Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion

Susan Jacoby

Feb 2016 · Tantor Media Inc · Kuchazwe ngu-Elizabeth Wiley

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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.Moving through time, continents, and cultures, Jacoby examines conversions to authoritarian secular ideologies. She also provides 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. Finally, Jacoby 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.

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Susan Jacoby is the author of more than ten books, including the New York Times bestseller The Age of American Unreason. She is a frequent contributor to national publications, including the Times and the Washington Post.

AudioFile Earphones Award winner Elizabeth Wiley is a seasoned actor, dialect coach, theater professor, and dedicated narrator. She brings over twenty-five years of award-winning acting and voice experience to the studio to create memorable, compelling storytelling.