Richard Holloway

A rich and inclusive history of belief, from humanity's earliest days to our own times Religion is distinctly human. We can't help wondering about where we come from and why we are here. Did some all-powerful being make the universe? When we die, is there anything else to come? And what will it be like? Questions like these have occupied human minds across the ages. In our search for answers, we have come up with different stories. Richard Holloway tells the history of the major religions from the dawn of belief to the twenty-first century. Ranging far beyond Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, he writes for those with faith and those without, and for those who might be making up their minds. Little Histories - Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds

Throughout history we have told ourselves stories to try and make sense of our place in the universe. Richard Holloway takes us on a personal, scientific and philosophical journey to explore what he believes the answers to the biggest of questions are. He examines what we know about the universe into which we are propelled at birth and from which we are expelled at death, the stories we have told about where we come from, and the stories we tell to get through this muddling experience of life. Thought-provoking, revelatory, compassionate and playful, Stories We Tell Ourselves is a personal reckoning with life's mysteries by one of the most important and beloved thinkers of our time.

Throughout history we have told ourselves stories to try and make sense of what it all means: our place in a small corner of one of billions of galaxies, at the end of billions of years of existence. In this new book Richard Holloway takes us on a personal, scientific and philosophical journey to explore what he believes the answers to the biggest of questions are. He examines what we know about the universe into which - without any choice in the matter - we are propelled at birth and from which we are expelled at death, the stories we have told about where we come from, and the stories we tell to get through this muddling experience of life. Thought-provoking, revelatory, compassionate and playful, Stories We Tell Ourselves is a personal reckoning with life's mysteries by one of the most important and beloved thinkers of our time.

E könyv az ősidőktől napjainkig mutatja be a vallás sokféle megnyilvánulását, rendkívül tömören és olvasmányosan ragadja meg az egyes vallások alapvető lényegét. A kötet nemcsak a közismert világvallásokat (hinduizmus, buddhizmus, zsidóság, kereszténység, iszlám) tárgyalja, hanem a kisebb, kevésbé ismert hitelveket is, például a dzsáinizmust, a zoroasztrizmust vagy a modern egyházakat és szektákat, így például a hetednapi adventistákat, jehovistákat, scientológusokat stb. A legtöbb vallástörténeti összefoglalóval ellentétben nem kronologikusan, az egyes vallásokat külön-külön tárgyalva teszi ezt, hanem problémacentrikusan, a különböző vallások eltérő nézőpontjaira, az emberen túli abszolútum különféle megragadási kísérleteire helyezi a hangsúlyt. Legfőbb kérdésfeltevése a vallás mibenlétére irányul, valamint azt vizsgálja, hogy az egyes korszakok és kultúrák milyen módokon kérdeztek rá az isteni lényegre, hányféleképpen és milyen perspektívákból igyekeztek válaszokat találni a világ működésének és működtetőjének problémájára. A mű külön érdekessége, hogy a vallás lehetséges jövőjét is vizsgálja, és olyan, napjainkban speciálisan aktuális kérdéseket is érint, mint például a fundamentalizmus problémája.

For curious readers young and old, a rich and colorful history of religion from humanity's earliest days to our own contentious times In an era of hardening religious attitudes and explosive religious violence, this book offers a welcome antidote. Richard Holloway retells the entire history of religion-from the dawn of religious belief to the twenty-first century-with deepest respect and a keen commitment to accuracy. Writing for those with faith and those without, and especially for young readers, he encourages curiosity and tolerance, accentuates nuance and mystery, and calmly restores a sense of the value of faith. Ranging far beyond the major world religions of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, Holloway also examines where religious belief comes from, the search for meaning throughout history, today's fascinations with Scientology and creationism, religiously motivated violence, hostilities between religious people and secularists, and more. Holloway proves an empathic yet discerning guide to the enduring significance of faith and its power from ancient times to our own.