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Why Faith Matters | 
 enlarge | Author: David J. Wolpe
Creator: Rick Warren
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.47
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 5775
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 0061633348
Dewey Decimal Number: 211.8
EAN: 9780061633348
ASIN: 0061633348
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Judging by today's bestseller lists, one would think that religion is either irrational or extreme. What's missing is a genuine debate between the atheists and fanatics; someone to point out that religion has value in the modern world. Why Faith Matters is an articulate defense of religion in America. It makes the case for faith and shows its relationship to history and science. Refuting the cold reason of the atheists and the hatred of the fanatics with a vision of religion informed by faith, love, and understanding, Rabbi David J. Wolpe follows in a literary tradition that stretches from Cardinal Newman to C. S. Lewis to Thomas Merton—all individuals of faith who brought religion and culture together in their own works. Drawing on the personal and powerful story of his battle with cancer, Wolpe offers a moving statement in support of religion today. In a poignant response to the new atheists, Wolpe takes readers through the origins and nature of faith, the role of the Bible in modern life, and the compatibility of God and science. He concludes with a powerful argument for the place of God, faith, and religion in today's world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Oh My God. This is a good book. October 30, 2008
You are lying to yourself if you say you are not curious about the existence of God and your place in the universe. Maybe it's not front and center. How could that be when you're worried that Starbucks is going to close down in your neighborhood and you still haven't hooked up the digital-to-analog converter box? But those less urgent concerns do emerge at the oddest times.
What's it all about? You must have at least a little curiosity about the Big Picture.
You can pretend you are done thinking about the eternal questions of religious faith. You can state your belief that there is no God or conversely, that God is everywhere. You can also do yourself a huge favor and buy this wonderful, reassuring and intellectually stimulating book by David Wolpe. And if you quote him and not give him credit, people will think you're really smart. If you read this book, you will be comforted in unexpected ways. It will open your heart and your mind and give you peace - though not eternal.
It is the perfect gift for those very human friends and loved ones in your life -- faithful and unfaithful alike. The book is powerful. I'm so glad I read it.
 Some truth but incomplete October 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wolpe's argument for the value of faith is twofold: 1.religion is true, 2. religion is useful. His arguments for the first are extremely weak. The canard of "science hasn't disproved God" is tired and absurd. No, science cannot disprove God, but so what? Neither can science disprove fairies, but rational people don't believe in them because there is no evidence for their existence. He quotes Stephen Jay Gould as saying there is no conflict b/w religion and science. Gould was a brilliant man, but he was just wrong in this conclusion. Religions do make claims about the world that are manifestly untrue (see Letter to a Christian Nation or Steven Weinberg's essay in the Portable Atheist for a rebuttal of Gould's claim).
On the other hand, Wolpe does provide some evidence for the usefulness of religion. He makes two valid points: 1.societies without religion are very often horrible, as the 20th century has shown, and 2. there is empirical evidence that religion encourages charity. Although I am an atheist, I think these facts are too important to ignore. I give a mild thumbs-up to the book.
Faith, Doubt and Knowledge September 26, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
David Wolpe understands the words of Tennyson: "There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds.
At the same time, Wolpe understands the power of faith and gives comfort to those who make the leap of faith.
Truly a Renaissance man, Wolpe has the extraordinary ability to inspire readers to be introspective, which is a key to our essence and existence. His knowledge of history, philosophy, psychology and theology, and various other belief systems, is obvious in his presentation.
I believe that all people who are open to enhancing their self-awareness, and to considering varied ideas about faith, should read "Why Faith Matters." Even for those who are rightly skeptical about some of the author's assertions, and who might not be comfortable with certain of his approaches, Wolpe is still a very serious and important thinker who deserves our consideration. (Reviewed by Jerry Marcus, author of four novels, including The Salvation Peddler and Broken Trust - The Murder Of Basketball Star Jack Molinas.)
A great book for believers and non-believers too September 25, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Like many Americans, I have endured at various times in my life periods of faith and doubt in the existence of God. I was surprised to read that in his youth, Rabbi Wolpe also was a practicing atheist. So, from the beginning of the book it was easy to equally consider the arguments in favor of faith, knowing that Rabbi Wolpe contemplated these issues on a personal level, too.
While his writing is cerebral, the book is an easy read of an incredibly difficult subject. The book will help those with faith re-affirm their connection to their God, and for those without, the book will force you to seriously reflect on just who holds the tiller of your moral rudder. Without qualms, Rabbi Wolpe raises arguments about the importance of a religious component to your life.
His most poignant point may be the role that organized religion plays as a check and balance to government. Rabbi Wolpe does not take the unsupportable position that religious institutions are infallible. In fact, he openly acknowledges that just like out of control governments can wreak havoc, so can out of control religion. But his overall case that the scales of goodness ultimately tip in the favor of belief in God is compelling.
Eyes wide open September 18, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
David Wolpe writes of Faith with eyes wide open, displaying both honesty and wonder. He reminds us of the humanizing gifts of faith with thoughtful quotes, stories, and erudition. For instance, I was unaware of historian Edward Gibbon's critic of Christianity, with its emphasis on peace, as the cause of the demise of the Roman Empire. Rabbi Wolpe writes personally, revealing his own health crises and how those encounters with vulnerability opened him to the power of prayer and the presence of a Divine, caring Being. Last, he writes with humility, acknowledging that religious questions are never answered completely and that wrestling with the questions is the ongoing homework of our lives. Why Faith Matters? has mattered to me, deepening my own exploration of what it means to believe and to live with faith.
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