Customer Reviews

Above Us Only Sky

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Since no reviews have been posted yet, I want to provide at least a short comment. Don Cupitt was known in his earlier career as the "atheist (Anglican) priest." Describing him as an atheist is not particularly helpful but he has, as his probably most famous book says, "taken leave" of God. Cupitt is "post-Christian" but readily admits his lingering affection for much of the Christian tradition and it shapes all that he writes. Perhaps less acknowledged is the importance of his clerical background, as his writing also has significant pastoral component. His interest is more than academic for Cupitt is always seeking to provide practical guidance to life in the post-modern world.

"Above Us Only Sky" is a concise summation of Cupitt's writings and thought. He describes how "the religion of ordinary life" is spontaneously taking hold throughout the world as the notion of a god "out there" becomes alien to more and more people. Religion now is to help us to accept that life is contingent, linear, and finite. In response, then, we recognize that life is now "solar", i.e. we live like the sun in a continuous process of "burning out." The book conveys a real sense of Cupitt's comfort both with how his philosophy has developed and with this latter stage of his life (he turns 75 this year). I found this book to be remarkably positive and upbeat as well as an insightful and helpful guide to life "after god." Highly recommended.

I learned of Don Cupitt in Stephen Batchelor's latest book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, in which the former Buddhist monk claims to have a greater affinity for Cupitt than for any living Buddhist thinker. After reading Above Us Only Sky, I can see why.

Both men are tussling with the problem of what to do with the religion with which they grew up, the one that appears now to be deader than dead. Are Christianity or Buddhism of any value to those of us, without recourse to ancient dogma, trying to make sense of the experience of life?

Gauging by what I read in Above Us Only Sky, Batchelor has been able to better rescue Buddhism from the idolaters than has Cupitt Christianity. Above Us has only the most minimal references to Jesus, God, or the Bible. In fact it reads more like a secular manifesto for living a good life, where good is synonymous with authenticity, generosity, and personal fulfillment. Cupitt argues that as our world is bound in language, to that degree our knowledge will always be contingent. There are no eternal truths, let alone a place of eternal rest (or damnation). Life itself has become God and the only meaning there is to it is the one we make for it. Cupitt's concern is how to make the best of what we have, of living our finite lives to their fullest.

"...the religion I describe accepts life as it is, as a package deal, finite and imperfect. We should avoid the zealous pursuit of ideals and absolute purity, holiness and perfection. The thirst for the Absolute is slightly mad, and in the end destructive. Instead we should always prefer things human, actual, imperfect, transient, and (above all) bittersweet. In ethics, I'm arguing for a practice that is as consistently affirmative as it knows how, and attempts never to allow entry to the negative emotions that poison the soul: resentment, envy, covetousness, grievance and grudge, bitterness and hatred, and all the rest. The true victory over evil is simply the practice of magnanimity. As for the bittersweetness of life, try just to live with it and smile over it. Ruefully, maybe. But there are possibilities of joy in this affliction of which we are all aware." [p89]

Above Us is a quick read (only 128 pages) and if you are new to Cupitt perhaps not all that filling. The book is something of a summary, written in bullet points and short chapters. It doesn't feel so much like Cupitt is trying to explain, as he is making sure you get everything in outline form. Even so, it might not be a bad place to start, as you can then go back and fill in the details from some of his other work.

The cover, by the way, features a character from the Japanese Zen tradition signifying emptiness, read "mu." It should be noted that in Buddhist philosophy emptiness does not refer to absence or lack, but the fullness and potential of the not yet.

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I would call him quite liberal in his theology. This is not the first book one should read who is begining to question the evangelical teachings of his childhood where reciting creeds is important, accepting the bible as inerrant and beliving that God intervenes in human activities. First they should read books by Marcus Borg such as "The Heart of Christianity" or John Shelby's books. His most recent one is: "Jesus for the Non-Religious". Then topping it off with the recent book: "When Faith Meets Reason" edited by Charles Hedrick. Here 13 Religion scholars relfect on their spiritual journey. It is a quick and easy read. Then Don Cupitt.

I really enjoyed this book. Cupitt is a simple and effective communicator who can summarize massive philosophical ideas without getting bogged down in technical language. There is a pastoral tone to the book which makes it stand out from similar writers (Nietzsche, Vattimo, Taylor, Rorty, and others). Plus the book is composed in a number of short sections that can be digested easily in a few minutes. My favorite thing about the book is that Cupitt is very passionate about his topic. He has a revolutionary zeal about him and that makes for much more interesting reading.

For all that, this book is not one that will provide an easy path out of orthodox religious viewpoints and into the radical frame of mind. That's a long process. But this book does capture the general sense of what it means to leave traditional religion behind and yet still care about how humans can reach higher and utilize the religious debris of the past to shape the future.

In 'Above Us Only Sky', Don Cupitt gives the impression that he is offering a 'mea culpa' of sorts for having spent so many years as an advocate for organized religion and is now attempting to offer a justification for his leaving the fold. He believes "...that a new and truly global religious consciousness has in recent decades been quietly easing itself in around the world." His claim is that his readers are already aware of this movement, and he is probably right, in that people who buy this book may indeed be looking for ways to cope with the world as it exists - and constantly changes. Among his twenty-seven brief slogans (homilies?), he offers, "Life is a gift (with no giver) that is renewed every day, and true religion is expressive, 'solar' living." In short, "...we become ourselves by expressing ourselves."

Although the author states that he is not offering anything new, and "...that most or all of this you already know', the casual reader may have some difficulty following his theology of ordinary life and the philosophical bases for his ideas. Personally, in my searches for a better understanding of dealing with life, people, religion - and myself, I find that Dreyfus and Kelly ('All Things Shining', 2011) are closer to the mark. Although they come from a philosophy background, they support their views from a wide-ranging variety of historical and recent Western literature - much of which the reader is familiar with.

In searches for meaning in a secular world, do not ignore Don Cupitt's 'Above Us Only Sky.' It is not meant to be a 'quick read. But, it is well worth the effort.