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The Necessity of Secularism Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do Ronald A Lindsay 9781939578129 Books

Download As PDF : The Necessity of Secularism Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do Ronald A Lindsay 9781939578129 Books

The Necessity of Secularism Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do Ronald A Lindsay 9781939578129 Books

I read a contribution by Ronald A. Lindsay in Christianity Is Not Great: How Faith Fails. I really liked that essay so I looked for other books by him and found this one and it is really good. There are many good things about this book not the least of which it is the epitome of well reasoned and accessible argument for its thesis. This is not a philosopher's book, but a book that is easily understood by all.

This is a short book of less than 200 pages of text and that is part of its appeal. Lindsay does not waste words and doesn't unnecessarily repeat himself as so many authors tend to do. It is short and to the point and thus very effective.

Lindsay is an atheist but it is important to note that this book is not an argument for atheism. It is an outstanding case arguing that a secular public sphere is necessary in order for us to flourish in the pluralistic societies in which we find ourselves. He welcomes the religious into those discussions on common terms. His arguments are exceptionally clear and to the point. It is very well done and should be read and engaged by those of moderate religious belief. They will find nothing in this book to offend. The fact that they can engage in the topic is the whole point of the book.

Very, very well done and highly recommended. I look forward to future books by this author.


Tags : The Necessity of Secularism: Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do [Ronald A. Lindsay] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV><P>For the first time in human history, a significant percentage of the world’s population no longer believes in God. This is especially true in developed nations,Ronald A. Lindsay,The Necessity of Secularism: Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do,Pitchstone Publishing,1939578124,Political Ideologies - General,Religion, Politics & State,Freedom of religion,Religious pluralism - Political aspects,Religious pluralism;Political aspects.,Secularism,Secularism - Political aspects,Secularism.,Secularism;Political aspects.,General Adult,Humanist & secular alternatives to religion,Non-Fiction,POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Ideologies General,Political SciencePolitical Ideologies - General,Political aspects,RELIGION Religion, Politics & State,RELIGIOUS,Religion,Religion - Socialissues,ReligionEthics,Religious pluralism

The Necessity of Secularism Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do Ronald A Lindsay 9781939578129 Books Reviews

Excellent book for defining the rationalization to get to secularism. Especially helpful regarding John Locke supporting philosophy.
I enjoyed the book very much. Well put and argued.
This book provided a very thoughtful and lucid explanation of what is meant by the term secularism (which is probably not the common interpretation) and why it is needed to provide a "level playing field" in the world of government and politics. It occasionally wanders off into short tangents on religion which I felt did not add to the main point (hence the 4 stars instead of 5), but for the most part the book stayed on point.
Excellent, if rather complex, explanation of secularism. What it is, and what it isn't. And why it's the most reasonable form of government, especially in countries with a very diverse population.
This book is about the importance of secularism in establishing public policy in a modern democratic republic such as the United States. The author is firmly committed to demonstrating that public issues, including issues of morality, can be resolved without recourse to a god or religious dogma. Indeed, in any society whose citizenry subscribe to many different religions, or no religion, a secular approach to public policy is the only just approach.

Ronald Lindsay makes it clear that he is an atheist, but that it is not the purpose of this book to defend atheism or attempt to argue for the irrationality of religious beliefs. His goal is to show that, in a pluralistic society such as ours, where at least 20% of the people identify with no religious sect, it is impossible to base public policy on religious beliefs. And any attempt to do so would be unjust, a tyranny of one powerful segment of the population over all the rest. In a pluralistic society, only a secular government can be trusted to administer fairly the affairs of the public.

Lindsay defines a secular government as one that does not involve itself in religious matters, one in which religious doctrine plays no role in shaping public policy, and one in which religious beliefs would enjoy no position of privilege. (p. 18)

Such a government is the one founded by the men who drafted the United States Constitution, the law of the land in our country. This document makes no mention of God or any gods. The only mentions of religion are the two statements through which religion and government are separated from one another Article VI forbids the use of any religious test as a qualification for holding public office and the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The founding fathers, that group of men who drafted and eventually signed the U.S. Constitution, were, for the most part, believers in God. (There is plenty of evidence, though, that some of them---Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson---were atheists. Certainly atheist were revolutionaries like Thomas Young, who took part in the Boston Tea Party, and Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and The Age of Reason.) In spite of their beliefs, these founders created a secular government for the new nation.

How can a secular government establish laws and a moral code of behavior without resorting to religious beliefs? Lindsay answers that a pluralistic society can function and establish moral norms of behavior if we adopt a “naturalistic understanding of morality,” with objectives that are widely shared by all elements of a society. (p. 109) The folly of thinking that our moral norms must be based on religious decrees becomes apparent when one realizes that many religious decrees (how to dress, what to eat, when to work, when to refrain from working, what kind of sexual behavior is acceptable, etc.) are based on taboos that have little relationship to human welfare and vary from one religious sect to another. To look to religion for guidance in a society of many religions is to ask for religious conflict, civil war, and dissolution of that society. In Chapter Seven, “Secular Moral Reasoning,” the author shows how citizens of all religious beliefs or no religious belief can engage in a wholly secular policy debate on the subject of physician-assisted suicide. No recourse to religion is needed in such a discussion.

This short book is a clear and concise argument for a secular government in a pluralistic society. The author refrains from the use of the philosophical jargon that is so often found in books on the philosophy of government. Lindsay’s book is brief and accessible to the lay reader.
A clear and engaging read that makes plain the dangers of irrational decision making in politics and daily living. This is a prescription for keeping religion and other forms of thoughtlessness out of government. Would you hire a psychic to engineer a bridge? Many people wouldn't question it until the bridge collapsed.
I thought that Lindsay did a fairly good job of defending his central premise, and did so without disparaging believers. However, there was no need for him to keep repeating "the principal aim of this book . . .", after the first couple of times, I was reasonably sure I knew what his aim was. I guess my reason for 4 stars is in a feeling of disappointment that he didn't use more forceful language in arguing on behalf of secularism. Not that I expected him to go all Dawkins or Hitchens on believers but I wasn't expecting him to be so sensitive to them either. All in all there is plenty of food for thought and ample ammunition to use against the office or neighbor, or family bible thumper.
I read a contribution by Ronald A. Lindsay in Christianity Is Not Great How Faith Fails. I really liked that essay so I looked for other books by him and found this one and it is really good. There are many good things about this book not the least of which it is the epitome of well reasoned and accessible argument for its thesis. This is not a philosopher's book, but a book that is easily understood by all.

This is a short book of less than 200 pages of text and that is part of its appeal. Lindsay does not waste words and doesn't unnecessarily repeat himself as so many authors tend to do. It is short and to the point and thus very effective.

Lindsay is an atheist but it is important to note that this book is not an argument for atheism. It is an outstanding case arguing that a secular public sphere is necessary in order for us to flourish in the pluralistic societies in which we find ourselves. He welcomes the religious into those discussions on common terms. His arguments are exceptionally clear and to the point. It is very well done and should be read and engaged by those of moderate religious belief. They will find nothing in this book to offend. The fact that they can engage in the topic is the whole point of the book.

Very, very well done and highly recommended. I look forward to future books by this author.