In this exploration of secular America, journalist Katherine Ozment takes readers on a quest to understand the trends and ramifications of a nation in flight from organized religion. Studies show that religion makes us happier, healthier and more giving, connecting us to our past and creating tight communal bonds. Most Americans are raised in a religious tradition, but in recent decades many have begun to leave religion, and with it their ancient...

Moving far beyond the realm of traditional "church history," Patrick Allitt here offers a vigorous and erudite survey of the broad canvas of American religion since World War II. Identifying the major trends and telling moments within major denominations and also in less formal religious movements, he asks how these religious groups have shaped, and been shaped by, some of the most important and divisive issues and events of the last half century:

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"Imagine being able to welcome ancient African goddess magic into your daily life to dissolve your fears, limiting beliefs, and shadow blocks as you learn how the principles of conjuring in African traditions can help you to become the person you were born to be. When Africans were kidnapped and brutally brought to "The New World," they hid their deities and rituals in stories of saints, angels, and legendary characters. Their deities included a powerful...

Pagan Ireland was full of wonders that have somehow escaped the mass consciousness, and Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions documents them, elucidating controversies and tracing ideas to their roots. Although Bonwick draws heavily from anthropological research, historians, and ancient manuscripts, he does not discount the value of folklore and oral tradition. With them, he endeavors to peer further back in time than is possible with Irish...

A preeminent scientist asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society from the Crusades to 9/11. He critiques God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows...

Author Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice. At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, this book draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the history of a nation grappling with religion and politics--from John Winthrop's "city on a hill" sermon to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence;...

The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: • New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars • Biographies of the authors...

"India" explores the sacred places of India, taking the reader on an extraordinary trip through the beliefs and history of this rich and profound place.

This far-reaching, highly readable study presents a factual account of ancient Egypt's principal deities, myths, religious ideas, and doctrines — with particular emphasis on such concepts of historical significance as a profound dedication to recording their rich history and belief in an afterlife.

Rachel Held Evans is widely recognized for her theologically astute, profoundly honest, and beautifully personal books, which have guided, instructed, edified, and shaped Christians as they seek to live out a just and loving faith. At the time of her tragic death in 2019, Rachel was working on a new book about wholeheartedness. With the help of her close friend and author Jeff Chu, that work-in-progress has been woven together with some of her other...