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Around two-thirds of us say we believe in
God or some 'higher power', but fewer than one in ten Australians attend
church weekly. In Beyond Belief, Hugh Mackay presents this discrepancy
as one of the great unexamined topics of our time. He argues that while our
attachment to a traditional idea of God may be waning, our desire for a life
of meaning remains as strong as ever.
Mackay interviews dozens of Australians
representing many different points on the spectrum of faith, including some
who are part of the emerging 'spiritual but not religious' movement. He
exposes the deep vein of ambivalence about religion that runs through our
society: we may not actively worship, but we still like to see local churches
operating in our midst, and we use 'our' church to marry, christen our
babies, educate our children and commemorate our dead.
He points out some
uncomfortable truths, such as our tendency to call on God only in a crisis,
and unpacks our human need for 'answers', even when science can't find them.
He endorses the Christian ideal of the good life - a life lived for others -
but acknowledges that there are many pathways to that same goal, not all of
them religious.
Written with all the insight and
compassion we have come to expect of our leading chronicler of Australian
life, Beyond Belief is an engrossing exploration of the ways we
find spiritual fulfilment in an avowedly secular age.
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