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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: Religion gave the author a way to express emotions that her family silenced.
Chapter 3: Elaine left Christianity following the death of her friend Paul.
Chapter 4: During graduate school, Elaine explored the Gnostic gospels.
Chapter 5: Elaine’s son Mark was born with a life-threatening defect.
Chapter 6: Uncanny happenings surrounded Mark’s surgery.
Chapter 7: Mark developed a rare lung illness and died at the age of six.
Chapter 8: Elaine was deeply tormented by guilt after Mark’s death, and realized the Bible had conditioned her to feel that way.
Chapter 9: Just as Heinz and Elaine were starting to move forward, Heinz fell to his death.
Chapter 10: Following Heinz’s death, Elaine found some solace in the Gospel of Mark.
Chapter 11: Decades later, Elaine accepted an honorary degree from Harvard, finally feeling that her heart had healed.
Description
Why Religion? (2018) is a personal answer to the question its title poses. Rather than explaining why anyone should adopt or eschew religious belief, Elaine Pagels’s moving memoir shows how her life experiences led her to the study of religion, and how that study has helped her cope with the difficult events of her life.
Who Should Listen
- Atheists who were once religious
- Students wondering how study can affect life
- Bereaved individuals trying to cope with loss