Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆(4.0/5)
Genre: Religion, Comparative Religion, Buddhist Philosophy, Christian Theology, Critique, Religious Studies

Book Review:
''Beyond Belief'' by A.L. De Silva is a provocative and scholarly work that engages directly with the core tenets of Fundamentalist Christianity from a distinctly Buddhist perspective. The author systematically examines doctrines such as biblical inerrancy, the concept of a creator God, original sin, salvation through faith, and the nature of heaven and hell, contrasting them with Buddhist teachings on impermanence, dependent origination, karma, and the path to enlightenment through ethical conduct and wisdom.

The book's strength lies in its logical, point-by-point analysis. De Silva uses the Buddha's teachings, particularly the Kalama Sutta, which encourages critical inquiry, as a framework for his critique. He argues that many fundamentalist beliefs require blind faith and can be seen as logically inconsistent or empirically unverifiable from a Buddhist standpoint, which values personal verification and experiential understanding.

This is not a book aimed at fostering interfaith harmony in a conventional sense; it is a rigorous intellectual critique. It is most valuable for students of comparative religion, Buddhists interested in understanding the philosophical differences with Christianity, and open-minded Christians seeking to understand how their faith is perceived from an outside, critical lens. Readers should be prepared for its direct and uncompromising analytical style. As it is printed in Sri Lanka, it also offers a valuable non-Western perspective in the discourse on religious fundamentalism.