Of particular interest to SOF church-goers?
Some church-goers who have arrived at the point where they feel they have to move God from heaven and put him in the attic must miss much that the different facets of church-going meant to them. This book sets out the values of these facets even though the main character is missing. A still small voice can still be heard there, even though God isn't. In the words of Simon and Carbuncle:
The vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.
De Botton presents ten areas in each of which he compares the difference in approach between religious and other communities, and says how the latter need to change. For example, in his chapter on Community he says that although those present in church will not all be of the same age, race, profession, educational or income level, they can mix on friendly terms in the spirit of the original agape meal. He finds the same spirit in the Jewish Friday family meal, and compares this with the usual restaurant meal, where diners completely ignore each other.
Another example: in the chapter on Education he says that whereas lectures inform, give knowledge, sermons seek to change lives. He quotes sermons when the congregation was so influenced by the preacher that they burst into 'Hallelujah!' 'Amen!' 'True, brother!' – shouts I did not deserve nor enjoy as a student minister preaching in Welsh churches. But wisdom needs to be taught, not just information given: there should be a connection between abstract ideas and our own lives.
In each case he suggests how the secular institution could be re-shaped to achieve this end.
Thus the study of Anna Careening and Madam Ovary would not be focussed just on narrative trends in nineteenth century fiction, but would also be seen as material for understanding the tensions of marriage. Similarly Tests of the d'Urbervilles could teach students about love.
His description of the value of images reminds me of my visits to an Augustinian priory near my last home, and the value I found in sitting in its shrine with a sculpture of Our Mother of Good Counsel, or in moving around the church considering the Stations of the Cross. He sees the value of saints' days in focussing one's thought in a particular direction, according to the group with which that saint is especially associated, for example St Joseph and those hard pressed in their workplace, or St Philip Neri, who would make us laugh therapeutically at our condition e.g. when a computer's hard drive crashes.
There are around 100 pages of worthwhile black and white pictures, and the text includes interesting facts like an explanation of the tea ceremony, which is as important to Buddhists as Mass is to Catholics. (His mention of Mass reminded me of the story of a little boy who was crying after his first Mass because Jesus had stuck in the roof of his mouth!) A review in the Guardian trashed the book as being in the spirit of Machiavelli, Voltaire and Edward Gibbon – an expression of the values of religion despite its being hollow at the centre. But the Sea of Faith has got something at the centre, and to me this makes all the difference: it gives ample justification for those who, despite their changed view of God, wish to continue churchgoing and the practices associated with it. If the name and teaching of Jesus are to be kept alive, surely a Church needs to remain. But if that Church is in the hands of fundamentalists (I prefer the word 'literalists'), in the words of one of Dad's Army, 'We are doomed!' A reformed Church with a SOF vision at its heart is needed for the future, and this book, with its arguments showing the value of religion in these ten areas, seems to me to be a useful tool in the hands of SOF-type thinkers.
David Hatton was a Senior Lecturer on Religion. He is a member of SOF.
Hamish Hamilton (London 2012). Hob. 320 pages. £18.99.