Description
Book SynopsisBrings together autobiographical narratives and reflections by philosophers who were brought up in strict religious environments.
Trade Review“Philosophy is brought to life in these personal accounts of how philosophical analysis can change a person. Here, professional philosophers provide insights into how their training affects the way in which they interpret and change their own religious beliefs. Since the book is composed of personal stories about religious indoctrination and its consequences, it will be attractive to individuals who are interested in religion. In addition, anyone who has children would benefit from this look at how religious education can affect a child—as well as the adult that child will become.”
—Julia J. Aaron,Clarion University
“Religious Upbringing and the Costs of Freedom is a creative compilation of essays that challenges the boundaries of philosophy by, in effect, initiating a serious dialogue with religion from the standpoint of a mostly secularist community through the medium of philosophical autobiography. These essays also challenge the meaning of religious indoctrination and examine the complex relation of religious life to cultural development.”
—Lewis Gordon,Laura H. Carnell Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Judaic Studies at Temple University
“[The essays in Religious Upbringing and the Costs of Freedom] explore the ethics of responsible parenting and the demarcation of education from indoctrination, [and] are often insightful and worthy of careful study.”
—F. A. Grabowski Choice
“The stories [in Religious Upbringing and the Costs of Freedom] are full of interesting examples and vivid details. Every story is one of quality and depth.”
—Christopher Silver Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Indoctrination Project
Peter Caws and Stefani Jones
Part 1: Childhood Vulnerability and Internalized Belief
1. Indirect Indoctrination, Internalized Religion, and Parental Responsibility
Christine Overall
2. Religious Indoctrination and the Wish for the Irrevocable: Reflections on a Muslim Upbringing
Irfan Khawaja
3. From Fundamentalist to Freethinker (It All Began with Santa)
Raymond D. Bradley
4. Growing Up to Question Catholicism: Emotional Suffering, the Euthyphro, and the Life of the Mind
Damien Alexander Dupont
Part 2: Reconfiguring the Morality of Indoctrination
5. Biting into the Hermeneutical Apple: Biblical Literalism and the Lure of Uncertainty
Amalia Jiva
6. Autonomy and Indoctrination in Evangelical Christianity
Tasia Persson
7. Indoctrination, Autonomy, and Authenticity
Glen Pettigrove
Part 3: Embodiment, Family, and Conflict
8. From Revelation and Faith to Reason and Agnosticism
Paul H. Hirst
9. For the Love of Paradox: Mennonite Morality and Philosophy
Diane Enns
10. Finding My Voice
Stefani Jones
11. Tragedies of Belief
Peter Caws
About the Contributors
Index
