Ocean State Libraries

The Protestant ethic - a moral code stressing hard work, rigorous self-discipline, and the organization of one's life in the service of God - was made famous by sociologist and political economist Max Weber. In this brilliant study (his best-known and most controversial), he opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through "the struggle of opposites." Instead, he relates the rise of a capitalist economy...

"The author of 'The Gnostic Gospels' draws on personal experiences and the perspectives of neurologists, anthropologists, and historians to illuminate the enduring capacity of faith in explaining and meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century. Dealing with unimaginable loss-- the death of her young son, followed a year later by the shocking loss of her husband-- Pagels began to reflect on the persistence and nature of belief. Here she illuminates...

On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging worldwide. From Russia to Turkey to India, nations that swore off faith in the last century--or even tried to stamp it out--are now run by avowedly religious leaders. This book examines this new world, from exorcisms in São Paulo to religious skirmishing in Nigeria, to televangelism in California and house churches in China. Since the Enlightenment, intellectuals have assumed that modernization...

Examines the impact of religion on American life and how that impact has changed in the last half-century.

"A provocative history of men who were worshipped as gods that illuminates the connection between power and religion and the role of divinity in a secular age"--

An exploration of how the story of Moses has influenced American history traces the biblical figure's role in inspiring change, from the Pilgrims' journey and the visions of the Founding Fathers to the ideologies of the civil rights movement.

During the final years of his life, Joseph Campbell embarked on a speaking tour in which he drew together all that he had learned about what he called the "one great story" of humanity. These remarkable talks were filmed and are presented here in the order and manner in which Campbell himself intended. Examines the core myths of the great Asian religions; the Buddha and enlightenment, East and West; Yoga and transcendence; Kundalini yoga and the seven...