The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs: Fundamentalism and the Fear of Truth


"This is a long-overdue book about a pressing subject by a brilliant writer qualified not only by his professional expertise but by his own life experiences. The question of why otherwise thoughtful people accept irrational religious fundamentalism is a difficult one to address in our age of oversensitivity about challenging deeply held religious beliefs. But Schimmel confronts the challenge head- on -- respectfully, intelligently, and with the insights that have long characterized his work. This is a must-read for all thinking people who respect religious diversity." --Alan Dershowitz


"Very few books face honestly the social and cultural persistence of what Professor Schimmel here labels the 'tenacity of unreasonable beliefs.' Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- sometimes called collectively the 'religions of the book' -- have developed very different approaches to the Abrahamic tradition. In these approaches, interpretation, belief, and action come together in subtle and often irrational ways. This is a profoundly insightful and illuminating work which asks the reader to consider the correspondence between irrational belief and human behavior in a thoughtful, precise, and eloquent way. It is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the nature of religiously based violence." --R. Joseph Hoffmann, Chair, The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion

"The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs addresses questions about the psychology of religious fundamentalism in a most penetrating and enlightening manner, from perspectives that are neglected in most of the literature on the subject -- including anthropology, evolutionary and social psychology, and philosophy. Schimmel provides us with a sophisticated understanding of the mentality of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptural fundamentalists, and of why and how they tenaciously cling to beliefs that have failed the tests of experience, scholarship and reason -- and the dangers of their doing so. The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs is an essential read for anyone concerned about defending Western democracy in its ideological struggle against the values, vices, and violence of radical Islam. --Ibn Warraq, author of Why I Am Not a Muslim and Defending the West

If the real issue is actually "fundamentalism and the fear of truth", these fellows should help themselves and stop applauding their myopic comfort zone. Fundamentalism pervades every facet of human endeavour - religion, politics, and atheism. This is why those who only see fundamentalism in religion and fail to highlight the same fundamentalism in a[/b]theism are doing the most serious harm to their own intellectual adventures. . . .more than that, it feeds the real bane of fundamentalism with the necessary ingredient: [b]hypocrisy.

huxley:

Schimmel provides us with a sophisticated understanding of the mentality of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptural fundamentalists, and of why and how they tenaciously cling to beliefs that have failed the tests of experience, scholarship and reason -- and the dangers of their doing so.

These fellows have failed to understand that their own test is already a laugh. The dangers are indeed unparalled for those celebrating this hubris of pointing accusing fingers at religions and yet fail to subject atheistic fundamentalism to the same scrutiny. Has anyone failed to notice how atheism has failed the same test of "experience, scholarship and reason"? It isn't surprising that these chaps would be gleefully applauding this partisan exercise under the hypocrisy of a worry about "fundamentalism" - they should be honest enough to understand that this same fundamentalism pervades the atheistic worldview as well.

@ pilgrim
No be small thing. . . .I like your line of reasoning but athiest have nothing to answer because they dont go around claiming things that are completely propesterous. . . pls answer this question. . .how is the biblical god the greatest source of love, mercy and justice when he kills over 40 thousand people for just looking into a ark of covenant or tells people to kill each other? how is he the god of love when he instructs people on how to share virgins and proceeds after a war?how is he the greatest source of understanding when he encourages division amongst people? how is he a god of justice when he kills babies just because their parents worship other gods or gives out instruction on how people are to enslave each other? how is he the greatest source of mercy when he tells people to stone a person to death for picking stones on a sabath? how is he the river of love when he sends a bear to kill 42 children just for being kids? No athiest has ever claimed to be the greatest sourec of love, mercy, justice and power. the biblical god did but some of his actions in the bible has clearly showed that he doesnt understand the meaning of love, mercy and justice let alone being their greatest source. . . how do you reconclie the fact that a god that says he is the greatest source of love then turns around and does things that even his greatest enemy satan who is supposed to be the bad guy and the greatest source of evil has no record of doing such things?

@mazaje,

mazaje:

@ pilgrim
No be small thing. . . .I like your line of reasoning but athiest have nothing to answer because they don't go around claiming things that are completely propesterous.

I am sorry to deeply disappoint you - isn't it the same hypocrisy to argue about morality and yet assert that atheists do not go around claiming things that are preposterous. If you want to educate yourself on these matters, go and revisit the points I have made on this same issues and the highlights I gave about them. Talk is cheap and I'm sorry to be disinterested in repeating myself endlessly. Yes, call it a deviation or whatever you like - but while asking me to answer your questions, isn't it the same atheistic hypocrisy to fail to answer the few questions I left you in some earlier threads?

You see, I don't have a problem with people discussing - I engage in discussions that are meaningful. But for someone to keep pandering this hubris every single time and yet fail to look inward at their own convictions is to cheapen their intellect. We have been through this question of "kill" so many numbers - at least, in comparison, you have not been able to address the greater number of atheistic murders with wet blood dripping through their fingers in recent times! Have you been able to address that question? And you have the nerve to repeat this same hubris?

This is the same atheistic fundamentalism that I'm seeking to address, and glad that this thread was raised to that effect. People many times pretend as if their worries are perculiar only to religion! "Fundamentalism" seems to be a strange word in your worldview - and pretending about this same issue is to be conceited ina  most queer manner. How have you been able to address this same bane of fundamentalism even in atheism, if you're going to be reasonable and scholarly at all? You worry about "killings" - sorry, without the help of religion, atheists are murdering and still persecuting people today! Are you the only person to be so fundamentally ignorant of that fact? Every time you shelpp this problem of "killings", please turn your sheets over and look again at atheistic murders - that is a greater problem for you to digest! And if that is it, you are serving the same atheistic hypocrisy to point accusing fingers and shout all day on that same problem where indeed you have failed this same test of "experience, scholarship and reason" to see what I have said earlier:
     __________________________________________________________________________

     Fundamentalism pervades every facet of human endeavour - religion, politics, and atheism.
     This is why those who only see fundamentalism in religion and fail to highlight the same
     fundamentalism in atheism are doing the most serious harm to their own intellectual
     adventures. . . .more than that, it feeds the real bane of fundamentalism with the necessary
     ingredient: hypocrisy.
     __________________________________________________________________________

If atheists have no claim to virtues of morality (that same lie that you're most likely to be happy shlepping around), what is the hypocrisy of their efforts to discuss the same morality and even trying to legislate how others should live their lives? If "killings" are the real issue for your excuses, please go and do something about atheists who murder without the help of religion or morals. Start from there to address the real problem in passing the test of "experience, scholarship and reason", instead of this hubris.

Cheers.

You are running way from the issue, athiest kill and their killings are bad. . . what makes it confounding is when a force/being or what ever claims to be the greatest source of love or mercy turns around and does things that shows he completely does not know what love and mercy are. . . . athiest never claim to be the greatest source of love or mercy so when they kill their killings are different than when a god that says he is the greatest source of love and mercy but kills and orders people to kill to the extent of punishing them if they refuse to kill. . .some times the biblical god kills for reasons i believe athiest killers wont . . . . example in the bible god killed 40, thousand people for looking into an ark of covenant or kills childre for being kids. . . hitler killed for power and conquest not because he did'nt want people looking into his bedroom. . . . . but kai it seems you dont want to address the issue because i believe it makes you feel uncomfortable, you are more interested in turning the plates against me nice try . . . they call it tijustsu in marshall arts abi you don become barack obama?

@mazaje,

mazaje:

You are running way from the issue, athiest kill and their killings are bad. . . what makes it confounding is when a force/being or what ever claims to be the greatest source of love or mercy turns around and does things that shows he completely does not know what love and mercy are.

I haven't been running away from no issues and have always sought to address them directly - without the hypocrisy that has become second nature of playing partisan politics with words of no import as we often read in these exercises. Atheists kill and their killings are bad. .  what indeed makes it confounding is that atheists themselves have not been able to address the force driving atheistic murders without religion or supernatural forces - and then hypocritically seeking to ignore that fact, they worry themselves to death about the same issue in religious killings. Tell me, is that not as bad a case you have just made for atheistic "experience, scholarship and reason"? This is the reason why I stopped entertaining this clever hypocrisy that is saying nothing, pretending the atheist case as made without a claim to moral values. . . and then try to define what those same moral values mean!

mazaje:

. . . athiest never claim to be the greatest source of love or mercy so when they kill their killings are different than when a god that says he is the greatest source of love and mercy but kills and orders people to kill to the extent of punishing them if they refuse to killsome times the biblical god kills for reasons i believe athiest killers wont

I have not asked any atheist whether they are the source of love or mercy - talkless of whether they are the "greatest source" of those virtues. The one problem is this lie that atheists do not make any such claim - please educate yourself above that slice and then you will see how many atheists are struggling to take a consistent position thereto.

mazaje:

. . . . example in the bible god killed 40, thousand people for looking into an ark of covenant or kills childre for being kids. . . hitler killed for power and conquest not because he did'nt want people looking into his bedroom. . . . . but kai it seems you don't want to address the issue because i believe it makes you feel uncomfortable, you are more interested in turning the plates against me nice try . . . they call it tijustsu in marshall arts abi you don become barack obama?

I have never felt uncomfy discussing these issues - never. While any atheist may say very illogical and irrational things in seeking to address, they often start off asking for "experience, scholarship and reason", and yet fail to follow through with those same elements in their discussions. As long as they play these hypocritic games, why should I worry about seeking to bend my neck to your irrationality - especially when it clear you don't have a handle on what you're trying to say? Dear mazaje, even the most basic of issues (the definition of atheism) does not hold a concensus among you guys - and if you have failed to hold a rational scholarship even on that note, it does not surprise me that making a reasoned discussion with some of these atheists is an enduring waste.

Regards.

Funny, Funny, Funny.

God Kill 40 thousands and more in the bible. The "loving" god of the bible killed these people and ordered even more. The total dead toll ascribable to god runs in the millions. This is god herself killing his own "beloved" children.

Now, answer that.

Funny, funny, funny.

By contrast, atheistic murders stand as a stark reality that dwarfs those figures today without the help of God or religion - now answer that.