Faith: Realistic or Non-Realistic?Hebblethwaite’s Critique of Cupitt’s Non-Realistic Theism

Don Cupitt has a Non-Realistic view of God and religious faith. He holds that “human” and “God” are historical concepts which are not dependent on rationality and metaphysics. Hence, he emphasizes on the continuous evolution of these concepts in the history of religious thought. He believes that the man chooses his value himself and makes his world on this selection. In his view, spirituality is the substance of religion and has complete individual and personal characteristics. The perspective of every individual to the world is the foundation of his view and understanding of religious faith. But, Brian Hebblethwaite, who is a defender of religious realism, has tried to critique Cupitt’s Non-Realism in detail. He has some fundamental criticisms about Non-Realism in religion that amongst the most important of them is ignoring the importance of truth and denying the objectivity of moral values. He, at first, distinguishes the defects of Non-Realistic arguments of Cupitt and his version of the procedures of religious thought in modern world and then, explains how believing to objective God is not only consistent with modern thought but a necessary component of it.