Strange gods : a secular history of conversion
(Audiobook CD)

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Average Rating
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Published
Old Saybrook, CT : Tantor Audio, [2016].
ISBN
9781494517540, 149451754X
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LocationCall NumberStatus
St. Charles Public Library District - Adult AudiobooksAUDIO BOOK 204.2 JACOn Shelf

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Published
Old Saybrook, CT : Tantor Audio, [2016].
Format
Audiobook CD
Physical Desc
16 audio discs (approximately 19 hours, 30 minutes) : digital, CD audio ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
English
ISBN
9781494517540, 149451754X
UPC
9781494517540

Notes

General Note
Compact discs.
Participants/Performers
Read by Elizabeth Wiley.
Description
In this original and riveting exploration, Susan Jacoby argues that conversion--especially in the free American "religious marketplace"--is too often viewed only within the conventional and simplistic narrative of personal reinvention and divine grace. Instead, the author places conversions within a secular social context that has, at various times, included the force of a unified church and state, desire for upward economic mobility, and interreligious marriage--the latter as critical in the early Christian era as in the United States today, where half of Americans have switched faiths at least once in their adult lives. The sometimes tragic, sometimes inspiring story is shaped by the competing absolute truth claims of Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam and their impact on Jews--the only monotheistic believers with an older historical stake. Moving through time, continents, and cultures--dealing with the often-ignored forced conversion of American slaves to Christianity as well as with the better-known story of the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of both atheists and Christians in modern Islamic theocracies--the story also includes conversions to authoritarian secular ideologies, notably Stalinist Communism, that resemble traditional, unquestioning faith. Finally, the author examines true religious choice--a product of the Enlightenment pioneered by the U.S. Constitution. This history is punctuated by portraits of individual converts, including the Catholic Church father Augustine of Hippo; the German Jewish convert to Catholicism Edith Stein, murdered at Auschwitz and canonized by the church; boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who scandalized white Americans in the 1960s by becoming a Muslim, and even politicians such as George W. Bush and former British prime minister Tony Blair. In a forthright conclusion to this enthralling history, Strange Gods takes on the question of why the freedom to choose a religion--or to reject religion altogether--is a fundamental human rights issue that remains a breeding ground for violence in areas of the world that never experienced an Enlightenment. --Publisher
Local note
AUDIOBOOK CD

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Jacoby, S., & Wiley, E. (2016). Strange gods: a secular history of conversion (Unabridged.). Tantor Audio.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Jacoby, Susan, 1945- and Elizabeth Wiley. 2016. Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion. Tantor Audio.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Jacoby, Susan, 1945- and Elizabeth Wiley. Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion Tantor Audio, 2016.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Jacoby, Susan, and Elizabeth Wiley. Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion Unabridged., Tantor Audio, 2016.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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