Reviews for An Enquiry Into the Ground and Foundation of Religion (1740)

The average rating for An Enquiry Into the Ground and Foundation of Religion (1740) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-07-06 00:00:00 Many Santill This autobiographical account of Helen Keller’s faith is interesting, but potentially mistitled. Greatly influenced by Swedenborg, she devotes that majority of the book in extreme praise of his thought. “Swedenborg was not a destroyer, but a divinely inspired interpreter. He was a prophet sent by God. His own message proclaims it more convincingly than any saying of his followers could. There is no escaping his virile personality. As we read his message, we are filled with recognition and delight. He did not make a new Bible, but he made the Bible all new! One who receives him gains a great spiritual possession.” A better title might have been, “Swedenborg’s Religion and Its Tremendous Influence on Me.” That said, there are some interesting passages, and one comes away incredibly impressed with the intelligent eloquence with which Keller writes. “As I wander through the dark, encountering difficulties, I am aware of encouraging voices that murmur from the spirit realm. I sense a holy passion pouring down from the springs of Infinity. I thrill to music that beats with the pulses of God. Bound to suns and planets by invisible cords, I feel the flame of eternity in my soul.” Beautiful phrasing such as this does lead to her interpretation of the mission of Jesus. Regarding Jesus, she states, “He always visualized hatred as the opposite of God in every detail, great or small, and His teaching about hell was not as of punishment by God, but the inevitable law of evil recoiling upon those who cast themselves into hate and the burning lust and the cruel miseries of wounded pride and thwarted egoism. No matter from what angle He started, He came back to this fact, that He entrusted the reconstruction of the world, not to wealth or caste or power or learning, but to the better instincts of the race—to the nobler ideals and sentiments of the people—to love, which is the mover of the will and the dynamic force of action.” Ultimately, her faith regards loving action as a prime mover of the world. This faith resonates with her own experience. “It is by fighting the limitations, temptations, and failures of the world that we reach our highest possibilities.” This book is a worthy read. See my other reviews here!

Review # 2 was written on 2010-02-26 00:00:00 Clyde Amburn I found a super-psychedelic 60’s edition of this book and thought I’d give it a shot. I didn’t know much about Helen Keller when I picked it up, but her experience of course is fascinating and she is probably the most widely known disabled person from history. So, being into disability theory I decided to read it sooner than later. First off this is much more of a philosophy book than an autobiography. Through most of the book she defends the theories of Swedish scientist and theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg. She references all kinds of philosophies ranging from Empedocles to the Code of Hammurabi. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a theology/philosophy kick so some of the tangents were rather mind-numbing. She also defends her various views of Bible interpretation and the nature of God. I don’t agree with her on 95% of her points regarding spirituality, but her arguments are interesting and deserve thought. She is very strong willed in her opinions and how she got to them is something that I think deserves more recognition than people give her credit for. I was amazed at her scope of knowledge, but what I appreciated most was her strong perspective. I think too many put her in the hallmark card inspiration category and don’t give her much credit past learning the word “water.” But it’s clear that she was extremely in tune with the world and people in it, more so than people today who have the use of all their senses. So, no, this isn’t an inspirational autobiography, but it does dig very deep into her strong prerogative of her spiritual sense and her unshaken relationship with Christianity and God. Well worth the read though you’ll be brushing up on loads of history to follow through some of the points.