We’ve probably heard it before. Religion is superstitious belief, discredited by science and a relic of the past. No more than fantasy fairy stories. Or maybe they are the root cause of conflict. Why waste time on what contributes so little towards building a better world? How dare anyone even suggest imposing a way of living that restricts my freedom to choose. Clearly, we all paid close attention in school and had quality lessons in Religion, Philosophy and History confirming this all to be true? Isn’t this just what everyone thinks anyway? Do we even talk about it? Who cares because how can we even know? This all just feels too uncomfortable, so why not just go back to scrolling on my phone!
Sadly, this is often how conversation goes at a popular, superficial level. A careful reading of Ross Douthat’s book would be good medicine here as his aim is, ‘to make religious belief intelligible to irreligious readers.’[1] Given that we’re dealing with complex ideas that require deep thinking (never a solitary project), reading it with others without the distraction of a device can help bring clarity where there has been confusion (just imagine if Martin Luther had picked up his phone!) We’re living through what Neil Postman called ‘technopoly’ which helped generate the era of ‘brain rot’ (Oxford’s word of the year for 2024). And if we work to cultivate intellectual virtues like being open-minded and willing to embrace the struggle of hard thinking and sustained reading, then we might end up living in a world which was a little more wise and, dare I say, intelligent when it comes to talking about religion. Believers and unbelievers would both have much to gain here.
Of course, I’m not advocating that religion has always been good. For those wishing to do a deep dive into the mixed history of Christianity, John Dickson has already provided this excellent resource. Douthat also addresses this as one of the stumbling blocks to faith in chapter 6 of his book.[2] Some might be quick to dismiss the writings of a historian or a journalist regarding the benefits of religion. If so, then perhaps they should listen to a psychiatrist like Andrew Sims who says, ‘the advantageous effect of religious belief and spirituality is one of the best kept secrets in psychiatry and medicine generally.’[3]
But just because something is consoling, that doesn’t make it true. Might religion be a useful fiction? Possibly, but the pursuit of truth matters, or we’ll end up with a situation where we get splinters from going “against the grain of the universe”[4] . And a lot is at stake if God really is there! I think Douthat would agree when he says, ‘the seeker should assume that there exist less-true and more-true schools of thought, and that they’re looking for the truest religious school within a continuum where many options have some validity.’[5] Quite right when it comes to the religions of the world, we can say with Dan Strange that ‘their rock is not like our rock.’ – in other words honour and respect the genuine differences that exist. But how do we decide what is true and, what we should personally commit ourtselves to? Certainly not by leaving our brains at the door. Faith and reason belong together and it’s worth the effort trying to find out.
Here Douthat encourages his readers to take the plunge and enter ‘whatever religious tradition has been placed before you,’[6] as that would be better than remaining on the fence or rejecting religion outright. It’s OK to consider what might be most plausible whilst still holding doubts, just don’t do it alone. Douthat offers great advice here.
Some might be critical that Douthat seems content to leave people in the religious camp, whilst not doing enough to draw them towards the truth of Christianity. Douthat has stated that wasn’t the reason for why he wrote the book (although he does include a chapter at the end on why he is a Christian). Given we’re seeing signs that the religious landscape is changing,[7] particularly amongst the young, Douthat’s book is helpful for meeting sceptics where they are, and useful for those now peering in wondering if religion has more to offer. Douthat has done us a great service here by exploring arguments for God, the origins of consciousness, the limits of a materialist outlook, and more in his accessible little book. For him, and I would agree, religion offers the best framework for making sense of what we see. As he says,
‘We’ll start with religion’s intellectual advantage: the ways in which nonbelief requires ignoring what our reasoning faculties tell us, while the religious perspective grapples more fully with the evidence before us.’[8]
You won’t find a knock-down argument, but you might just find solid grounds for belief. Why not dive in?
Savvas Costi is a Theology graduate with over 15 years experience teaching Secondary RE, including A-level. 6 of those years were spent as a Head of Department. He is now based in East Sussex.
[1] Douthat, Believe (2025), p 1.
[2] In chapter 6, Douthat explores 3 questions; Why does God allow so many wicked things to happen? Why do religious institutions do so many wicked things? And why are traditional religions so hung up on sex?
[3] Sims, Is Faith Delusion? (2009), p xi.
[4] I owe this phrase to H.H. Farmer cited in John Mark Comer’s, Live No Lies (2021), p. 34.
[5] Douthat, Believe (2025), p. 128.
[6] Ibid, p. 175.
[7] I highly recommend following Justin Brierley’s work here, if you haven’t already.
[8] Douthat, Believe (2025), p. 5.
