Religion & Spirituality
The world's religions side by side. Huston Smith's The World's Religions introduces Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam with clarity and respect. Karen Armstrong's A History of God follows the idea of God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; The Great Transformation goes back to the Axial Age, when many great traditions took shape; and The Case for God argues that religion is best understood as a practice. Ideal starting points for readers who want to understand belief across cultures.
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Religion & Spirituality
Books on Christian faith, history and spirituality. Reza Aslan's Zealot looks at the historical Jesus: a Jewish preacher in first-century Palestine under Roman occupation, set against the many would-be messiahs of his time. Richard Rohr's The Universal Christ, by a Franciscan priest and teacher of contemplation, offers a spiritual vision in which Christ is present in all creation, not only in one religion. A historian's view and a mystic's view, side by side. See Religion & Spirituality for more.
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Religion & Spirituality
Books on Jewish life, history and memory. Edmund de Waal's The Hare with Amber Eyes follows his family, the Ephrussis, a wealthy Jewish banking dynasty, from Odessa to Paris and Vienna, through the collection of tiny Japanese netsuke that passed down the generations. When the Nazis seized the family's Vienna palace in 1938, the collection survived, hidden by a loyal maid. A moving story of assimilation, loss and survival. More books will join this category; see Religion & Spirituality and Jewish History.
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Religion & Spirituality
Hinduism, one of the world's oldest living religions, is rich in scripture, philosophy and devotion. The Bhagavad Gita, part of the epic Mahabharata, is its best-known text: on the eve of battle, the prince Arjuna hesitates, and the god Krishna teaches him about duty, action without attachment, devotion and the eternal self. Eknath Easwaran's translation, with clear introductions, is a favourite for readers coming to the Gita for the first time. More books on Hinduism will join this category; see Religion & Spirituality.
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Religion & Spirituality
Buddhism, one of the world's great religious and philosophical traditions, teaches a path out of suffering through insight and meditation. Robert Wright's Why Buddhism Is True looks at its core ideas, such as the illusion of a fixed self and the way craving causes suffering, through modern evolutionary psychology, arguing that natural selection designed our minds to misperceive the world and that meditation can help correct this. Clear, personal and practical for beginners. More books on Buddhism will join this category; see Religion & Spirituality.
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Religion & Spirituality
The history of religion through the books of Karen Armstrong, one of its most widely read writers. A History of God follows four thousand years of belief in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Great Transformation explores the Axial Age, when Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, monotheism and Greek rationalism emerged. The Case for God shows how the meaning of faith has changed, and how recent arguments for and against God have lost something along the way. Clear, learned and balanced books for anyone curious about religious history.
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Religion & Spirituality
What religion does in families and societies. Tara Westover's memoir Educated tells of growing up in a strict, isolated survivalist family and leaving it for education. Octavia E. Butler's novel Parable of the Sower follows a young woman who founds a new faith as American society collapses. David Freedberg's The Power of Images studies how people respond to images, including religious ones, with reverence and fear. Three very different books on belief as a force in human life.
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Religion & Spirituality
Books about direct experience of the sacred. William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience, a classic since 1902, studies conversion, mysticism and saintliness with a psychologist's curiosity. Huston Smith's The World's Religions shows the mystical side of many traditions, and Richard Rohr's The Universal Christ offers a contemplative Christian vision of the presence of God in all things. For readers drawn to spirituality, contemplation and the inner life.
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Religion & Spirituality
Sacred texts, and the ways readers have understood them, are at the heart of every religious tradition. The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most widely read: seven hundred verses in which Krishna answers Arjuna's doubts on the battlefield, addressing duty, action, devotion and the nature of the self. Eknath Easwaran's translation pairs a clear English text with introductions to each chapter, helping new readers understand what they are reading. More scriptures and commentaries will join this category; see Religion & Spirituality.
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