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Does civilization need religion?

By Reinhold Niebuhr
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Philosophy & EthicsReligion/SpiritualitySociology

About This Book

This work analyzes religion's role in modern society, arguing that faith both defends human personality against the impersonal forces of science and industrial civilization and suffers decline from secularization and internal maladjustment. It outlines religion's social resources—ethical formation, communal solidarity, and transcendent meaning—while diagnosing its conservative limits and difficulties in addressing complex collective ethics. The author examines the tensions and compromises between religious claims and modern life, the ethical impotence produced by social complexity, and possible ways religion might transcend and transform secular institutions. The conclusion proposes a philosophical basis for an ethical religion that renews moral authority without reverting to rigid orthodoxy.

About the Author

Niebuhr, Reinhold portrait

Reinhold Niebuhr

Reinhold Niebuhr was an influential American theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual known for his contributions to social and political thought. His work often explored the complexities of human nature and the moral dilemmas faced in society. In his notable book, "Does Civilization Need Religion?", Niebuhr examines the interplay between faith and the ethical challenges of modern civilization. His ideas have had a lasting impact on both religious and secular discourse, particularly in the realms of politics and ethics.

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