Philosophical Hermeneutics and the Priority of Questions in Religions: Bringing the Discourse of Gods and Buddhas Down to Earth

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Buddhas, gods, prophets and oracles are often depicted as asking questions. But what are we to understand when Jesus asks Who do you say that I am, or Mazu, the Classical Zen master asks, Why do you seek outside" Is their questioning a power or weakness Is it something human beings are only capable of due to our finitude Is there any kind of question that is a power Focusing on three case studies of questions in divine discourse on the level of story - the god depicted in the Jewish Bible, the master Mazu in his recorded sayings literature, and Jesus as he is depicted in canonized Christian Gospels - Nathan Eric Dickman meditates on human responses to divine questions. He considers the purpose of interreligious dialogue and the provocative kind of questions that seem to purposefully decenter us, drawing on methods from confessionally-oriented hermeneutics and skills from critical thinking. He allows us to see alternative ways of interpreting religious texts through approaches that look beyond reading a text for the improvement of our own religion or for access to some metaphysically transcendent reality. This is the first step in a phenomenology of religions that is inclusive, diverse, relevant and grounded in the world we live in.

Reviews

In this volume, Nathan Eric Dickman rightly and adroitly draws attention to the place that questioning holds in three major forms of religious discourse. Dickmans careful consideration of the implications of the central role that skillful questioning plays in these traditions processes of meaning-creation is impressive. * Robert Steed, Professor of Humanities, Hawkeye Community College, USA *
This book promises to shift profoundly our understanding of the role of questions in religion. While it is common today to conceive of religion as a source of answers to questions, Dickman masterfully demonstrates how this overlooks a pattern in sacred writings where deistic figures pose rather than resolve questions. * Carolyn Culbertson, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Florida Gulf Coast University, USA *
Dickman invites the reader into the opportunity and responsibility of dialogue. The distinction between deficit-driven and surplus-driven questions is innovative and striking in its ability to shake up how we engage deific voices and apply them to interpreting our reality. This work is an outstanding blend of challenging and accessible. * Verna Marina Ehret, Professor of Religious Studies, Mercyhurst University, USA *

Author Bio

Nathan Eric Dickman is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Ozarks, USA.