On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers [Paperback]

Friedrich Schleiermacher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1994

This seminal work by the great Protestant theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher was first published in 1799 and quickly became a classic apologetic work. This reissue of the Oman translation presents the definitive third edition of the German original and makes this important text available again to students and scholars who wish to gain insight into the development of contemporary Protestant thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

."..a superb new edition and translation of the original-and most forceful-version of Friedrich Schleiermacher's Uber die Religion, the volume which is sometimes taken as a new starting point for modern religious thought." Journal of Theological Studies --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (July 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664255566
• ISBN-13: 978-0664255565
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It changed the landscape of Christianity, April 29, 2002

By 

Hermenaut "kedp98" (South Bend, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers (Paperback)

This book, written by Schleiermacher in 1799 at the height of his involvement with the early German Romantics, was considered one of the most provocative and intriguing reads of its day. It continues to be read today because it retains that provocative and intriguing character. In an attempt to respond to Enlightenment critiques of religion, Schleiermacher creates an entirely novel manner of thinking and speaking about religion. In this book it is possible to see the beginnings of his creative and controversial move to ground religion, not in metaphysics or morals, but rather in feeling (or what he later will call immediate self-consciousness). The ripples of this move are still apparent in Protestant theology today. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in tracing the development of modern theology back to its roots. The Crouter translation is particularly good, and it expertly renders the 18th-century language into fluid, clear prose.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beauty of Spirituality, July 31, 2000

By 

Kelly M. Cooper - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schleiermacher: On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy) (Paperback)

I was required to read this book for a class and was completely blown away by it. Schleiermacher's concept of the spiritual nature of the world is immensely poetic and is the most beautiful depiction that I have read to date. His discussion of the idea of "cultural constructs" caused me to re-think many aspects of my own life, and the way that society and culture affect our daily living. I often reflect upon his words when I am swept up in the masses in the city. The beauty and joy that he expresses in life and the idea of truly living are splendid. In an era where religion and spirituality are all too much neglected, Schleiermacher causes us to think of why we think the way we do, and what the root of that thinking might be. His work could be considered a handbook for those who follow a mystical tradition, and his grace in manipulating the written word often rivals that of St. Augustine in his "Confessions." I believe this to be one of the most important and one of the most beautiful theological works for spiritually curious readers, as well as theological scholars.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rationality could not explain the essence of religion, June 19, 2005

By 

Rizal Halim (Montreal, QC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schleiermacher: On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy) (Paperback)

In this book, Schleiermacher wanted to revitalize the idea that human feeling is absolutely dependent on God. One who reads history in his era will find that something had disappeared from religious life because of subjective rationalism. I assume this is exactly the reason for Romantic movement. In the view of Friedrich Schleiermacher, romanticism was a movement of the rediscovery of feeling as the essence of religion. Feeling is the key idea of how someone internalizes the values, morality, and even the idea of God within himself.

For Schleiermacher, science and knowledge which is based on rationality could not explain the essence of religion. Religion has nothing to do with the knowledge of nature. The knowledge of God, on the contrary, could not be understood in the frame of `cause and effect.' Religion always related to the infinite thing, and in order to understand it, one must use immediate feeling. Schleiermacher said, "to seek and to find this infinite and eternal factor in all that lives and moves...and to know life itself only in immediate feeling-that is religion." Schleiermacher denied science because it could not bring out the contemplation of the infinite. Science or knowledge of religion is not religion itself, and it obviously, cannot be, possibly on the same level with feeling or the contemplation of religion.

It is very clear in his book that Schleiermacher wanted to put science and morality underneath religion. One could not understand any thing without religion. As a result, morality and all ethical systems have no meaning without religion. Briefly, it is impossible for a person to be moral or scientific without religion.

After subjugating science, morality and even art, Schleiermacher redefined religion and its relation to the universe. He defined religion based on human feeling, even though it doesn't mean subjectivism. We feel all particular action, our being and life, only through the consciousness of God. The consciousness of God is a kind of "external circumstance" that makes all people have the same feeling. Thousands of people could feel the same religiosity aroused in the same manner because of that external circumstance.

I found a unique idea in this book when he said: "Every particular religious organization has limited horizons. None, therefore, is able to embrace all; nor, accordingly, is any able to believe that nothing is to be seen beyond its own horizons." From this argument, Schleiermacher wanted to convince readers that difference of feeling is inevitable. Everyone, then, must be ready to see that there may be different views and experiences. Again, this can happen because "the quality of feeling" may be different. Schleiermacher stated: "Religion, however, doesn't for a moment desire to encapsulate all who have faith and feeling within a single faith or feeling. Its task is to develop sensitivity for the eternal unity of life's originating source among people whose capacity for religious experience is still immature." Therefore, within the condition of `immature,' one must be ready to have openness. Each person must be open to the fact that perceptions and feelings belong to other forms of religion for which he may well lack any sensitivity at all. From this point, Schleiermacher imagined a clear conception of inter-subjectivity in religion. He said, "this is precisely the real source of the art and love we are looking for."

In relation to morality, Schleiermacher made a distinct separation between religion and conduct. He used an example: one who acts badly may have no morality at all, but one who has morality may not be pious as well. So, the relation between religion and morality is not implicative. Religion, in itself, doesn't urge people to action at all. One can act well or badly depending on one's feelings. Therefore, conduct as a whole should be regarded as a reaction of feeling. If someone puts a good character into his feeling, his conduct will be good as well. The more we can attribute the character of piety to a feeling, the more strongly it tends to retreat within it.