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A Little History of Religion

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Brief Description
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... Read More
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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

Series: Little Histories

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300283228

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 April 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 40 b-w illus.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is an internationally popular writer and broadcaster. His more than twenty books include the best-selling Leaving Alexandria: A Memoir of Faith and Doubt.

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    At fourteen, Richard Holloway left his working-class home north of Glasgow and travelled hundreds of miles to an English monastery to be trained for the priesthood. By twenty-five, he had been ordained and was working in the slums of Glasgow. In 2000 he controversially resigned as Bishop of Edinburgh, having lost heart with the Church over its condemnation of homosexuality....
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  • On Reflection
    In On Reflection, Richard Holloway thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life, sharing the wisdom of poets, writers, musicians, and artists he has encountered along the way. How can we forgive? Where does creativity come from? How can we face loss and death? How can we live a good life? How do we find beauty...
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  • Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human
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  • On Reflection
    In On Reflection, Richard Holloway thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life. Here, then, are the big asks: is there a God? How can we forgive? Where does creativity come from? How can we face loss and death? How can we live a good life? And how do we find beauty in the world? To...
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  • The Heart of Things
    Richard Holloway is one of our most beloved public thinkers. Throughout his life he has turned to poets and writers to help answer the big questions, and for solace and guidance in the face of life's challenges. Now he shares those poems and words which have been his own guide, offered in the hope they will help us too. The...
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  • The Heart of Things
    Richard Holloway is one of our most beloved public thinkers. As Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, he put principle over Church policy to advocate for gay rights and women in the priesthood. He never shied away from confronting his own doubts and fears, whether questioning his own faith or facing the inevitability of death. Across...
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  • Waiting for the Last Bus
    Now in his ninth decade, former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway has spent a lifetime at the bedsides of the dying, guiding countless men and women towards peaceful deaths. A positive and profound exploration of the many important lessons we can learn, this is also a stirring plea to reacquaint ourselves with death. Doing so gives us the chance to...
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  • Stories We Tell Ourselves
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  • A Little History of Religion
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  • Last Words
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