SAVING GOD (cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)To view this image, please refer to the print version of the book Saving God Religion after Idolatry MARK JOHNSTON PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON & OXFORD Copyright©2009byPrincetonUniversityPress PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet, Princeton,NewJersey08540 IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,6OxfordStreet, Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201TW press.princeton.edu AllRightsReserved Secondprinting,andfirstpaperbackprinting,2011 PaperbackISBN978-0-691-15261-5 THELIBRARYOFCONGRESSHASCATALOGEDTHECLOTHEDITION OFTHISBOOKASFOLLOWS Johnston,Mark,1954– SavingGod:religionafteridolatry/MarkJohnston. p. cm. Includesindex. ISBN978-0-691-14394-1(hardcover:alk.paper) 1.Religion—Philosophy.2.Supernatural.3.Naturaltheology. 4.Idolatry.I.Title. BL51.J752009 210—dc22 2009012482 BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailable ThisbookhasbeencomposedinMinion Printedonacid-freepaper.∞ PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Frontispiece:ElExpolio—TheDespoliationofChrist,alsoknownasThe DisrobingofChrist,1577–1579.Canvas,129×160cm.Cathedral,Toledo, Spain.PhotobyErichLessing/ArtResource,NY. ImageReference: ART213731 For my mum, MARIE BRIGIT BRENNAN JOHNSTON Contents PREFACE xi Chapter 1 Is Your God Really God? 1 BELIEVING IN GOD—ON THE “NAMES” OF GOD—THE MEANING OF “GOD” AND THE COMMON CONCEPTION OF GOD—WHAT IS SALVATION?—SALVATION VERSUS SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM Chapter 2 The Idolatrous Religions 18 THE BAN ON IDOLATRY—IDOLATRY AS PERVERSE WORSHIP—GRAVEN IMAGES AND THE HIGHEST ONE— IDOLATRY AS SERVILITY—THE RHETORIC OF IDOLATROUSNESS—THE SAME GOD? —THE PHARISEES’ PROBLEM WITH JESUS—COULD WE BE IDOLATERS? Chapter 3 Supernaturalism and Scientism 37 SCIENTISM AND SUPERSTITION—SUPERNATURALISM— LEGITIMATE NATURALISM—SCIENTISM VERSUS SCIENCE—THE ARGUMENT FOR NATURALISM FROM TRUE RELIGION Chapter 4 The Phenomenological Approach 53 THE METHOD AND THE QUESTION—YAHWEH'S USE OF THE METHOD—A CRITERION, OR AN ENCLOSED CIRCLE? — YAHWEH'S CRITERION APPLIED TO HIMSELF—FORGIVING THE GOD—A REPLY TO YAHWEH'S ANSWER TO JOB Chapter 5 Is There an Internal Criterion of Religious Falsehood? 70 THE POPE'S CRITERION OF RELIGIOUS FALSEHOOD— A CONSEQUENCE OF THE POPE'S CRITERION—RELIGIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC FALLIBILISM viii CONTENTS Chapter 6 Why God? 80 DOESN'T SUBSTANTIVE REASONABLENESS SUFFICE? — THE FALL—HOMO INCURVATUS IN SE—THE REDEEMER? Chapter 7 After Monotheism 95 THE HIGHEST ONE—THE TETRAGRAMMATON—THE PARADOX OF THE HIGHEST ONE—SPEAKING OF THE HIGHEST ONE—EXISTENTS AS DEPENDENT ASPECTS OF EXISTENCE ITSELF—AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE THOMISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE HIGHEST ONE Chapter 8 Process Panentheism 115 THE GOODNESS OF THE HIGHEST ONE —THE ANALOGY OF LOGOS—PROCESS PANENTHEISM —THE SELF-DISCLOSURE OF EXISTENCE ITSELF—THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE PANTHEON Chapter 9 Panentheism, Not Pantheism 126 DISTINGUISHING PANENTHEISM AND PANTHEISM— PRESENCE—PRESENCE AS DISCLOSURE—IS BEING ALMOST ENTIRELY WASTED? —UBIQUITOUS PRESENCE— AGAINST NATURAL REPRESENTATION—REPRESENTATION AND “CARRYING INFORMATION”—CAN CAUSATION ACCOUNT FOR ABOUTNESS? —WHAT COULD REPLACE THE REPRESENTATIONALIST TRADITION? —A DIAGNOSIS OF THE REPRESENTATIONALIST'S MISTAKE—A TRANSFORMED PICTURE OF “CONSCIOUSNESS” AND REALITY— CONFIRMING THE SURPRISING HYPOTHESIS Chapter 10 The Mind of God 152 THE OBJECTIVITY OF THE REALM OF SENSE—HOW THE STRUCTURE OF PRESENCE MIGHT IMPOSE EVOLUTIONARY CONSTRAINTS—OBJECTIVE MIND AND THE MIND OF THE HIGHEST ONE—THE DOUBLY DONATORY CHARACTER OF REALITY—DOES GOD EXIST? —THE HIGHEST ONE CONTENTS ix Chapter 11 Christianity without Spiritual Materialism 160 RELIGION AND VIOLENCE—THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GIRARD—WHERE IS ORIGINAL SINFULNESS?— ORIGINAL SINFULNESS AS SELF-WILL AND FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS—CHRIST DESTROYS THE KINGDOM OF SELF-WILL AND FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS—THE AFTERLIFE AS AN IDOLATROUS CONCEIT—AGAINST “MAN'S QUEST FOR MEANING”—THE AFTERLIFE AS RESISTANCE TO CHRIST—NATURALISM'S GIFT: RESURRECTION WITHOUT THE AFTERLIFE POSTSCRIPT 187 INDEX 189