On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers - Classic Text | Alexandria
On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers (Über die Religion: Reden an die Gebildeten unter ihren Verächtern), published in 1799 by Friedrich Schleiermacher, stands as a watershed text in modern religious thought and liberal Protestant theology. This groundbreaking work, composed of five speeches, emerged during the tumultuous period of German Romanticism as a sophisticated defense of religion against Enlightenment skepticism and rationalist criticism.
Written when Schleiermacher was just thirty years old while serving as a chaplain in Berlin, the text appeared at a crucial historical juncture when traditional religious belief faced unprecedented challenges from rationalist philosophy and scientific advancement. The cultural context of late 18th-century Prussia, marked by the intellectual ferment of Romantic thought and the aftermath of Kantian philosophy, provided fertile ground for Schleiermacher's revolutionary reconceptualization of religious experience.
The work's central thesis, that religion is fundamentally rooted in feeling (Gefühl) and immediate self-consciousness rather than in dogma or morality, represented a radical departure from traditional theological frameworks. Schleiermacher's notion of "feeling of absolute dependence" (Gefühl schlechthinniger Abhängigkeit) introduced a new paradigm for understanding religious experience that influenced figures as diverse as Rudolf Otto, Paul Tillich, and William James. The text's elegant prose and philosophical sophistication challenged the prevailing assumption that religious thought was incompatible with intellectual rigor.
The legacy of "On Religion" continues to reverberate through contemporary theological discourse and religious studies. Its emphasis on religious experience as irreducible to either cognitive or ethical dimensions has proven particularly relevant to modern interfaith dialogue and phenomenological approaches to religion. The work's enduring influence raises intriguing questions about the nature of religious experience in an increasingly secular age: How do Schleiermacher's insights into the experiential core of religion speak to contemporary spiritual seekers? Can his reconciliation of religious feeling with intellectual sophistication offer guidance in navigating current tensions between faith and reason? These questions, among others, ensure that "On Religion" remains not merely a historical document but a living resource for religious and philosophical inquiry.