Ebook Why Religion? A Personal Story Audible Audio Edition Elaine Pagels Eunice Wong HarperAudio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 7 hours and 7 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher HarperAudio Audible.com Release Date January 24, 2019 Language English, English ASIN B07N33V21W

Why Religion? A Personal Story Audible Audio Edition Elaine Pagels Eunice Wong HarperAudio Books Reviews

• Many years ago when I first learned of Dr. Pagel's husband death, I was at the time a subscriber to the Sciences magazine and his obituary was part of an editorial, I thought to my self, bad things do happen to good people. As I read this book, Why Religion? I became more and more intrigued by the continual questioning of personal misfortunes by the author. Through it all—the frightening aspect of being the sole provider, becoming accustom to loneliness, and the slow passing of time, became too real to this reader. Afterward, I stood and questioned my beliefs in good and evil and what those concepts meant to me. I could not put down the book as I was drawn into Dr. Pagel's narrative and wanted to know the end result. But like a cushioned landing I was let down gently and walked away knowing all humans share the same questions. At the end, I immediately remembered the Pilgrims Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compestla, Spain and that part of the mass where the expression of peace is shared by the attendees...suddenly, the words, "May peace be with you," are expressed in Spanish, French, Portualgese, German, Japanese, Italian, so many other languages but all conveying the same sentiment. I feel enlighten by the book and the fact that humans believe in hope and in a better tomorrow. Thank you, Dr. Pagel for sharing.
• I logged onto my account to purchase this book - but find that the ebook for the (my preferred format) is more expensive than the hardback copy! That makes no sense to me and I won't support the illogic of the pricing structure.
• The first half of the book tells the story of the death of her son and then her husband. As horrid as this story was and is, it was not what I expected. Just as I was growing weary (?) of this terrible sequence of events and its effect on her, she layers on the texture provided by the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels and the entire story begins to fall in place. This book is different than her other books. I am a loyal fan and, in the end, this book added knowledge and perspective. The answers to our questions may lie, in part, in ourselves. And finally, Fr. Barbour, faith is a gift.
• There is reading a book, and there is drinking up a book as if you are unexpectedly thirsty for precisely its taste, for what it is. This is a drinking book. It offers much to readers who have been moved by Dr. Pagels' previous works, to those who have found their way independently to the Gnostic Gospels, to any for whom the question "Why Religion?" is vivid. In a time when there is so much idiocy, this book represents the height of intelligence, not only of mind but of heart.
• A moving personal story written beautifully and with depth. In asking universal questions about suffering and weaving in her quest for meaning, Dr. Pagel shows us a way to understand the imponderables of life. A must read for anyone who cannot find the answers in dogmatic religion—and for anyone dealing with grief. As poetic and impactful as Joan Didion’s Year of Magical Thinking, but perhaps with more hope. It moved me to tears, and I could not put it down!
• Religious scholar Elaine Pagels memoir about her life including how she was personally brought to religious faith after the death of her 6 year old son and, the following year, the death of her husband famous physicist Heinz Pagels in a mountaineering accident. Extremely honest, raw and ultimately uplifting, a beautifully written book about surviving the worst life can dish out. Highly recommend.
• Brilliantly written, without dogma, exposition of why religion persists in the face of the onslaught of rational thinking. Dr Pagels includes the story of her own terrible personal losses to illustrate her need for finding some deeper meaning in life thru her research on Christianity. I found this book when I was most in need of it.
• I have read most all of Elaine Pagel's works and they along with Joseph Campbell's works (especially Tho Art That) have aided me on a journey to seek the truth of my being. Here she bares her soul to the breaking point and through it al comes out the other side with grace and dignity.
  The only downgrade is when Ms. Pagels becomes somewhat political in the last chapter. One quick example is stating President Bush wanted to wage a war on Muslims. To be fair he stated he would protect us from Radical Muslim terrorists wherever they resided. Outside of that minor quibble I thoroughly enjoyed her latest book as I have her other's works.
  FR Bailey