{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Taking Religion Seriously - Can You Get to Belief Purely Through Reason?","description":"In which I mostly talk about the Shroud of Turin. Murray only spends seven pages on the it, so my review is not comprehensive. Actually, never mind. That's what the top sections are for. Taking Religion Seriously By: Charles Murray Published: 2025 152 Pages  Briefly, what is this book about? Murray\u2019s journey from agnosticism to belief, a journey that is largely intellectual rather than spiritual. Because it was largely intellectual, it\u2019s also more explicable. This allows Murray to write a different sort of conversion story, one that\u2019s more amenable to being mapped out as a straightforward guide with sources and citations. What authorial biases should I be aware of? Murray has been a libertarian thinker for decades, though he\u2019s probably best known for The Bell Curve which he co-authored. So Murray is approaching things from a conservative\/libertarian milieu. That said, it\u2019s a very balanced book. When he provides his sources for a particular idea he also includes sources that are critical of that idea. Who should read this book? I\u2019ve read a lot of books that fall in this general area. Too many to list (consider The New Testament in Its World, Modern Physics and Ancient Faith and Believe just in the last six months) I would read Murray before reading any of them. It\u2019s clear, comprehensive, short, and meaty. Even if you\u2019re a raging atheist I would read this book because it\u2019s the quickest way to understand your opponents\u2019 best arguments. Specific thoughts: The surprising strength of the Shroud of Turin ","author_name":"We Are Not Saved","author_url":"http:\/\/wearenotsaved.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/39665405\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/197295210"}