Why Religion?: A Personal Story - Hardcover

Pagels, Elaine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062368532 ISBN 13: 9780062368539

Publisher: Ecco, 2018

Synopsis

New York Times bestseller

One of PW’s Best Books of the Year

One of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month

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.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

In the wake of great personal tragedy, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Elaine Pagels reflects on the persistence and nature of belief and why religion matters

Why does religion still exist in the twenty-first century? And why do so many people—even, and especially, those who challenge religion—continue to argue about the questions it raises? What purpose does it serve in our lives? These questions took on a new urgency for Pagels when she was dealing with unimaginable loss: the death of her young son, followed a year later by the shocking loss of her husband. Here she interweaves her 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 important, how we get through our most difficult challenges.

In the process, Pagels opens up unexpected ways of understanding this stubbornly persistent aspect of our culture. A provocative and deeply moving memoir from one of the most compelling religious thinkers at work today, Why Religion? explores the spiritual dimension of human experience.

About the Author:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0062368532
• ISBN 13: 9780062368539
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256