A series of eight lectures by the Rev. V. A. Demant , Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford
5-The Criticism of Religion
The religious attitude to social changes and their subsequent effect on the community varies. When society takes on the value of an absolute. religion is bound to be critical Canon Demant deals with the various types of religious attitude and explains the revolutionary criticism of religion, namely that ' it makes for reaction, it averts attention from this world, it ascribes to sinfulness what is remediable social injustice.' He examines two main types of criticism under this head. The first is that religion takes man too far out of Nature; it is idealist and produces a false schism in man. The second is the contrary, that religion makes too much of man's participation in Nature.