Your audiobook is waiting…
Why Religion?
Regular price: $23.95
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Gnostic Gospels
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 639
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 414
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 420
The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The other side of Jesus
- By Laura on 05-19-06
-
Beyond Belief
- The Secret Gospel of Thomas
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 375
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 191
Spurred by personal tragedy, Elaine Pagels turns to a consideration of the Gnostic Gospels, in particular, the Gospel of Thomas. As opposed to the Gospel of John, which asserted that Jesus was an eternally existing aspect of God who came to earth to save humankind, the "secret" Gospel of Thomas agrees that Jesus was in some sense divine, but says that a streak of divinity can be found in all of us.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gospel of Thomas is somewhat a misnomer
- By Buford on 06-08-04
-
The Origin of Satan
- How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 252
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 220
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 223
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
well organized and thorough
- By Tibber on 07-20-15
-
The Gospel of Thomas
- A New Vision of the Message of Jesus
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Elaine Pagels
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 112
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 112
Millions of readers have turned to Elaine Pagels for her clear and insightful books about the Gnostic Gospels, the teachings of Jesus that have been lost for centuries. Sounds True is proud to present the first widely available audio recording of this extraordinary scholar as she explores the text that has changed the way many of us think about the message of Christ: The Gospel of Thomas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting lecture
- By Drayton on 03-05-06
-
Revelations
- Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 353
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 296
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 293
Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Revealing "Revelations"
- By Diane on 05-13-12
-
The Universal Christ
- How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 106
In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Life Giving & Life Changing
- By New Yorker on 03-20-19
-
The Gnostic Gospels
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 639
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 414
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 420
The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The other side of Jesus
- By Laura on 05-19-06
-
Beyond Belief
- The Secret Gospel of Thomas
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 375
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 191
Spurred by personal tragedy, Elaine Pagels turns to a consideration of the Gnostic Gospels, in particular, the Gospel of Thomas. As opposed to the Gospel of John, which asserted that Jesus was an eternally existing aspect of God who came to earth to save humankind, the "secret" Gospel of Thomas agrees that Jesus was in some sense divine, but says that a streak of divinity can be found in all of us.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gospel of Thomas is somewhat a misnomer
- By Buford on 06-08-04
-
The Origin of Satan
- How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 252
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 220
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 223
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
well organized and thorough
- By Tibber on 07-20-15
-
The Gospel of Thomas
- A New Vision of the Message of Jesus
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Elaine Pagels
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 112
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 112
Millions of readers have turned to Elaine Pagels for her clear and insightful books about the Gnostic Gospels, the teachings of Jesus that have been lost for centuries. Sounds True is proud to present the first widely available audio recording of this extraordinary scholar as she explores the text that has changed the way many of us think about the message of Christ: The Gospel of Thomas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting lecture
- By Drayton on 03-05-06
-
Revelations
- Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 353
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 296
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 293
Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Revealing "Revelations"
- By Diane on 05-13-12
-
The Universal Christ
- How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 106
In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Life Giving & Life Changing
- By New Yorker on 03-20-19
-
When Christians Were Jews
- The First Generation
- By: Paula Fredriksen
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
In this electrifying social and intellectual history, Paula Fredriksen answers the question of how Jewish missionaries ended up inaugurating a movement that would grow into the gentile church by reconstructing the life of the earliest Jerusalem community. As her account arcs from this group’s hopeful celebration of Passover with Jesus, through their bitter controversies that fragmented the movement’s midcentury missions, to the city’s fiery end in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, she brings this vibrant apostolic community to life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
How Christianity Began
- By Edmo11 on 03-05-19
-
Almost Everything
- Notes on Hope
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 368
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 328
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 325
In this profound and funny audiobook, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us that can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Divided into short chapters that explore life's essential truths, Almost Everything pinpoints these moments of insight as it shines an encouraging light forward. Candid and caring, insightful and sometimes hilarious, Almost Everything is the audiobook we need and that only Anne Lamott can write.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Went by too fast!
- By DWeb on 10-22-18
-
Holy Envy
- Finding God in the Faith of Others
- By: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 44
The renowned and beloved New York Times best-selling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world’s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Holy Envy Finding God in the Faith of other
- By Amazon Customer on 03-20-19
-
Reading Judas
- The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
- By: Elaine Pagels, Karen L. King
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Robertson Dean
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
Two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered Gospel of Judas provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent scholarship, easy to understand
- By Barbara on 03-24-07
-
Unbelievable
- Why Neither Ancient Creeds nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, best-selling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers 12 forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future. Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity - a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Day late, dollar short.
- By Benjamin L. Gatti on 08-21-18
-
A Mind of Her Own
- By: Paula McLain
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 13,681
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12,308
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 12,283
Paris, 1893. Twenty-five-year-old Marie Sklodowska is studying science at the Sorbonne - one of the only universities in the world that has begun to admit women. A thousand miles from her native Poland, with no money and the odds stacked against any woman daring to pursue a career in such a rigorous field, Marie throws herself into her studies. She's certain that to succeed in a man's world, she will have to go it alone. Her meticulous plans get thrown slightly off-course when Marie attracts the attention of an accomplished young physicist, himself on the precipice of greatness.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Based on a true story
- By Kingsley on 03-01-19
-
Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 21
For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Refreshing view of humanity
- By Anonymous User on 03-30-19
-
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 306
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 288
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 287
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Clear your schedule and take a ride
- By Erin M. Bleier on 04-08-19
-
There Will Be No Miracles Here
- A Memoir
- By: Casey Gerald
- Narrated by: Casey Gerald
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 194
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 184
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 184
Casey Gerald's life has spanned seemingly unbridgeable divides. His story begins at the end of the world: Dallas, New Year's Eve 1999, when he gathers with the congregation of his grandfather's black evangelical church to see which of them will be carried off. When Casey is recruited to play football at Yale, he enters a world he's never dreamed of, the anteroom to secret societies and success on Wall Street, in Washington, and beyond. But even as he attains the inner sanctums of power, Casey sees how the world crushes those who live at its margins.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Read or listen or whatever you need to finish this book
- By STEPHANIE A. TOPPIN on 11-26-18
-
Everything Happens for a Reason
- And Other Lies I've Loved
- By: Kate Bowler
- Narrated by: Kate Bowler
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,203
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,111
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,104
Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God's disapproval. At 35, everything in her life seems to point toward "blessing". She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Exceptionally human
- By Rachel L. Stewart on 02-13-18
-
Women Rowing North
- By: Mary Pipher
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic and wise people they have always wanted to be. In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The narrator is a distraction
- By Amazon Customer on 03-01-19
-
Frederick Douglass
- Prophet of Freedom
- By: David W. Blight
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 36 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 394
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 369
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 368
As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. He wrote three versions of his autobiography over the course of his lifetime and published his own newspaper. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence, he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Best of Everything Audible
- By JB on 11-10-18
Publisher's Summary
New York Times best seller
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 21st 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.
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars24
-
4 Stars3
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars1
Performance
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars25
-
4 Stars4
-
3 Stars1
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars22
-
4 Stars3
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- R. P.
- USA
- 03-24-19
moving, emotional work
Elaine's story spoke to my heart, echoing many feelings I myself have felt while dealing with tragic personal loss. thank you, Elaine, for sharing these pieces of yourself with the world.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful