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BeliefsExploringReligion,ShapedbytheEnlightenmentNYTimes.com

October11,2008

BELIEFS

ExploringReligion,ShapedbytheEnlightenment
ByPETERS.STEINFELS

WhycantreligionandtheEnlightenmentbefriends?Whatsthat,yousay?Theywerefriends?Whydidnt
anyonetellus?
Well,DavidSorkinhas.AprofessorofhistoryandJewishstudiesattheUniversityofWisconsin,heargues
inanewstudythatreligionandtheEnlightenmentwereevenmorethanfriends.
Intheacademicaswellasthepopularimagination,Dr.Sorkinwrites,theEnlightenmentfiguresasa
quintessentiallysecularphenomenonindeed,astheverysourceofmodernsecularculture.
Butcontrarytothissecularmasternarrative,heargues,theEnlightenmentwasnotonlycompatible
withreligiousbelief,itactuallygeneratednewformulationsofthatbelief.
SuchtheologicalformulationswerenolessanessentialpartofEnlightenmentthought,heinsists,thanthe
deist,materialistorantireligiousideasoftenidentifiedwithitandregularlywheeledintothefrontlinesof
todaysculturalandpoliticalwars.
InTheReligiousEnlightenment,abookpublishedinAugustbyPrincetonUniversityPress,Dr.Sorkin
aimsatnothinglessthantoreviseourunderstandingoftheEnlightenment.
Buildingonrecentscholarshiphighlightingtheideologicalandgeographicaldiversityof18thcentury
thought,Dr.SorkinpositsaspecificallyreligiousEnlightenmentthatnotonlysharedcharacteristicsacross
confessionallinesaswellasnationalbordershencehisbookssubtitle,Protestants,Jews,andCatholics
fromLondontoViennabutalsomayhavehadmoreinfluentialadherentsandexertedmorepowerin
itsdaythaneitherthemoderateortheradicalversionoftheEnlightenment.
LeadingthinkersofthisreligiousEnlightenment,heexplains,soughtareasonablefaiththatwas
answerabletocontemporaryscienceandphilosophy,andnotgroundedmerelyondogmaticauthority,pure
emotionorfascinationwiththemiraculous.
Thesethinkersagreedwithdeiststhattherewasakindofnaturalreligion,basictruthsaboutGodand
moralityaccessibletoreasoningpeople.Naturalreligionwasnotarivaloralternative,however,torevealed
religion.Itwasaprelude,anecessarybutinsufficientfoundationforbelief.Withoutafurtherbeliefresting
onrevelation,reasonwaslikelytoendinskepticismandimmorality.
Tointerpretthisrevelation,a.k.a.,theBible,leadersofthereligiousEnlightenmentgenerallyemployedthe
principleofaccommodation:theconvictionthatGodhadaccommodatedhumanityslimited
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understandingbyusinglanguage,imageryandstoriessuitedtoparticularagesandcultures.The
transcendenttruthsofsacredtextshadtobeextractedfromwhatwashistoricallyconditioned.
ThestandardbearersofthereligiousEnlightenmentchampionedreligioustolerationandthefreedomof
religiousminorities,althoughtheystoppedwellshortofcallingforstateneutralityinreligiousaffairs.
Theybelievedinestablishedchurchesthatfosteredpublicvirtuethroughmoralinstructionandofficial
ritualwithoutcoercingdissenters.Liketheirsecularcounterparts,theywereeagertoputinplacetheir
reformingideasthroughthepowerofenlightenedmonarchs.
Alsoliketheirsecularcounterparts,theleadingfiguresofthereligiousEnlightenmentwereactiveinthe
newlyemergingpublicsphere,thesocalledrepublicofletters.Thesereligiouswriterssharedandshaped
ideasthroughwidereachingnetworksofacquaintance,correspondenceandpublishing.
Theywereengagedwithsecularconcernswroteabouthistory,philosophy,politicsandcurrentaffairsand
crossedintellectualpathsorswordswithEnlightenmentgiantslikeMontesquieu,Voltaire,dAlembert
andRousseau.
Dr.Sorkinsbookissomethingofasandwich.Intheopeningandconcludingchapters,hesetsouthis
programmaticproposalforrestoringreligiontotheconventionalportraitoftheEnlightenment.Inbetween
aredetailedstudiesofsixrepresentativesofthereligiousEnlightenment.
WilliamWarburtonwasalearnedandpugnaciousthinkerwithintheChurchofEngland.JacobVernet
reignedoverCalvinisminGeneva.TheLutherantheologianSiegmundJacobBaumgartenwaspraisedby
VoltaireasthejewelinthecrownofGermanscholarship.
MosesMendelssohn,aparagonofEnlightenmentJudaism,translatedthePentateuchintoGerman,and
advocatedJewishemancipation.JosephValentinEybelpromotedCatholicreformundertheHapsburgs.
AdrienLamourette,Catholicpriestandpoliticalpamphleteer,waselectedbishopofLyonsinthe
ConstitutionalChurchoftheFrenchRevolution.
Thesearehardlyhouseholdnames,noteveninhouseholdsboastingadvanceddegreesinhistoryor
theology.Andtheseareformidablechaptersthatmaychallengeevensomescholarlyspecialists,sodense
arethereferencestoreligiouspoliticsandtheologicalismsastheauthorworkshiswayfrom
Protestantism(inAnglican,CalvinistandLutheranflavors)toJudaismandCatholicismandacrossthe
continentfromHanoverianEnglandtoHohenzollernPrussiaandHapsburgAustria.
Dr.Sorkinacknowledgesthathehasfocusedonsecondrankfigures,howeverprominentintheirday,
althoughbeingsecondrankmaymakethemmorerepresentativeratherthanlessso.
Hestoutlyrebutstheassertionthatthesethinkerswerenotsincerebelieversandapologistsbut
trimmerslookingforacomfortableperchpartwaydowntheslipperyslopetounbelief.Itisacharge,Dr.
Sorkinbelieves,restingontheassumptionthattheonlyviablealternativesweretheexistingorthodoxiesor
totalsecularization.
Todaysadvocatesofreligioustoleration,historicallyinformedinterpretersofScriptureandopenminded
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engagementwiththefullrangeofcontemporaryideaswillnaturallyfeelalinktotheseearlierthinkers.
Still,thesesixindividualsmakealessthanwinningcasefortheviabilityofthereligiousEnlightenment.
Foronething,theyconstructedtheirtheoriesonwhatnowlooklikequestionablephilosophical
foundationsprovidedbyDescartes,LockeandChristianWolff.
Moreseriously,theirallianceswithstatepowerseemtotainttheindependenceoftheirthinking.And
anyonetryingtogaugetheirreligiousimportmaylongformoreglimpsesofinspirationintheirspiritual
andpersonallivesbehindDr.Sorkinsexhaustiveaccountoftheirideas.
Mostoftheirstoriesendsadly,asnewgenerationspushasidethepioneersofthereligiousEnlightenment.
ThefinalandextremecasewasLamourette,whotriedtoslowtheFrenchRevolutionhehadpromoted.In
1794,hewasguillotined.
TheFrenchRevolutionanditsNapoleonicaftermathnotonlydestroyedthereligiousEnlightenmentin
practiceitalsocreated,asDr.Sorkinnotes,areligiousseculardichotomythatcondemnedthissideof
theEnlightenmenttohistoricalobscurity.
Rescuingitfromthatobscurity,heinsists,isofmuchmorethanacademicinterest.
Thetwentyfirstcenturyhasbegunwithseeminglyunbridgeablechasmsbetweensecularismand
believers,Dr.Sorkinwrites.Onestepinavertingsuchaparloussituationistorecoverthenotionofan
Enlightenmentspectrumthat,byincludingthereligiousEnlightenment,complicatesourunderstandingof
beliefscriticalandabidingroleinmodernculture.
Copyright2008TheNewYorkTimesCompany
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