Overview

Why is religion still around in the twenty-first century? Why do so many still believe? And how do various traditions still shape the way people experience everything from sexuality to politics, whether they are religious or not? In Why Religion? Elaine Pagels looks to her own life to help address these questions. These questions took on a new urgency for Pagels when dealing with unimaginable loss--the death of her young son, followed a year later by the shocking loss of her husband. Here she interweaves a personal story with the work that she loves, illuminating how, for better and worse, religious traditions have shaped how we understand ourselves; how we relate to one another; and, most importantly, how to get through the most difficult challenges we face. Drawing upon the perspectives of neurologists, anthropologists, and historians, as well as her own research, Pagels opens unexpected ways of understanding persistent religious aspects of our culture. A provocative and deeply moving account from one of the most compelling religious thinkers at work today, Why Religion? explores the spiritual dimension of human experience.

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9781982555313

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Reviews

Provides engaging reading for those seeking a broader perspective. -- Amazon.com, editorial review, on The Gnostic Gospels Pagels treats readers to the examined life behind her intellectual feats with extreme grace and depth. This luminous memoir strips religion to its elementary particles: love, suffering, and mystery. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Brilliant...stimulates intellectual curiosity and thought while giving equal weight to Pagel's emotional life. It is a felicitous mixture that will excite both those familiar with her work and those for whom this volume will be an intriguing introduction. -- Booklist (starred review) A raw and often moving autobiography...A meaningful tale of pain and hope on the edges of faith. -- Kirkus Reviews

Provides engaging reading for those seeking a broader perspective. -- Amazon.com, editorial review, on The Gnostic Gospels A raw and often moving autobiography...A meaningful tale of pain and hope on the edges of faith. -- Kirkus Reviews Pagels treats readers to the examined life behind her intellectual feats with extreme grace and depth. This luminous memoir strips religion to its elementary particles: love, suffering, and mystery. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Brilliant...stimulates intellectual curiosity and thought while giving equal weight to Pagel's emotional life. It is a felicitous mixture that will excite both those familiar with her work and those for whom this volume will be an intriguing introduction. -- Booklist (starred review)

Author Information

Elaine Pagels is a preeminent academic whose impressive scholarship has earned her international respect. The Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University, Pagels was awarded the Rockefeller, Guggenheim, and MacArthur Fellowships in three consecutive years. She is the author of The Gnostic Gospels, Beyond Belief, and Revelations. Lynde Houck is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator.

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