Word Count: 928Modern society and its inhabitants have the ability to make a wide range of choices when it comes to anything in their lives. People today have the ability and free will to choose their partners, their careers, their aspirations in life and their religion. In the opinion of Peter L. Berger, written in his 1979 book “The Heretical Imperative”, modern times offer three basic options in relation to religion; the first is "The deductive option", which reaffirms a certain religious tradition despite counterclaims against it (e.g. Islamic fundamentalism); the second is the reductive option, which modernizes a religious tradition in terms that make it sensible or understandable in today's most important modes of thought. The last option is called the “inductive option,” which transforms external forms of authority into individual experience (e.g. William James and the varieties of religious experience). Examining these options more deeply and looking at opposing views to Berger's theory and personal religious preferences will give the reader a clearer view of Berger's "Heretical Imperative." While all three options can be practiced, Berger clearly favors and supports the value of the heretical imperative. inductive options, as it allows individuals to choose orientations based on their religious encounters. The Heretical Imperative can be seen as Berger's ardent effort to save the spiritual elements of religion from the harmful effects of modern consciousness. As Dennis P. McCann notes in his review of the book: “Undoubtedly, the problem of relativism is at the heart of The Heretical Imperative. Berger welcomes the pluralism of perspectives resulting from secularization and "relativizes the relativises" which would place... at the center of the paper... beyond Berger's induction it requires the will not only to take religious realities seriously, but also to explore that realm directly. Berger's biggest mistake is that he scorns deductive and reductive options for not taking religion seriously enough, while at the same time postulating an inductive approach thus transforming the religious enterprise from a truly experiential encounter into a high-level debate about transcendental tales. To argue about the ontological status of religious realities without real experiential engagement is to completely misunderstand mysticism/spirituality and the correct definition of induction. Works Cited Berger, Peter L. The Heretical Imperative. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press, 1979. McCann, Dennis P. “The Heretical Imperative Review.” ndMorgan, Michael L. “Judaism and the Heretical Imperative." 1981.