerable feelings of disillusionment in personal faith, this book seems to outline a lot of the sentiments that have apparently been around for a long time, but have not, until now, been openly discussed.
Check out the website as well.
hatinggod.com
In response to the increasing attention being given to atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, this book seems to have found an emerging populace that have become increasingly more vocal about their feelings of discontent towards God.
In this book (which I have read and really enjoyed) Schweizer explains how this sort of god hatred has been around for many years, and because of the fear associated with expressing such blasphemous beliefs, was expressed primarily through literature. The book illustrates how literary giants such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman all felt profound hatred towards God.
When I look at the world today, with increasing secularism, religiously motivated mass bloodshed, and considerable feelings of disillusionment in personal faith, this book seems to outline a lot of the sentiments that have apparently been around for a long time, but have not, until now, been openly discussed.
Check out the website as well.
hatinggod.com
August 20, 2020
This book is revolutionary. Truly. There isn’t anything that’s been written like it - it invents a new category of religious thought. How many scholars / theologians / thinkers / philosophers can say that?! Personally I’m completely flummoxed how misotheism hasn’t been coined already. It’s been the elephant in the room for hundreds of years, and nobody’s even noticed. It’s gone over everyone’s heads (mine as well as seemingly the authors discussed) and it’s just.....wow. Schweizer discuses these seemingly “blasphemous” ideas in an extremely empathetic, openminded and analytical way....i was underlining like crazy. The fact that this book didn’t absolutely blow up immediately when it was published is so puzzling to me. I’ve studied various theology courses at University now, and this book was mentioned only once, which I’m quite surprised at as I feel as if this is quite a significant milestone in religious studies. Completely amazing, easy to follow and read....give it a go
December 15, 2014
I found this book to be a fantastic study of a remarkably perceptive theme. It really is a wonder how coining a single word is able to open up an entire world of new understanding in the proto-conceptual sense. Though I find his initial treatment of the particular philosophies a bit cursory, anyone who has had even a passing aquaitence with those thinkers will have no problem understanding the larger foundations from which they derive their god hatred. Highly recommend to anyone, religious or not, who is interested in better understanding humankind's relationship with the divine. For even if he does stand in as just a straw man, his presence in the Feuerbachian sense does in fact exist and so is something that still must be contended with.
November 8, 2014
When a book gives readers a new toolbox of ideas as well as language, it's difficult not to enjoy it immensely, especially if it's of the rare literary criticism and religion genre. Misotheism is something that's not talked about a lot—and it's really not anything that has ever been talked about—which is the point of this book: to show that there are people who love to hate a god. HATING GOD simply catalogs that passion in literature and explains their positions and unpacks the idea of being at enmity with a deity.
March 24, 2018
Some people don’t believe in God I shouldn’t blame him for making some people poor or rich. Things happen for a reason , I just found out the names of my two guardian angels by visiting , Our Lady of Mercy my other church.
Then I touched the Blessed Mary Statute, at my Catholic Church. I just donated some money over there on Palm Sunday.
Then I touched the Blessed Mary Statute, at my Catholic Church. I just donated some money over there on Palm Sunday.
January 18, 2011
This is a fascinating book which uncovered a new aspect of religion and literature. It is well written and easy to follow. I would recommend to anyone no matter which belief he or she has. The book exposes you to a new world you would not encounter otherwise. I simply love it!
August 26, 2019
Professor Schweizer wrote a book involving six case studies of historical figures who expressed hatred toward God in their writings. The research focused on the subject of misotheism: the worldview that expresses belief in the monotheistic, Christian God, but with a profound hatred. A major purpose for this study pertained to the desire to fill a gap in scholarly literature about the phenomenon of misotheists.
After completing the six cases, Schweizer concluded with several points of insight. Firstly, he concluded that "part of the perplexing nature of misotheism has to do with the fact that opponents of God are not necessarily enemies of religion. They still operate within religious frameworks" (Schweizer, 2011, p. 215). The writer also stated that atheism and misotheism are often treated as synonymous terms, when in fact one argues about the existence of God while the other argues about God's character. Another insight indicated that misotheists are "absolutely human-centered", or humanitarian, while theodicy-based believers are "God-centered". Hence, their negative experiences with God influenced their abilities to perceive God through traditional lenses. Schweizer listed three qualifiers to subdivide the various types of misotheism: political, absolute, and agonistic. Furthermore, Professor Schweizer (2011) noted that "fiction writers tend to use fictional devices to express their most deeply held beliefs" (p. 223). Literary artists, like Rebecca West and Elie Wiesel, used fictional narratives to express their blasphemous opinions which they refused to express literally in nonfiction work due to fear of persecution.
One more insight pertained to the reality of causes that led these writers toward their misotheistic perspectives. Each writer experienced a series of painful, even traumatic events, that led him or her to question the omnibenevolence of God. For example, one Jewish writer witnessed the endless slaughter of women and children in the Auschwitz gas chambers. He argued from a morally and psychologically-driven perspective that an all-loving deity would not permit such a travesty. Other examples are mentioned in the text.
After completing the six cases, Schweizer concluded with several points of insight. Firstly, he concluded that "part of the perplexing nature of misotheism has to do with the fact that opponents of God are not necessarily enemies of religion. They still operate within religious frameworks" (Schweizer, 2011, p. 215). The writer also stated that atheism and misotheism are often treated as synonymous terms, when in fact one argues about the existence of God while the other argues about God's character. Another insight indicated that misotheists are "absolutely human-centered", or humanitarian, while theodicy-based believers are "God-centered". Hence, their negative experiences with God influenced their abilities to perceive God through traditional lenses. Schweizer listed three qualifiers to subdivide the various types of misotheism: political, absolute, and agonistic. Furthermore, Professor Schweizer (2011) noted that "fiction writers tend to use fictional devices to express their most deeply held beliefs" (p. 223). Literary artists, like Rebecca West and Elie Wiesel, used fictional narratives to express their blasphemous opinions which they refused to express literally in nonfiction work due to fear of persecution.
One more insight pertained to the reality of causes that led these writers toward their misotheistic perspectives. Each writer experienced a series of painful, even traumatic events, that led him or her to question the omnibenevolence of God. For example, one Jewish writer witnessed the endless slaughter of women and children in the Auschwitz gas chambers. He argued from a morally and psychologically-driven perspective that an all-loving deity would not permit such a travesty. Other examples are mentioned in the text.
November 8, 2014
In ‘Hating God’, Schweizer demonstrates that attitudes towards religion and God are more diverse than most of us assume.
As opposed to atheism, anti-theism, or agnosticism, Schweizer defines misotheism as the outright hatred of God. As opposed to atheists who question the existence of God, misotheists acknowledge his existence but question his good will. Schweizer divides misotheism into three categories: agonistic, absolute and political misotheism. Agonistic misotheists, studied through Rebecca West and Elie Wiesel, struggle with the acceptance of a bad and careless God and seek to enter into dialogue with him, convinced of his underlying good will. Quite the opposite, absolute misotheists, like Nietszche and Shelly, do not wish to change God but rather completely dispose of him. Proudhon or Bakunin, as political misotheists, address their attack because of the socio-economic effects that God and religion have on the world.
Through this thorough definition of Misotheism, Schweizer skilfully brings the rigour and precision one would expect with the minting of a new concept, writing a book both addressed to academia and non-scholars.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, religious or non-religious, willing to explore literature through the pathos of great writers and experience an unfamiliar journey into human relationship with the divine.
With his coinage of misotheism, Schweizer has laid solid ground for further theological study of the subject but also for future scholars willing to approach great figures of literature in a completely new way.
An overall very well written must-read for those looking to have a sound understanding of religious rebellion through literature.
As opposed to atheism, anti-theism, or agnosticism, Schweizer defines misotheism as the outright hatred of God. As opposed to atheists who question the existence of God, misotheists acknowledge his existence but question his good will. Schweizer divides misotheism into three categories: agonistic, absolute and political misotheism. Agonistic misotheists, studied through Rebecca West and Elie Wiesel, struggle with the acceptance of a bad and careless God and seek to enter into dialogue with him, convinced of his underlying good will. Quite the opposite, absolute misotheists, like Nietszche and Shelly, do not wish to change God but rather completely dispose of him. Proudhon or Bakunin, as political misotheists, address their attack because of the socio-economic effects that God and religion have on the world.
Through this thorough definition of Misotheism, Schweizer skilfully brings the rigour and precision one would expect with the minting of a new concept, writing a book both addressed to academia and non-scholars.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, religious or non-religious, willing to explore literature through the pathos of great writers and experience an unfamiliar journey into human relationship with the divine.
With his coinage of misotheism, Schweizer has laid solid ground for further theological study of the subject but also for future scholars willing to approach great figures of literature in a completely new way.
An overall very well written must-read for those looking to have a sound understanding of religious rebellion through literature.
June 17, 2013
A disaster of uncritically regurgitated Freudianism--which was pretty disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews