The Heretical Imperative Essay

Word Count: 928

Modern society and its people have the ability to make a vast range of choice when it comes to anything in their lives. People to today have the ability and free will to choose their partners, their careers, their aspirations in life and their own religion. In the opinion of Peter L. Berger, written in his 1979 book ‘The Heretical Imperative’, modern times provide three fundamental options in relation to religion; the first being ‘The deductive option’, which reaffirms a certain religious tradition in spit of counter claims against it (e.g. Islamic fundamentalism); the second is the reductive option, which modernizes a religious tradition in term which make it sensible or understandable in todays most important modes of though. The final option is called the ‘inductive option’, which turns external forms of authority to individual experience (e.g. William James and the varieties of religious experience). By looking at these options deeper and look at opposing views to Berger’s theory and personal religious preference will give the reader a clearer view of Berger’s ‘The Heretical Imperative’.

Although all three options can be practiced, Berger clearly favors and argues the value of the inductive options, since is allows for individuals to choose orientations based upon their own religious encounters. The Heretical Imperative can be seen as Berger’s eager endeavor to save the spiritual elements of religion from the damaging effects of modern awareness. As Dennis P. McCann Notes in his review of the book: “Undoubtedly, the problem of relativism stands at the heart of The Heretical Imperative. Berger welcomes the pluralism of perspectives resulting from secularization and "relativizes the Relativizes" who would set ...

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...beyond Bergerian induction makes necessary a willingness not only to take religious realities seriously, but also to explore directly that realm. Berger's biggest mistake is that he scorns the deductive and reductive options for not taking religion seriously enough, while at the same time posits an inductive approach therefore turning the religious enterprise from a truly experiential encounter into a high-class debate over transcendental recounts. To argue about the ontological status of religious realities without actual experiential engagement is to misunderstand entirely mysticism/spirituality and the proper definition of induction.

Works Cited

Berger, Peter L. The Heretical Imperative. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press, 1979.

McCann, Dennis P. "The Heretical Imperative Review." n.d.

Morgan, Michael L. "Judaism and The Heretical Imperative." 1981.