The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss

The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss is a 2013 book by philosopher and religious studies scholar David Bentley Hart published by Yale University Press. The book lays out a statement and defense of classical theism and attempts to provide an explanation of how the word "God" functions in the theistic faiths, drawing particularly from Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

Content
The book consists of 365 pages and is structured in three main parts: "God, Gods, and the World," "Being, Consciousness, Bliss," and "The Reality of God." The three chapters contained in the second part constitute the bulk of the book's arguments, which center on ontology, philosophy of mind, and transcendental teleology. Hart utilizes and defends a form of the contingency argument, contending that "no contingent reality could exist at all if there were not a necessary dimension of reality sustaining it in existence." He also argues that "consciousness cannot be satisfactorily explained in purely physical terms," and that the "rational capacity to think and to act in obedience to absolute or transcendental values constitutes a dependency of consciousness upon a dimension of reality found nowhere within the physical order."

One of the key themes of the book is the proper definition of God in the classical theistic traditions. Hart insists that God is not merely "a being among other beings, not even the greatest possible of beings, but is instead the fullness of Being itself, the absolute plenitude of reality upon which all else depends." He identifies as a strawman the common notion "that belief in God is no more than belief in some magical invisible friend who lives beyond the clouds, or in some ghostly cosmic mechanic invoked to explain gaps in current scientific knowledge."

At points throughout the book, Hart criticizes the works of the 'new atheists,' including Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, stating that "what is most astonishing about the recent new atheist bestsellers has not been the patent flimsiness of their arguments, but the sheer lack of intellectual curiosity they betray." In addition to opposing atheistic materialism and mechanistic philosophy, however, Hart also counters various forms of religious fundamentalism, critiquing biblical literalism, young earth creationism, and the intelligent design movement. He also engages in a nuanced manner with the arguments of Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and more recent Christian philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga.

Reception
Paul J. Griffiths praised the book for "bringing together Sanskritic analyses of God's being with Latin and Greek and Arabic ones," and Rowan Williams described the book as a "masterpiece of quiet intellectual and spiritual passion" that "magnificently sets the record straight as to what sort of God Christians believe in and why." Robert Barron has likewise praised Hart's treatment of theology proper in refutation of atheism, saying "there's hardly anyone better" on the subject.

The book was given a positive review by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian, who called it "the one theology book all atheists really should read." Writing in The Week, Damon Linkler, gave the book a positive review, calling it "stunning." Francesca Aran Murphy, writing in First Things claimed that "The Experience of God is a first step toward bringing God back into the public square."

As of April 13, 2024, there were 31,005 views on the January 18, 2014 discussion posted to YouTube between Hart and atheist philosopher Richard Norman about Hart's book The Experience of God.

Philip McCosker, writing in The Tablet, gave the book a mixed review. He praised Hart's writing style, calling it "by turns elegant, curmudgeonly, witty, infuriating, incisive, nostalgic, rhapsodical, explosive, frequently bang on the money – and always stimulating," but criticized what he saw as Hart's reliance on "pompous put-down in place of argument." He also questioned the book's suitability for general readers.