Kierkegaard and the Paradox of Religious Diversity

2016 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences

Soren Kierkegaard famously critiqued Christendom - especially the religious monoculture of his native Denmark. But what would he make of the dizzying diversity of religious life today? In this book George Connell draws on Kierkegaard's thought to explore pressing questions that contemporary religious diversity poses. Connell unpacks an underlying tension in Kierkegaard, demonstrating both universalistic and particularistic tendencies in his thought. Kierkegaard's paradoxical vision of religious diversity, says Connell, allows for both respectful coexistence between people of different faiths and authentic commitment to one's own faith. Though Kierkegaard lived and wrote in a context very different from ours today, this nuanced study shows that his searching reflections on religious faith remain highly relevant as globalization, immigration, and mass media have thrust us into a world where people of many various faiths necessarily interact with each other daily. "Connell's long engagements with the problem of religious pluralism and with the writings of Kierkegaard come fruitfully together here...A work of mature scholarship, filled with challenging and illuminating insights."

- Merold Westphal Fordham University

George B. Connell (Author)