Sam Keen: In The Absence of God

Berkeley Arts and Letters

As global residents within a culture of fanaticism, materialism, and greed, is it possible to bridge our differences and dwell in harmony in the twenty-first century? Celebrated author Sam Keen believes that a new understanding of the role of religion in our lives is essential for such a transformation. And that nothing less than our existence hangs in the balance.

In In the Absence of God, Keen offers a provocative critique of the present state of religion and leads the way down a new path -- one of renewal for us and our troubled society. By recovering the experience of the sacred, Keen argues, we may renew our own relationship with God and discover the religious commonality we all share, ending bridging differences that have divided Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others.

Known throughout religious and philosophical circles alike, Keen has spent his life asking the "big questions," and in In the Absence of God, he does not shy away from some of the most difficult and provocative questions concerning religion today:

What does religion offer us in today's world? How has religion failed us? Must we choose between religious fundamentalism and atheism -- or is there a hopeful alternative? How can religion address the challenges and violence we face every day?

Keen reminds us that the answers to these questions lie at the heart of religion and shows us how to access them. By reviving the sacred in everyday life through an appreciation of such elementary emotions as wonder, gratitude, anxiety, joy, grief, reverence, compassion, outrage, hope, and humility, we may rediscover God for ourselves and find a way to live in peace. There is no transcript for this programPremium content is available