Agnostic
A Spirited Manifesto
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Narrated by:
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Lesley Hazleton
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By:
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Lesley Hazelton
About this listen
A widely admired writer on religion celebrates agnosticism as the most vibrant and engaging - and, ultimately, the most honest - stance toward the mysteries of existence.
One in four Americans rejects any affiliation with organized religion, and nearly half of those under 30 describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious". But as the airwaves resound with the haranguing of preachers and pundits, who speaks for the millions who find no joy in whittling the wonder of existence to a simple yes/no choice?
Lesley Hazleton does. In this provocative, brilliant book, she gives voice to the case for agnosticism, breaks it free of its stereotypes as watered-down atheism or amorphous "seeking", and celebrates it as a reasoned, revealing, and sustaining stance toward life. Stepping over the lines imposed by rigid conviction, she draws on philosophy, theology, psychology, science, and more to explore, with curiosity and passion, the vital role of mystery in a deceptively information-rich world; to ask what we mean by the search for meaning; to invoke the humbling yet elating perspective of infinity; to challenge received ideas about death; and to reconsider what "the soul" might be.
Inspired and inspiring, Agnostic recasts the question of belief not as a problem to be solved but as an invitation to an ongoing, open-ended adventure of the mind.
©2016 Lesley Hazelton (P)2016 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"In Hazleton’s vital, mischievous new book, the term [agnostic] represents a positive orientation towards life all its own, one that embraces both science and mystery, and values the immediate joys of life…In each of her wide-ranging reflections….she remains intimately grounded and engaged in our human, day-to-day life.” (New York Times Book Review)
“To be agnostic is not to sidestep the question of belief, for Hazleton, or to commit to a wishy-washy moral framework. It is instead to have enough backbone to stand firm in the liminality of uncertainty. She wants readers to give agnosticism a fair shake, and many will be convinced by her appealing voice and accessible prose.” (Publisher's Weekly starred)
"Here, with clever elucidation, are artful essays that celebrate the wonder of the unknown... Hazleton does not deny possibilities; she denies only assured and implacable dogma.” (Kirkus Reviews)
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- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
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An Inversion of Dante
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By: Mark Vernon
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Falling Upward
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In the first half of life, we are naturally preoccupied with establishing ourselves; climbing, achieving, and performing. But as we grow older and encounter challenges and mistakes, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-giving way. This message of falling down - that is in fact moving upward - is the most resisted and counterintuitive of messages in the world's religions. Falling Upward offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how those who have fallen down are the only ones who understand "up".
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I almost gave up on Christianity until I read this
- By J. Mark Wells on 09-03-14
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The Divine Dance
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The Trinity is supposed to be the central doctrine grounding Christianity, yet we're often told that we shouldn't attempt to understand it because it's a mystery. But what if we breached that mystery? How might it transform our relationship with God?
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Phenomenal!
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The Meaning of Happiness
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Deep down, most people think that happiness comes from having or doing something. Here, in Alan Watts’s groundbreaking third book (originally published in 1940), he offers a more challenging thesis: authentic happiness comes from embracing life as a whole in all its contradictions and paradoxes, an attitude that Watts calls the “way of acceptance.” Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts demonstrates that happiness comes from accepting both the outer world around us and the inner world inside us,
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Good Concepts Hard to Follow Along
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Uncommon Gratitude
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This series of reflections reveals the importance of gratitude in helping us see beyond the immediate to a broader and deeper reality. The discovery of this perpetual alleluia will help you discover what you are, become who you are, and grow with gratitude into the unknown.
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Spiritual platform for left-wing ideology
- By John Glemby on 06-29-19
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The Portable Atheist
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Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices past and present that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, you'll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific inquiry, including generous portions of the words of Lucretius, Benedict de Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, and more.
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This is ABRIDGED
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Eternal Life
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Bishop John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, Sins of Scripture, and many other books, is known for his controversial ideas and fighting for minority rights. In Eternal Life: A New Vision, a remarkable spiritual journey about his lifelong struggle with the questions of God and death, he reveals how he came to a new conviction about eternal life.
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Excellent questions... wishy-washy answers
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Speaking of Faith
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In this illuminating story of her life and conversations, the host of public radio's Speaking of Faith describes her journey of spiritual exploration - a journey shared by countless others.
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Clarity of Faith
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Walking in Wonder
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In this unabridged audiobook of Walking in Wonder, John O’Donohue’s friend and frequent collaborator John Quinn collects a series of talks and essays from the poet-philosopher on humanity’s relationship with the land, the ache of absence, our place in an often mysterious universe, and the great adventure of death itself.
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Gentle wise companion
- By papa k on 03-24-19
By: John O'Donohue, and others
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What listeners say about Agnostic
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- Rudy Jr Zubler
- 03-06-17
essential and accessible for anyone involved...
Faith is sacred, beliefs suspect, convictions dangerous - an essential contribution to religious peace !
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- Marshall
- 07-24-23
The best Agnostic book I’ve found
I felt seen as I read this book. Hazleton has a wonderful way of describing what it means to be Agnostic. As the only proper agnostic in my family this was a refreshing read. I am so grateful this book was written and that I found it. Much love to the author <3
And no love to the butt of a human who wrote the one-start review saying this was boring. So rude 😂 this book is not boring if you are interested in the topic.
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- David
- 04-20-16
Leave some room for doubt 😊
Lesley reads her book aloud with good phrasing, paces and kept my interest.
Explores an aspect of humanity on the intersection of beliefs and non- belief.
Generous in spirit, and worth a second read or listen
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3 people found this helpful
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- Alexander
- 11-24-24
What I've been searching for all along.
I love this book. I'll say it again. I absolutely love this book. As someone who has been studying, researching and diving into Religions and sects of the world; I can only feel this universe and reality only gets more confusing and more paradoxical. Lesley took the words right out of my mouth as she defended the idea in embracing the mystery and the unknown. To allow one to openly accept Religion but to also question and continuously try to keep searching. If you are one who keeps looking, give this book a chance. It's OK to always wonder, It's OK to never settle and to never stop searching and seeking.
As for the people saying the narration isn't good. Really? It's just an old lady (Lesley) reading her own book, speaking from her soul. Have you fellas ever heard an AI read from a book written by an AI? At least there is heart in this. At least she tried. There is nothing wrong here with the narration, other than the fact that it's not your typical profound male voice with "gusto".
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- Marianne Swedling
- 11-14-23
Brilliantly profound
And highly human, Ms. Hazelton manages to find hope, beauty and meaning hanging strung between impossible certainties and the very likely mundane imperfections of a life well lived.
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- Marc Birou
- 04-13-24
Amazing
What a beautiful way of viewing life...doubt is powerful...and I appreciate it even more reading this magnificent book of ideas. Thank you for sharing your views and journey.
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- Jeremy Gregg
- 09-28-24
I could't get past the voice
I tried listening to this, but the author/narrator's voice is just not made for audiobooks. I will purchase this book to read. Audible really should have paid someone to read this. The author's gravelly voice is just not ... pleasant.
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- CGB
- 03-11-19
Boring
This book was boring. I don't understand why authors of books like this find the need to make them boring.
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