rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (03/16/84)
This book review was completed recently for another
purpose, so I thought I'd post it .
With so many articulate agnostics and atheists (a/a)
submitting material to the net, I think its important to
understand where they are coming from.
It may even help the a/a to understand their positions
better.
The Sources of Modern Atheism by Marcel Neusch
Paulist Press, paper back, 264p, $9.95
Marcel Neusch states his purpose clearly in the Preface:
"My primary purpose is to conduct a search through
what Henri Lefebvre calls `the kingdom of the shades'
and to flush out those `giants in the shadow' who
forged the dogma of modern atheism and gave current
unbelief its shape."
By carefully forming his discussion of Atheism
around seven historical exponents, Marcel Neusch
provides a teaching vehicle for those of us not
familiar with the development of Atheistic thought
over the past few centuries. The figures he deals with
are: Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Roger Garaudy,
and Ernst Bloch.
Part character sketch,
part historical context, part exposition , and part
apologetic - Neusch weaves them all together into
nine densely packed chapters plus a Conclusion, well
referenced chapter notes and a Bibliography.
This work, originally written in French, is a seamless
and flowing translation by Matthew J. O'Connell
with no awkward phrasings or
convoluted constructions. However, its content is demanding
and requires study of the concepts presented
and meditation on their implications.
I read and digested this book in chapter segments over
a period of months and sometimes reread past sections
to clarify various points.
In his Conclusion, Neusch crystallizes the
honest attitude of Faith toward Atheism:
"Faith seeks understanding; it presents itself for justification
It does not fear confrontation. In the dialogue with atheism
faith is open to its objections, criticisms, and rejections.
It does not present itself to the atheist as something
unrelated to the requirements of reason. If its object is
at bottom the God of love, then it must situate itself at the
level of this object. God is not unreason, even if He is beyond
measure."
Neusch leaves us with hope on conversing about God
with our Atheistic brothers and sisters but his
major conlusion rests on our abililty to demonstrate
our love to the world through our actions.
Bob Brown {...!clyde!akgua!rjb}
AT&T Technologies, Inc.............. Norcross, Ga
(404) 447-3784 ... Cornet 583-3784