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hannahnyrie's review against another edition
5.0
This book shouts at you.
If you’re a Christian reader: you will put this book down and stare off into empty space, wondering if all this time you’ve been doing nothing more with your so-called “faith” than using it to treat God as a fool. You’ll seriously question your church, your pastors, anyone you’ve ever known who claims to be a Christian. You’ll question your own take on the New Testament, wondering if you actually read the same one as Kierkegaard.
If you’re a non-Christian reader: you’ll be astounded at how complicated the church actually is. You’ll recognize yourself as a willing participant (unconsciously or not) in Kierkegaard’s alleged “society that is no longer fit for religion.” It may knock the wind out of you, realizing how closely you align with Christians (according to Kierkegaard, you are the same, but you are just more candid with your position.)
I’ve always loved Kierkegaard’s work. It is incredibly refreshing to read someone who is not at all interested in defending the faith (he actually can’t defend it because he is far too busy attacking the manifestation of it) - if you’re reading his work, he assumes you’ve already established your own position. Kierkegaard says he won’t defend Christianity, because he has no care for temporal (earthly) justification.
Much like in his magnum opus “Either/Or,” Kierkegaard is stark and not interested in sugarcoating the news. He presents Christianity with such a tone of finality that it is very hard to not believe every word he says. He desecrates every aspect of the established church down to traditional confirmations (which he calls “Christian Comedies”.) And it’s absolutely terrifying.
As a philosophical text, this work is very strong. Kierkegaard backs up every point with brilliant examples and anecdotes; in a sense he is defending Christianity simply by exhibiting a harrowingly vivid self-knowledge of it. (In the middle of the book, he actually states that he himself is not yet a genuine Christian.)
Kierkegaard’s identification of the church as a wildly hypocritical and manipulative establishment in the mid-1800s is impressive and brave when considering the era. He presents two widely respected Danish priests at the time (Bishop Mynster and Bishop Martensen), and harshly discredits them as supposed witnesses to the truth. There is a great deal of comedy in this book, which really just serves to show how comfortable Kierkegaard is in his convictions.
This book is a lot to take in, but it seems very important. Contemporary priests, pastors, and anyone in a position of ministry would greatly benefit from this read. It is hard to take all of Kierkegaard’s statements very literally, because he demands a lot, but at the very least this text is a horribly beneficial whack on the head. You’ll more frequently catch yourself in moments of hypocrisy, even if you’re not a Christian. There is something very universal and human about this work.
If you’re a Christian reader: you will put this book down and stare off into empty space, wondering if all this time you’ve been doing nothing more with your so-called “faith” than using it to treat God as a fool. You’ll seriously question your church, your pastors, anyone you’ve ever known who claims to be a Christian. You’ll question your own take on the New Testament, wondering if you actually read the same one as Kierkegaard.
If you’re a non-Christian reader: you’ll be astounded at how complicated the church actually is. You’ll recognize yourself as a willing participant (unconsciously or not) in Kierkegaard’s alleged “society that is no longer fit for religion.” It may knock the wind out of you, realizing how closely you align with Christians (according to Kierkegaard, you are the same, but you are just more candid with your position.)
I’ve always loved Kierkegaard’s work. It is incredibly refreshing to read someone who is not at all interested in defending the faith (he actually can’t defend it because he is far too busy attacking the manifestation of it) - if you’re reading his work, he assumes you’ve already established your own position. Kierkegaard says he won’t defend Christianity, because he has no care for temporal (earthly) justification.
Much like in his magnum opus “Either/Or,” Kierkegaard is stark and not interested in sugarcoating the news. He presents Christianity with such a tone of finality that it is very hard to not believe every word he says. He desecrates every aspect of the established church down to traditional confirmations (which he calls “Christian Comedies”.) And it’s absolutely terrifying.
As a philosophical text, this work is very strong. Kierkegaard backs up every point with brilliant examples and anecdotes; in a sense he is defending Christianity simply by exhibiting a harrowingly vivid self-knowledge of it. (In the middle of the book, he actually states that he himself is not yet a genuine Christian.)
Kierkegaard’s identification of the church as a wildly hypocritical and manipulative establishment in the mid-1800s is impressive and brave when considering the era. He presents two widely respected Danish priests at the time (Bishop Mynster and Bishop Martensen), and harshly discredits them as supposed witnesses to the truth. There is a great deal of comedy in this book, which really just serves to show how comfortable Kierkegaard is in his convictions.
This book is a lot to take in, but it seems very important. Contemporary priests, pastors, and anyone in a position of ministry would greatly benefit from this read. It is hard to take all of Kierkegaard’s statements very literally, because he demands a lot, but at the very least this text is a horribly beneficial whack on the head. You’ll more frequently catch yourself in moments of hypocrisy, even if you’re not a Christian. There is something very universal and human about this work.
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