Agnostic

Starred review from February 8, 2016
Though Hazleton’s subtitle boasts a manifesto to follow, she advises readers early that this manifesto is “strange” in that it “makes no claims to truth, offers no certainties, eschews brashly confident answers to grand existential questions... because to be agnostic is to cherish both paradox and conundrum.” Hazleton immediately sets herself in relation (and in opposition) to the conversation among the four most prominent “new atheists” (she calls them H2D2)—Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins, and Dennett. Their “contemptuous” tone toward the religious is problematic, in her opinion, and they often substitute “wittily phrased generalizations for clarity of thought.” Hazleton flies through the history of various thinkers in concise and fluid prose, treating the reader to a quick yet thorough journey through theology and philosophy. To be agnostic is not to sidestep the question of belief, for Hazleton, or to commit to a wishy-washy moral framework. It is instead to have enough backbone to stand firm in the liminality of uncertainty. She wants readers to give agnosticism a fair shake, and many will be convinced by her appealing voice and accessible prose.

February 1, 2016
A seasoned reporter on religion and an old hand on the Middle East beat, Hazleton (The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad, 2013, etc.) is Jewish by blood and convent-educated by nuns. After more than a decade in Jerusalem, she finds that accepted pious practice is not for her. For the author, doubt is not a problem but a blessing. She does not seek assurance of an all-encompassing intelligent design but, rather, revels in the prospects that just might yet be discovered by mankind. For this agnostic, there is delight in mystery. Her faith is in not knowing everything. Humanity, certainly, is subject to misadventure, yet it is for humans to determine what is truly significant. Meaning, in her book, is not the responsibility of a force beyond us; how we behave is our choice and our obligation. The old aphorism is clear to Hazleton: man created God, not the other way around, and she sees Him (who is consistently male) as an anthropomorphic metaphor for something bigger. "If there is one thing that can really be said with any certainty about God," she writes, "it is that the name is utterly insufficient to the concept." Throughout the book, the author dissects the manifestations of religious devotion. Religious belief is seen as binary, a true-or-false proposition. Where, she asks, is the nuance? Is our universe unique or only one in a greater cosmos? How can we comprehend what is beyond infinity? The agnostic mind finds no satisfactory answers in canonical tracts or fundamentalist piety. There's no need to reckon with evil, infidels, or visiting angels. Here, with clever elucidation, are artful essays that celebrate the wonder of the unknown. Atheists and devout worshipers alike may never accept the agnostics' philosophy. But even in defense of simply not knowing, Hazleton does not deny possibilities; she denies only assured and implacable dogma.

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March 1, 2016

What does it mean to select "spiritual but not religious" in a survey? Is it a rejection of belief, or does it signify the respondent's need for greater depth than a blanket statement? Hazleton, who spent years reporting from the Middle East and has authored several theological works (The First Muslim; After the Prophet; Mary) brilliantly addresses this conundrum in her spirited manifesto on agnosticism. Inspired by readers' requests from her blog, The Accidental Theologist, Hazleton here expounds on her online posts, creating an exploratory compendium of philosophical, theological, psychological, and scientific thought to cultivate a dialog of possibilities on belief. She dispels the ideology that an agnostic is merely a not-quite atheist or a person simply "searching," and demonstrates that agnosticism is a thoughtful, nonlimiting approach to the mysteries of life. VERDICT This engaging and highly accessible read will satisfy those who puzzle over the idea of infinity, question theological "truth" or what death means for the mind and body, and who wish to delve deeper into our belief system.--Angela Forret, Clive P.L., IA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Perhaps it's not surprising that the author of accessible, balanced accounts of Muhammad, the Sunni-Shia split in Islam, and the Blessed Virgin withholds judgment about the existence of God. In eight personably persuasive chapters, she counts the benefits of agnosticism, though not so much for the practice of objective historiography as for personal intellectual freedom and mental comfort. Neither believing nor disbelieving in God removes the irksome pressure to choose sides. It allows deep and continual exploration into the realities the word God is used to contain. It permits living in doubt or, as Emily Dickinson had it, dwelling in possibility. It accepts irresolvable mystery, facilitates understanding how humans make meaning, encourages acknowledging mortality ( The meaning of life is that it stops ), and graspingwell, appreciatinginfinity. Finally, agnosticism lets one give up on the soula possessionin favor of soul as a quality of existence, as when we say something is soulful. Informed by science, philosophy, literature, history, travel, hiking, and more, Hazleton's manifesto makes the suspension of conviction as attractive as any theist or atheist testament.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)