Faith and the Founding Fathers
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Narrated by:
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Adam Jortner
About this listen
What did the Founding Fathers think about religion? And why did a group of practicing Protestants create a republic with widespread religious liberty? The 12 lectures included in this fascinating course provide multi-layered insights into the vision, philosophies, politics, and deep-seated faith of these brilliant leaders - in their own time, in their own words.
Listeners will examine the unorthodox religious journeys of men like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine, and John Jay, as well as the profound and passionate faiths of John Adams, Patrick Henry, and Benjamin Rush. They’ll also explore the ways in which the Founders thought about mixing religion with political power, from establishing national fast days to disestablishing state churches.
Along the way, listeners will hear about the profound changes religious freedom created in America. The Faith and the Founding Fathers is the story of how liberty and religion wrestled with each other at the birth of the republic and created the forms and traditions of modern American religion.
Through these 12 lectures, listeners will come to fully understand the philosophies of the Founding Fathers as they:
- Investigate how religion responded to the American Revolution
- Travel back to pre-revolutionary American religion and encounter the renegades of the Great Awakening and the tenets of Puritans and Deists
- Learn how the American Revolution was influenced by the beliefs of everyone from John Adams to Charles Carroll
- Discover how religious liberty became enshrined as law
- Examine surprising effects of religious liberty that the Founding Fathers never anticipated, including the rise of new forms of Christianity and American revivalism
- Follow the rapid expansion of African American Christianity among both free and enslaved communities
Despite how far removed the faiths of the Founding Fathers are from us in the 21st century, Dr. Jortner’s explorations of their philosophies offer illuminating insights into modern politics, religious liberty, and the overarching role of religion in human civilization.
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Our favorite moments from Faith and the Founding Fathers
About the Professor
Dr. Adam Jortner is the Goodwin-Philpott Eminent Scholar of Religion in the Department of History at Auburn University. He received his BA in Religion from the College of William and Mary, and his MA and PhD in History from the University of Virginia. Dr. Jortner is the author of Blood from the Sky: A Political History of Miracles in Early America, and The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier, which won the James Broussard Prize from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic. He is also the author of numerous book chapters and articles on religion and early America, and has received grants and fellowships from many organizations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Antiquarian Society, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Dr. Jortner is a frequent contributor to the American history podcast BackStory and a former script editor for the children’s television show Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
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In 10 Big Questions of the American Civil War, join noted author and Civil War historian Dr. Caroline E. Janney, a professor at the University of Virginia, for a pointed examination of some of the most intriguing, provocative, and enduring questions about the Civil War era. The aim of these 10 eye-opening lectures is to separate myth from memory.
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Rockyp
- By Robert Palomino on 12-11-19
By: Caroline Janney, and others
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The Big Mysteries of Human Evolution
- By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dr. Elen Feurriegel
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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In 10 riveting episodes, paleoanthropologist Elen Feuerriegel takes you on an unrivaled tour of the human fossil record in search of the biological and behavioral underpinnings of our very “humanness”.
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Fascinating lecture
- By M Hester on 04-15-22
By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, and others
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How 1954 Changed History
- By: Michael Flamm, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Flamm
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Every year has its share of notable events, but some years seem to capture the essence of a decade in a handful of months. The year 1954 is one such year. It began in January with a celebrity marriage heard round the world and then progressed through a series of major political, social, and cultural milestones that would echo through the next several decades. The years following World War II were a time of increased wealth and confidence, years that saw the rise of a solid, increasingly powerful middle class in America.
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Fascinating history
- By TPM on 04-19-20
By: Michael Flamm, and others
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Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary
- By: James Krasner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Krasner
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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Every hero works to soothe the fears of the people during their period in history. Heroes are not only brave, but they’re also able to navigate the convoluted corridors of society, and to see through the respectable pretense of others to detect the evil that lies within. So, who better to take on the foggy, crime-ridden streets and strict social mores of Victorian London than the iconic literary detective Sherlock Holmes? In Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary, you’ll investigate the history behind Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s whip-smart, charismatic detective.
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Very dry and academic
- By Buretto on 05-29-21
By: James Krasner, and others
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The World of J.R.R. Tolkien
- By: Dimitra Fimi, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dimitra Fimi
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
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In The World of J.R.R. Tolkien, you will join Dr. Dimitra Fimi to delve into Tolkien’s complex and multilayered mythology, examining all these ingredients and more. In these 10 lectures, you will explore and appreciate Middle-earth as medieval, mythological, and modern, a literary creation that was shaped by forces old and new. And you may be surprised to discover just how much of Tolkien’s legendarium was constructed posthumously, with his son Christopher compiling and publishing many of Tolkien’s later works after his death.
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Calls Tolkien a racist and sexist
- By Kevin on 09-29-22
By: Dimitra Fimi, and others
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Powerful Women of the Medieval World
- By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Throughout history, women have played integral roles in family, society, religion, government, war - in short, in all aspects of human civilization. Their contributions have often shaped history and shifted the axis of power for later generations of women. And yet, unearthing their stories from the historical record has often been a challenge. In Powerful Women of the Medieval World, Professor Dorsey Armstrong will introduce you to 10 amazing women who played vital roles in the Middle Ages.
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Very good! I wish I would have began listening to the Great Courses sooner.
- By Malia on 03-20-21
By: Dorsey Armstrong, and others
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10 Big Questions of the American Civil War
- By: Caroline Janney, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Caroline Janney
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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In 10 Big Questions of the American Civil War, join noted author and Civil War historian Dr. Caroline E. Janney, a professor at the University of Virginia, for a pointed examination of some of the most intriguing, provocative, and enduring questions about the Civil War era. The aim of these 10 eye-opening lectures is to separate myth from memory.
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Rockyp
- By Robert Palomino on 12-11-19
By: Caroline Janney, and others
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The Big Mysteries of Human Evolution
- By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dr. Elen Feurriegel
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 10 riveting episodes, paleoanthropologist Elen Feuerriegel takes you on an unrivaled tour of the human fossil record in search of the biological and behavioral underpinnings of our very “humanness”.
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Fascinating lecture
- By M Hester on 04-15-22
By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, and others
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How 1954 Changed History
- By: Michael Flamm, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Flamm
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Every year has its share of notable events, but some years seem to capture the essence of a decade in a handful of months. The year 1954 is one such year. It began in January with a celebrity marriage heard round the world and then progressed through a series of major political, social, and cultural milestones that would echo through the next several decades. The years following World War II were a time of increased wealth and confidence, years that saw the rise of a solid, increasingly powerful middle class in America.
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Fascinating history
- By TPM on 04-19-20
By: Michael Flamm, and others
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Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary
- By: James Krasner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Krasner
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Every hero works to soothe the fears of the people during their period in history. Heroes are not only brave, but they’re also able to navigate the convoluted corridors of society, and to see through the respectable pretense of others to detect the evil that lies within. So, who better to take on the foggy, crime-ridden streets and strict social mores of Victorian London than the iconic literary detective Sherlock Holmes? In Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary, you’ll investigate the history behind Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s whip-smart, charismatic detective.
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Very dry and academic
- By Buretto on 05-29-21
By: James Krasner, and others
-
The World of J.R.R. Tolkien
- By: Dimitra Fimi, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dimitra Fimi
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In The World of J.R.R. Tolkien, you will join Dr. Dimitra Fimi to delve into Tolkien’s complex and multilayered mythology, examining all these ingredients and more. In these 10 lectures, you will explore and appreciate Middle-earth as medieval, mythological, and modern, a literary creation that was shaped by forces old and new. And you may be surprised to discover just how much of Tolkien’s legendarium was constructed posthumously, with his son Christopher compiling and publishing many of Tolkien’s later works after his death.
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Calls Tolkien a racist and sexist
- By Kevin on 09-29-22
By: Dimitra Fimi, and others
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Powerful Women of the Medieval World
- By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Throughout history, women have played integral roles in family, society, religion, government, war - in short, in all aspects of human civilization. Their contributions have often shaped history and shifted the axis of power for later generations of women. And yet, unearthing their stories from the historical record has often been a challenge. In Powerful Women of the Medieval World, Professor Dorsey Armstrong will introduce you to 10 amazing women who played vital roles in the Middle Ages.
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Very good! I wish I would have began listening to the Great Courses sooner.
- By Malia on 03-20-21
By: Dorsey Armstrong, and others
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American Monsters
- By: Adam Jortner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Adam Jortner
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Grab a flashlight and go monster-hunting in the safe company of Adam Jortner, award-winning professor of religion at Auburn University. You’ll encounter chilling tales of living houses, sentient plants, psychotic toys, brain-eating zombies, and otherworldly beings whose mere name is enough to drive people insane. Along the way, you’ll learn how monster stories change how Americans think and what Americans do, how they shape the history of our country, and what secrets about human nature these inhuman monsters can share.
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Great entertaining listen
- By lindsayb on 06-22-21
By: Adam Jortner, and others
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Edgar Allan Poe: Master of Horror
- By: Mark Canada, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Canada
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Through these 10 lectures, you will delve into the darkness of Poe’s most nightmarish stories, including “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. You’ll also learn how he invented the detective story and explored themes of love and loss in such poems as “Ulalume” and “Annabel Lee”. And you’ll discover how Poe employed symbolism, imagery, rhythm and rhyme, irony and paradox, repetition, simile, and foreshadowing to create a unique body of work.
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Interesting but not what I was expecting
- By Red-Haired Ash on 03-24-21
By: Mark Canada, and others
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The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party
- By: Adam Jortner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Adam Jortner
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
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The history of the Boston Tea Party is a hidden one. Why? Since it was a clandestine operation, all sorts of rumors and legends grew up around the event—many collected decades after the American Revolution had ended. At its core, however, the night of December 16, 1773, when colonials dumped tea from British ships into Boston Harbor, was more than a fight over tea and taxes. It was a struggle over the very nature of democracy and self-governance.
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How nuanced this event actually was
- By Cody T. on 12-17-23
By: Adam Jortner, and others
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Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project
- By: Edward G. Lengel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edward G. Lengel
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Original Recording
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In 10 riveting episodes that feel like a fast-paced thriller, acclaimed World War II historian Edward G. Lengel’s Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project brings the origin of the atomic bomb - and the scientific minds behind it - to vivid life. Did the Manhattan Project, and the remarkable weapon it produced, save millions of lives at the expense of the tens of thousands who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? And was there any way to prevent this technology from unleashing the horrors that still hang over us today?
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Excellent lecture
- By AmazonTop on 09-28-20
By: Edward G. Lengel, and others
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Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament
- By: Martien Halvorson-Taylor, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Martien Halvorson-Taylor
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
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Who wrote Great Expectations? That’s easy: Charles Dickens. Who’s the author of Beloved? Toni Morrison, of course. Now how about the Old Testament? You’d think for a book as widely known, studied, and distributed as the Bible, the question of authorship would have been sorted out by now. But the question is more complex (and fascinating) than it seems. Why? Because asking it is to challenge everything we might assume about the Bible’s identity as a book, about what “writing” and “authorship” really mean, and about how a written text could become sacred.
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What a Great Courses Book Is Meant to Be
- By Gilbert M. Stack on 12-16-21
By: Martien Halvorson-Taylor, and others
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Rise and Fall of the Borgias
- By: William Landon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: William Landon
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
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Since its rise to the highest ranks of power in Renaissance Europe, the Borgia family has developed a scandalous reputation. While they were indeed ostentatious, calculating, worldly, cruel - and even, occasionally, murderous - you may be surprised to find that the Borgias were not terribly different from other powerful and ambitious families of their day. So why has history set them apart as one of the most corrupt and reviled families in history?
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A remarkable history of a maligned family
- By Happy Customer on 12-03-19
By: William Landon, and others
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The History and Future of the HBCU
- By: Crystal R Sanders, Reginald Ellis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Crystal R Sanders, Reginald Ellis
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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In The History and Future of HBCUs, Professor Crystal R. Sanders and Professor Reginald Ellis take you back to the pre-Civil War origins of some of the earliest HBCUs and walk you through the complex history of these institutions. As you witness their growth - and the power struggles that often came with the fraught political and racial landscape of the US in the 19th and 20th centuries - you will meet some of the great minds they produced. Uncover the indelible mark they have left on American education, the fight for Black liberation, and the Civil Rights movement.
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A lecture series
- By G. Hunter on 02-04-22
By: Crystal R Sanders, and others
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Charismatic Leaders Who Remade America
- By: Molly Worthen, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Molly Worthen, The Great Courses
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
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What is that mysterious thing we call charisma? Where does this magnetic quality come from? Why are we so drawn to it? Are people born charismatic - or do they become that way over time? Can charisma be just as much a force for evil as it is for good? Answers to questions like these are just as important now, in the 21st century, as they were during the earliest years of the American republic.
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Interesting but biased
- By Paul W. Brazis on 06-02-20
By: Molly Worthen, and others
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The Life & Times of Beethoven
- The First Angry Man
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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In The Life & Times of Beethoven, celebrated composer and music historian Professor Robert Greenberg of San Francisco Performances gives you a unique perspective on a musical genius the likes of which the world had never seen before - or since. Blending biography, history, and music appreciation, these 10 lectures portray Beethoven’s extraordinary (and still modern-sounding) music as a direct outgrowth of his life, environment, and interior emotional landscape.
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WHAT no music????
- By THS on 11-12-19
By: Robert Greenberg, and others
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The History of the Superhero
- By: Lan Dong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lan Dong
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
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In Lan Dong’s Audible Original, The History of the Superhero, examine the roots of the superhero dynamic that’s overtaking popular culture. Encompassing both Marvel Comics’ and DC Comics’ pantheon of extraordinary heroes, these eight lectures explore how superhero comics came to be, how famous characters (and their exploits) evolved in response to social and cultural changes, how superhero cinematic universes have become an integral (and highly lucrative) part of film history, and why superheroes of all types are likely here to stay.
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Bland
- By Amazon Customer on 12-22-22
By: Lan Dong, and others
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Ben Franklin’s Lessons in Life
- By: Mark Canada, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Canada
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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How did a young tradesman in early 18th-century Philadelphia with no money, no connections, and no formal education end up as a leading scientist, an inventor, a master diplomat - and even a Founding Father of the United States of America? He used the same resource we have inside ourselves: a capacity for self-improvement.
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No actually titled
- By MPM on 08-20-21
By: Mark Canada, and others
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Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind
- By: Ellen Furlong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ellen Furlong
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
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They might be our best friends, but we often have no idea what they are thinking. Peer inside the fascinating world of the mind of the dog with associate professor of psychology Ellen Furlong of Illinois Wesleyan University. Ever wonder how the same nose that always manages to find the worst-smelling place in the park to roll around can also be trained to sniff out cancer, bombs, and even endangered plants and animals? As you embark on a penetrating look at the canine brain, you’ll break down the unique ways dogs think and feel.
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Dogs!
- By Anonymous User on 08-19-20
By: Ellen Furlong, and others
What listeners say about Faith and the Founding Fathers
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- Chad
- 01-25-22
Highly recommended
Regardless of your political persuasion, "Faith and the Founding Fathers" is sure to be interesting, surprising and enlightening. I didn't have high hopes for this. It was just another The Great Courses book to add as I was grabbing some others. But it really exceeded my expectations.
The founding fathers had diverse opinions on religion. Many common stories turn out to be false. There's absolutely no reason to believe George Washington was kneeling in the snow, praying, at Valley Forge, for example. The views of the times were complicated and varied across different parts of what was going to become the US. Several religious groups had to struggle greatly in order to have any freedoms or respect as well - the way some were treated as quite shocking.
Our view of the relion of the founding fathers tends to be greatly oversimplified. It makes sense that the reality would be much messier - we only need to look at modern America to see how complicated different people's faiths can be, even when they say they follow the same religion.
This is the sort of history that should be taught in school. Again, I highly recommend this for everyone in the US.
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3 people found this helpful
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- SASmith
- 09-22-21
Interesting
I've never really been interested in religion and faith but thought I would give this a shot. It still kind of went over my head but there were a lot of good tidbits in there. Recommend for anyone who is interested in religion.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-13-23
Great listen!
Really enjoyed the level headed look back at the founding fathers. Time lets us pretend now is the only time of disagreement but it’s human nature in the end.
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- Julie
- 02-12-22
Very enlightening.
Interesting and informative. Answers a lot of questions which are the basis of debate in the US today.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Janet L. Leinen
- 01-29-24
great information
really enjoyed this series. learned alot about the Founding Fathers and their religion and intent for America.
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- EmilyK
- 01-04-25
Complex look at Rev War faith
Prof. Jortner conducts a fascinating and even-handed look at wide variety of religious beliefs among the US Founding Fathers. Although I thought I was relatively familiar with US history, this opened my eyes to the range of perspectives during the early years of our country.
Jortner also does a great discussing the limits of what we do and don't know about the beliefs of some of the individuals. I found the discussion of George Washington particularly interesting, and what we know and can infer from his avoidance of communion, for example.
I had vaguely thought that most or all of the framers were Deist, and it was compelling to learn that it was much more of a mixed bag. Although I assume that most listeners are Americans, this is well done and could be of interest to anyone interested in that period of history, or in religious history generally. I think this would work well for an advanced homeschooler, as well.
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- Kenneth A. Wedin
- 03-09-21
Of Interest Even to International Audiences
Every sentence is a tidbit that leads listeners to want even more detail, potentially requiring thousands of hours of further narrative. This is a truly balanced and arguably unbiased treatment of a subject that could easily have been warped by a scholar with a personal agenda. It is of considerable interest even to those of us in the (British) Commonwealth of Nations.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Judy
- 05-04-21
Great book...
What a great book. Just an amazing history of not only the faith of the founders but the history surrounding the times.
I thoroughly enjoyed the reading. Great information. Actually, something like this should be in required history class for high school students.
Way more than the title implies.
Thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Linda S.
- 02-12-24
Excellent
A simply superb presentation of early American religions and the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Jortner is a great speaker.
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- John
- 09-08-21
Great Lectures. Needlessly Ambiguous Conclusion.
“The Founders did not possess one religion, and they did not think alike, and they secured American independence and government nevertheless.” –Lecture 8
Throughout these 12 illuminating lectures, Professor Jortner labors mightily to wean those on the Left as well as the Right of the notion that our Founders were solidly Christian, wholly Deist, strictly Unitarian, unanimously Universalist, or secretly Atheist. The reality on the ground in late 18th and early 19th Century America was far too complex—and far too interesting—for any such reductive wishful thinking.
Having, through years of fairly extensive reading, realized the truth of Jortner’s thesis, this came as no surprise. Nevertheless, his breadth of knowledge, selection of telling details, intellectual honesty and forensic skills all conspire to make these lectures an engaging treat. Like any good historian, he warns against using the Founders’ views as bumper stickers in our contemporary culture war, instead putting them within the context of their own culture war, swayed by or contending against the religious ideas and enthusiasms of their specific moment in history.
After discussing the influence of religion on the Founders, Jortner details the influence of the Founders on religion in the young republic, especially the impact of disestablishment. As he notes, before the Revolution, the First Great Awakening divided denominations; after the Revolution, The Second Great Awakening created new ones.
Here and there one can detect the lofty smirk of the academic left. He never acknowledges that ideas of individual liberty and limited government could not have evolved in the West without our Judeo-Christian understanding of the human person. But he’s correct when he observes that the arguments on both sides of our culture war have been overstated; we were founded as neither an explicitly Christian or non-Christian nation. However, the opaque conclusion he draws from that fact (“nations are not to sacrifice their future happiness to ideas of historical justice”) just doesn’t tally with the lectures that precede it. Surely, given the evidence he has so expertly marshaled, it should be evident that, while the Founders did not build a government on Christian principles, they insisted on virtuous citizens as the only guarantee of the success of that government. And they understood religion—all religions—as the best guarantor of that virtue. He touches on this in passing, but it could have been the logical capstone of this course.
That said, if it didn’t come free with Audible Plus, this course would still be eminently credit-worthy.
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5 people found this helpful