Blasphemy
A Very Short Introduction
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Blasphemy
Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Shakira Shute
-
By:
-
Yvonne Sherwood
About this listen
In a world where not everyone believes in God, "blasphemy" is surely a concept that has passed its use-by-date. And yet blasphemy (like God and religion) seems to be on the rise. In this Very Short Introduction, Yvonne Sherwood asks why this should be the case, looking at factors such as the increased visibility of religious and racial minorities, new media, and engines of surveillance (which are far more omniscient than the old gods could ever be), and the legacies of colonial blasphemy laws.
Throughout, Sherwood uncovers new histories, from the story of accidentally blasphemous cartoons, to the close associations between blasphemy, sex, and birth control. She also argues that blasphemy itself involves an inherent contradiction in imagining the divine as an entity that must be revered above all, yet also a being that could possibly be hurt by anything that happens in the merely human sphere. Unpicking some of the most famous cases of blasphemy, Sherwood also looks at obscure instances, asking why some "blasphemies" have become infamous, while others have disappeared.
©2021 Yvonne Sherwood (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Time
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jennan Ismael
- Narrated by: Kate Zane
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
What is time? What does it mean for time to pass? Is it possible to travel in time? What is the difference between the past and future? Until the work of Newton, these questions were purely topics of philosophical speculation. Since then we've learned a great deal about time, and its study has moved from a subject of philosophical reflection to instead became part of the subject matter of physics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Sergey on 01-08-23
By: Jennan Ismael
-
Horror
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Darryl Jones
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 13
Analyzing the way in which horror has been used throughout history to articulate the fears and taboos of the current generation, Darryl Jones considers the continuing evolution of the genre today. As horror is mass marketed to mainstream society in the form of romantic vampires and blockbuster hits, it also continues to maintain its former shadowy presence on the edges of respectability, as banned films and violent internet phenomena push us to question both our own preconceptions and the terrifying capacity of human nature.
By: Darryl Jones
-
The Bible
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: John Riches
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2
This Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the bible by different communities and cultures and attempts to explain why it has generated such a rich variety of uses and interpretations. It explores how the Bible was written, the development of the canon, the role of biblical criticism, the appropriation of the bible in high and popular culture, and its use for political ends.
By: John Riches
-
The New Testament as Literature
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kyle Keefer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Walker
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
Unique among books that examine the bible as literature, this brilliantly compact introduction offers an intriguing double-edged look at this universal text - a religiously informed literary analysis. The book first explores the major sections of the New Testament - the gospels, Paul's letters, and Revelation - as individual literary documents. Keefer shows how, in such familiar stories as the parable of the Good Samaritan, a literary analysis can uncover an unexpected complexity to what seems a simple, straightforward tale.
By: Kyle Keefer
-
Stoicism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Brad Inwood
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Stoicism is two things: a long past philosophical school of ancient Greece and Rome, and an enduring philosophical movement that still inspires people in the twenty-first century to rethink and reorganize their lives in order to achieve personal satisfaction. What is the connection between them? This Very Short Introduction provides an introductory account of Stoic philosophy, and tells the story of how ancient Stoicism survived and evolved into the movement we see today.
By: Brad Inwood
-
The War on the West
- By: Douglas Murray
- Narrated by: Douglas Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,003
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,453
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,423
In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. After all, if we must discard the ideas of Kant, Hume, and Mill for their opinions on race, shouldn’t we discard Marx, whose work is peppered with racial slurs and anti-Semitism? Embers of racism remain to be stamped out in America, but what about the raging racist inferno in the Middle East and Asia?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Every Human (seriously, everyone) Read This!
- By aaron on 04-27-22
By: Douglas Murray
-
Time
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jennan Ismael
- Narrated by: Kate Zane
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
What is time? What does it mean for time to pass? Is it possible to travel in time? What is the difference between the past and future? Until the work of Newton, these questions were purely topics of philosophical speculation. Since then we've learned a great deal about time, and its study has moved from a subject of philosophical reflection to instead became part of the subject matter of physics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Sergey on 01-08-23
By: Jennan Ismael
-
Horror
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Darryl Jones
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 13
Analyzing the way in which horror has been used throughout history to articulate the fears and taboos of the current generation, Darryl Jones considers the continuing evolution of the genre today. As horror is mass marketed to mainstream society in the form of romantic vampires and blockbuster hits, it also continues to maintain its former shadowy presence on the edges of respectability, as banned films and violent internet phenomena push us to question both our own preconceptions and the terrifying capacity of human nature.
By: Darryl Jones
-
The Bible
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: John Riches
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2
This Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the bible by different communities and cultures and attempts to explain why it has generated such a rich variety of uses and interpretations. It explores how the Bible was written, the development of the canon, the role of biblical criticism, the appropriation of the bible in high and popular culture, and its use for political ends.
By: John Riches
-
The New Testament as Literature
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kyle Keefer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Walker
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
Unique among books that examine the bible as literature, this brilliantly compact introduction offers an intriguing double-edged look at this universal text - a religiously informed literary analysis. The book first explores the major sections of the New Testament - the gospels, Paul's letters, and Revelation - as individual literary documents. Keefer shows how, in such familiar stories as the parable of the Good Samaritan, a literary analysis can uncover an unexpected complexity to what seems a simple, straightforward tale.
By: Kyle Keefer
-
Stoicism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Brad Inwood
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Stoicism is two things: a long past philosophical school of ancient Greece and Rome, and an enduring philosophical movement that still inspires people in the twenty-first century to rethink and reorganize their lives in order to achieve personal satisfaction. What is the connection between them? This Very Short Introduction provides an introductory account of Stoic philosophy, and tells the story of how ancient Stoicism survived and evolved into the movement we see today.
By: Brad Inwood
-
The War on the West
- By: Douglas Murray
- Narrated by: Douglas Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,003
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,453
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,423
In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. After all, if we must discard the ideas of Kant, Hume, and Mill for their opinions on race, shouldn’t we discard Marx, whose work is peppered with racial slurs and anti-Semitism? Embers of racism remain to be stamped out in America, but what about the raging racist inferno in the Middle East and Asia?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Every Human (seriously, everyone) Read This!
- By aaron on 04-27-22
By: Douglas Murray
-
Aesthetics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bence Nanay
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called "high art" has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Critique of 'Western' Aesthetics - A Virtue Signal
- By Mr Timothy Webber on 10-05-21
By: Bence Nanay
-
Dark Agenda
- The War to Destroy Christian America
- By: David Horowitz
- Narrated by: Phil Paonessa
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,480
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,285
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,276
New York Times best-selling author David Horowitz exposes not only the progressive war against Christianity but also a war against America and its founding principles - which are Christian in their origin. Dark Agenda is about an embattled religion, but, most of all, it is about our imperiled nation. Tackling a broad range of issues from prayer in the schools to the globalist mindset, Horowitz traces the anti-Christian movement to its roots in communism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another Gem From David Horowitz
- By OhHaleYeah on 03-27-19
By: David Horowitz
-
God Is Not Great
- How Religion Poisons Everything
- By: Christopher Hitchens
- Narrated by: Christopher Hitchens
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,957
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,817
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,722
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris' recent best-seller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5-Star Writing. Perfect Author Narration.
- By Michael on 12-13-09
-
Heidegger
- A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition
- By: Michael Inwood
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Martin Heidegger, considered by some to be the greatest charlatan ever to claim the title of "philosopher", by some as an apologist for Nazism, and by others as an acknowledged leader in continental philosophy, is probably the most divisive thinker of the 20th century. In the second edition of this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Michael Inwood focuses on Heidegger's most important work, Being and Time, to explore its major themes of existence in the world, inauthenticity, guilt, destiny, truth, and the nature of time.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Very Limited and One-sided View
- By Jack L. Sammons on 10-25-24
By: Michael Inwood
-
Control
- Exposing the Truth About Guns
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell, Glenn Beck
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 627
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 565
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 559
When our founding fathers secured the Constitutional “right of the people to keep and bear arms”, they also added the admonition that this right shall not be infringed. It is the only time this phrase appears in the Bill of Rights. So why aren’t more people listening? History has proven that guns are essential to self-defense and liberty - but tragedy is a powerful force and has led many to believe that guns are the enemy, that the Second Amendment is outdated, and that more restrictions or outright bans on firearms will somehow solve everything. They are wrong.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Scary
- By Sher from Provo on 06-17-13
By: Glenn Beck
-
Not in God's Name
- Confronting Religious Violence
- By: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Sacks
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 132
In this powerful and timely book, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Rabbi Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit and individuals are motivated by what Rabbi Sacks calls "altruistic evil", violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent book
- By Trejac on 07-26-21
-
A History of the Jews
- By: Paul Johnson
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 28 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 497
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 381
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 382
This historical magnum opus covers 4,000 years of the extraordinary history of the Jews as a people, a culture, and a nation. It shows the impact of Jewish character on the world: their genius, imagination, and, most of all, their ability to persevere despite severe persecutions. Compelling insights into events and individuals are chronologically detailed, from Moses and Jesus to Spinoza, Marx, Freud, the Rothschilds, and Golda Meir.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent History
- By Rilezmom on 06-06-09
By: Paul Johnson
-
The Great Agnostic
- Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
A biography that restores America's foremost 19th-century champion of reason and secularism to our still contested 21st-century public square. During the Gilded Age, which saw the dawn of America's enduring culture wars, Robert Green Ingersoll was known as "the Great Agnostic". The nation's most famous orator, he raised his voice on behalf of Enlightenment reason, secularism, and the separation of church and state with a vigor unmatched since America's revolutionary generation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Marvelous
- By tony on 08-09-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
Silencing of the Lambs
- By: Michael Brown
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 41
In The Silencing of the Lambs, Dr. Michael L. Brown lays out what is happening in the world around us - from the assault on children in schools and on college campuses to the unprecedented censorship of Christians and conservatives through Big Tech. He then maps out strategies for how we can turn the pitfalls into platforms and find courage in the midst of opposition.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Word. Very thoughtful insightful and encouraging
- By A.J. on 05-22-24
By: Michael Brown
-
Heretic
- By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Narrated by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,004
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 893
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 885
What happened to Islamic reform? Why have al Qaeda and Boko Haram become the faces of contemporary Islam? Why has the Arab Spring devolved into a battle over sharia law? Continuing her personal journey from a deeply religious Islamic upbringing to a post at Harvard and American citizenship, the New York Times best-selling author of Infidel and Nomad crafts a powerful call for an Islamic reformation as the only way to end the current wave of global violence and repression of women.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
And They Revoked Her Honorary University Degree!
- By Russell on 04-14-15
By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
-
The New Puritans
- How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World
- By: Andrew Doyle
- Narrated by: Andrew Doyle
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 280
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 252
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 249
Leading a cultural revolution driven by identity politics and so-called 'social justice', the new puritanism movement is best understood as a religion - one that makes grand claims to moral purity and tolerates no dissent. In The New Puritans, Andrew Doyle powerfully examines the underlying belief-systems of this ideology and how it has risen so rapidly to dominate all major political, cultural and corporate institutions. He reasons that, to move forward, we need to understand where these New Puritans came from and what they hope to achieve.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hero speaking truth
- By Victoria Eriksson on 10-12-22
By: Andrew Doyle
-
The Air We Breathe
- How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality
- By: Glen Scrivener
- Narrated by: Glen Scrivener
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 94
Today in the West, many consider the church to be dead or dying. Christianity is seen as outdated, bigoted, and responsible for many of society’s problems. This leaves many believers embarrassed about their faith and many outsiders wary of religion. But what if the Christian message is not the enemy of our modern Western values, but the very thing that makes sense of them? In this fascinating book, Glen Scrivener takes listeners on a journey to discover how the teachings of Jesus not only turned the ancient world upside down, but continue to underpin the way we think.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fast-Paced and Excellent
- By TJ on 06-28-22
By: Glen Scrivener
Related to this topic
-
The Atheist Muslim
- A Journey from Religion to Reason
- By: Ali A. Rizvi
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 231
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 212
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 210
Struggling to reconcile the Muslim society he was living in as a scientist and physician and the religion he was being raised in, Ali A. Rizvi eventually lost his faith. Discovering that he was not alone, he moved to North America and promised to use his new freedom of speech to represent the voices that are usually quashed before reaching the mainstream media - those of Atheist Muslims.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An honest book
- By Naeem Rahim on 11-28-16
By: Ali A. Rizvi
-
Heretic
- By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Narrated by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,004
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 893
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 885
What happened to Islamic reform? Why have al Qaeda and Boko Haram become the faces of contemporary Islam? Why has the Arab Spring devolved into a battle over sharia law? Continuing her personal journey from a deeply religious Islamic upbringing to a post at Harvard and American citizenship, the New York Times best-selling author of Infidel and Nomad crafts a powerful call for an Islamic reformation as the only way to end the current wave of global violence and repression of women.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
And They Revoked Her Honorary University Degree!
- By Russell on 04-14-15
By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
-
Strange Gods
- A Secular History of Conversion
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Our own fabrications
- By David E. Felker on 01-03-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech?
- By: Mick Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
In this blistering polemic, veteran journalist Mick Hume presents an uncompromising defence of freedom of expression, which he argues is threatened in the West not by jackbooted censorship but by a creeping culture of conformism and you-can't-say-that. The cold-blooded murder of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists in January 2015 brought a deadly focus to the issue of free speech. Leaders of the free-thinking world united in condemning the killings, proclaiming ‘Je suis Charlie'.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Think While It's Still Legal...
- By Douglas on 12-13-16
By: Mick Hume
-
The War on the West
- By: Douglas Murray
- Narrated by: Douglas Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,003
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,453
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,423
In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. After all, if we must discard the ideas of Kant, Hume, and Mill for their opinions on race, shouldn’t we discard Marx, whose work is peppered with racial slurs and anti-Semitism? Embers of racism remain to be stamped out in America, but what about the raging racist inferno in the Middle East and Asia?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Every Human (seriously, everyone) Read This!
- By aaron on 04-27-22
By: Douglas Murray
-
Anti-Judaism
- The Western Tradition
- By: David Nirenberg
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
This incisive history upends the complacency that confines anti-Judaism to the ideological extremes in the Western tradition. With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book: Terrible Narrator
- By LB on 12-29-16
By: David Nirenberg
-
The Atheist Muslim
- A Journey from Religion to Reason
- By: Ali A. Rizvi
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 231
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 212
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 210
Struggling to reconcile the Muslim society he was living in as a scientist and physician and the religion he was being raised in, Ali A. Rizvi eventually lost his faith. Discovering that he was not alone, he moved to North America and promised to use his new freedom of speech to represent the voices that are usually quashed before reaching the mainstream media - those of Atheist Muslims.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An honest book
- By Naeem Rahim on 11-28-16
By: Ali A. Rizvi
-
Heretic
- By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Narrated by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,004
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 893
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 885
What happened to Islamic reform? Why have al Qaeda and Boko Haram become the faces of contemporary Islam? Why has the Arab Spring devolved into a battle over sharia law? Continuing her personal journey from a deeply religious Islamic upbringing to a post at Harvard and American citizenship, the New York Times best-selling author of Infidel and Nomad crafts a powerful call for an Islamic reformation as the only way to end the current wave of global violence and repression of women.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
And They Revoked Her Honorary University Degree!
- By Russell on 04-14-15
By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
-
Strange Gods
- A Secular History of Conversion
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Our own fabrications
- By David E. Felker on 01-03-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech?
- By: Mick Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
In this blistering polemic, veteran journalist Mick Hume presents an uncompromising defence of freedom of expression, which he argues is threatened in the West not by jackbooted censorship but by a creeping culture of conformism and you-can't-say-that. The cold-blooded murder of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists in January 2015 brought a deadly focus to the issue of free speech. Leaders of the free-thinking world united in condemning the killings, proclaiming ‘Je suis Charlie'.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Think While It's Still Legal...
- By Douglas on 12-13-16
By: Mick Hume
-
The War on the West
- By: Douglas Murray
- Narrated by: Douglas Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,003
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,453
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,423
In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. After all, if we must discard the ideas of Kant, Hume, and Mill for their opinions on race, shouldn’t we discard Marx, whose work is peppered with racial slurs and anti-Semitism? Embers of racism remain to be stamped out in America, but what about the raging racist inferno in the Middle East and Asia?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Every Human (seriously, everyone) Read This!
- By aaron on 04-27-22
By: Douglas Murray
-
Anti-Judaism
- The Western Tradition
- By: David Nirenberg
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
This incisive history upends the complacency that confines anti-Judaism to the ideological extremes in the Western tradition. With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book: Terrible Narrator
- By LB on 12-29-16
By: David Nirenberg
-
It's Dangerous to Believe
- Religious Freedom and Its Enemies
- By: Mary Eberstadt
- Narrated by: Margaret Winston
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 62
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
In It's Dangerous to Believe, Mary Eberstadt documents how people of faith - especially Christians who adhere to traditional religious beliefs - face widespread discrimination in today's increasingly secular society. Eberstadt details how recent laws, court decisions, and intimidation on campuses and elsewhere threaten believers who fear losing their jobs, their communities, and their basic freedoms solely because of their convictions.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not about Freedom of Religion
- By A. A. Gunnarsdóttir on 01-29-19
By: Mary Eberstadt
-
A History of the Jews
- By: Paul Johnson
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 28 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 497
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 381
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 382
This historical magnum opus covers 4,000 years of the extraordinary history of the Jews as a people, a culture, and a nation. It shows the impact of Jewish character on the world: their genius, imagination, and, most of all, their ability to persevere despite severe persecutions. Compelling insights into events and individuals are chronologically detailed, from Moses and Jesus to Spinoza, Marx, Freud, the Rothschilds, and Golda Meir.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent History
- By Rilezmom on 06-06-09
By: Paul Johnson
-
Holy Sh*t
- A Brief History of Swearing
- By: Melissa Mohr
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 146
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 122
Almost everyone swears, or worries about not swearing, from the two year-old who has just discovered the power of potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. Whether they express anger or exhilaration, are meant to insult or to commend, swear words perform a crucial role in language. But swearing is also a uniquely well-suited lens through which to look at history, offering a fascinating record of what people care about on the deepest levels of a culture - what's divine, what's terrifying, and what's taboo.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
WHERE IS THE REFERENCE MATERIAL PDF????
- By justin on 07-08-14
By: Melissa Mohr
-
Why the Jews?
- The Reason for Anti-Semitism, the Most Accurate Predictor of Human Evil
- By: Dennis Prager, Joseph Telushkin
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 328
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 288
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 287
In this seminal work that has spent more than 30 years in print, Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin explain the reasons behind anti-Semitism, the world's preoccupation with the Jews and Israel, and why now more than ever the world needs to confront anti-Jewish sentiment. Prager and Telushkin examine in detail how anti-Semitism is a unique hatred - no other prejudice has been as universal, deep, or permanent - and how the concept of the "chosen people" spawned that hatred.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
It answers the question!
- By MarissaB on 10-01-16
By: Dennis Prager, and others
-
The Trouble with Islam Today
- A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith
- By: Irshad Manji
- Narrated by: Irshad Manji
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 69
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 60
Winner of Oprah's first "Chutzpah Award" for boldness, Irshad Manji is among the world's most visible - and vocal - Muslim reformers. In this audio book, narrated by her, Irshad explains the disturbing attitudes with which too many of her fellow Muslims practice Islam today: Arab cultural tribalism posing as pure faith. An uncritical approach to the Quran as the final and therefore superior word of God. And a rejection of universal human rights as if they are incompatible with the Divine.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Non-stop rant from an angry l*sb**n
- By J S on 10-14-12
By: Irshad Manji
-
Seven Lies about Catholic History: Infamous Myths about the Church's Past and How to Answer Them
- By: Diane Moczar
- Narrated by: Kevin F. Spalding
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 243
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 219
The world hates the Church that Jesus founded, just as He said it would (John 15:18). It reviles her doctrines, mocks her moral teachings and invents lies about her history. In every age, but especially in our modern day, historians and political powers have distorted the facts about her past (or just made up novel falsehoods from scratch) to make the Church, and the civilization it fostered, seem corrupt, backward, or simply evil.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent read
- By Christine A Carty on 02-27-16
By: Diane Moczar
-
Not in God's Name
- Confronting Religious Violence
- By: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Sacks
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 132
In this powerful and timely book, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Rabbi Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit and individuals are motivated by what Rabbi Sacks calls "altruistic evil", violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent book
- By Trejac on 07-26-21
-
Freethinkers
- A History of American Secularism
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason. In impassioned, elegant prose, celebrated author Susan Jacoby traces more than 200 years of secularist activism, beginning with the fierce debate over the omission of God from the Constitution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Essential history of free thought in America
- By Clark Savage on 11-27-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess
- The Conflict Between Word and Image
- By: Leonard Shlain
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 24 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
Who changed the sex of God? This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Can't Even Get Started
- By Marie on 02-08-19
By: Leonard Shlain
-
Speak of the Devil
- How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion
- By: Joseph P. Laycock
- Narrated by: Thomas Allen
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 369
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 323
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 324
Speak of the Devil is the first book-length study of The Satanic Temple. Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book about a misunderstood topic!
- By Deena M Engelmann on 09-24-20
-
The Way of the Strangers
- Encounters with the Islamic State
- By: Graeme Wood
- Narrated by: Graeme Wood
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 309
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 272
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 268
Tens of thousands of men and women have left comfortable, privileged lives to join the Islamic State and kill for it. To them, its violence is beautiful and holy, and the caliphate a fulfillment of prophecy and the only place on earth where they can live and die as Muslims. The Way of the Strangers is an intimate journey into the minds of the Islamic State's true believers. From the streets of Cairo to the mosques of London, Wood interviews supporters, recruiters, and sympathizers of the group.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A longer version of the Atlantic article
- By Nassir on 04-29-17
By: Graeme Wood
-
God's Jury
- The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Cullen Murphy
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 111
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
The Inquisition conducted its last execution in 1826-the victim was a Spanish schoolmaster convicted of heresy. But as Cullen Murphy shows in this provocative new work, not only did its offices survive into the twentieth century, in the modern world its spirit is more influential than ever.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A balanced review based on new material
- By Sean on 05-15-12
By: Cullen Murphy
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Religion
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Thomas A. Tweed
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story1 out of 5 stars 1
Religion: A Very Short Introduction offers a concise nonpartisan overview of religion's long history and its complicated role in the world today.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Dry, even by academic standards
- By Owen Summerscales on 10-13-24
By: Thomas A. Tweed
-
Ancient Philosophy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Julia Annas
- Narrated by: Pamela Gold
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich, and varied one, in which a constant note is that of discussion and argument. This book introduces listeners to some ancient debates to engage with the ancient developments of some themes. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives listeners a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy and of its wide variety of themes and styles.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good Information but a little too broad
- By Brad on 08-09-24
By: Julia Annas
-
Fascism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kevin Passmore
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
Fascism is notoriously hard to define. How do we make sense of an ideology that appeals to streetfighters and intellectuals alike? That is overtly macho in style, yet attracts many women? That calls for a return to tradition while maintaining a fascination with technology? And that preaches violence in the name of an ordered society? In the new edition of this Very Short Introduction, Kevin Passmore brilliantly unravels the paradoxes of one of the most important phenomena in the modern world
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brings Clarity to a Resurging Topic
- By Fernanda Araujo on 03-24-20
By: Kevin Passmore
-
Aesthetics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bence Nanay
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called "high art" has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Critique of 'Western' Aesthetics - A Virtue Signal
- By Mr Timothy Webber on 10-05-21
By: Bence Nanay
-
Orthodox Christianity
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: A. Edward Siecienski
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into two camps - Catholic and Orthodox. However, as the second largest Christian denomination, Orthodox Christianity is anything but foreign to the nearly 300 million worshipers who practice it. For them, Orthodoxy is a living, breathing reality; a way of being Christian ultimately rooted in the person of Jesus and the experience of the early church.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Review summary
- By David Neff on 09-20-24
-
The Ancient Near East
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Amanda H. Podany
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization" - and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature. This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers a fascinating account of this momentous time in human history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This Great Work Reveals Amanda Podany at her Best
- By Amadeu Macedo on 10-24-24
By: Amanda H. Podany
-
Religion
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Thomas A. Tweed
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story1 out of 5 stars 1
Religion: A Very Short Introduction offers a concise nonpartisan overview of religion's long history and its complicated role in the world today.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Dry, even by academic standards
- By Owen Summerscales on 10-13-24
By: Thomas A. Tweed
-
Ancient Philosophy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Julia Annas
- Narrated by: Pamela Gold
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich, and varied one, in which a constant note is that of discussion and argument. This book introduces listeners to some ancient debates to engage with the ancient developments of some themes. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives listeners a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy and of its wide variety of themes and styles.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good Information but a little too broad
- By Brad on 08-09-24
By: Julia Annas
-
Fascism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kevin Passmore
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
Fascism is notoriously hard to define. How do we make sense of an ideology that appeals to streetfighters and intellectuals alike? That is overtly macho in style, yet attracts many women? That calls for a return to tradition while maintaining a fascination with technology? And that preaches violence in the name of an ordered society? In the new edition of this Very Short Introduction, Kevin Passmore brilliantly unravels the paradoxes of one of the most important phenomena in the modern world
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brings Clarity to a Resurging Topic
- By Fernanda Araujo on 03-24-20
By: Kevin Passmore
-
Aesthetics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bence Nanay
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called "high art" has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Critique of 'Western' Aesthetics - A Virtue Signal
- By Mr Timothy Webber on 10-05-21
By: Bence Nanay
-
Orthodox Christianity
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: A. Edward Siecienski
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into two camps - Catholic and Orthodox. However, as the second largest Christian denomination, Orthodox Christianity is anything but foreign to the nearly 300 million worshipers who practice it. For them, Orthodoxy is a living, breathing reality; a way of being Christian ultimately rooted in the person of Jesus and the experience of the early church.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Review summary
- By David Neff on 09-20-24
-
The Ancient Near East
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Amanda H. Podany
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization" - and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature. This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers a fascinating account of this momentous time in human history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This Great Work Reveals Amanda Podany at her Best
- By Amadeu Macedo on 10-24-24
By: Amanda H. Podany