Hub Podcasts Ross Douthat on why everyone should be religious (re-release)
Dec 25, 2025
Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist and author of "Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious," argues for the importance of religion in today's secular age. He tackles the complexity of human consciousness and how a religious perspective offers better answers to life’s big questions. Douthat discusses the intellectual confidence that religion can provide amid societal decline and argues against materialism, asserting that even imperfect religions hold truth. He also explores how science can intersect with faith, challenging listeners to embrace a spiritual outlook.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Religiosity Can Start From Reasoned Foundations
- Ross Douthat argues a basic religious outlook can be defended without dramatic leaps of faith.
- He frames the book to reach people unfamiliar with religion and to show belief can start from reasoned foundations.
Converging Arguments Against Materialism
- Douthat says he has grown more confident that materialism is false and that atheism is likely wrong.
- He stitches together cosmology, consciousness, and mystical experience as converging evidence for religion.
A Case To Strengthen Believers' Confidence
- Douthat aims to bolster believers' confidence by showing religious worldviews are more coherent than secular alternatives.
- He rejects purely psychological or mythological accounts of religion as insufficient explanations.