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Spiritual Envy

An Agnostic's Quest

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

Unlike the recent authors who emphatically say No! or Yes! to God, Michael Krasny joins the millions who know they don't know.

As a radio host, college professor, and literary scholar, he has spent decades leading conversations on every imaginable topic. He has discussed life's most important questions with the foremost thinkers in virtually every discipline. And yet answers to some questions — the big, three-o'clock-in-the-morning questions — elude him. Despite this, Krasny does not discount belief systems or ridicule faith. Instead, he seeks. He explores morality, eternal life, why we do good, and why evil sometimes triumphs, and his quest is informed by artists, scientists, world events, and even films. Personal and universal, timely and timeless, this is a deeply wise yet warmly welcoming conversation, an invitation to ask one's own questions — no matter how inconclusive the answers.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 13, 2010
      The contention between the "new" atheists and the devout is causing a resurgence in agnostic studies. Krasny (Off Mike) is a public radio host and a self-declared agnostic, maintaining a position that "stands open to verification of either side of the God question." Deftly balancing biography and literary scholarship, the book is both a personal examination of agnosticism and a balanced voice in the complex debate over faith's role in society. Krasny grew up a strong believer in his Jewish faith, until adolescent questioning led him to declare he just wasn't sure. Despite a lost connection with God, the young Krasny continued to seek a divine presence, even admitting to feelings of envy toward those possessing "the consolation of faith." In this book, agnosticism is a tool to philosophically engage with various manifestations of faith including organized religion, spiritual-but-not-religious sentiments, and even paranormal theories. Readers expecting a late chapter conversion will be disappointed; Krasny remains agnostic to the end, even while declaring his respect for the benefits religion can bring to believers.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2010
      Books by agnostics about their agnosticism (unlike the prolific atheists) are anything but a dime a dozen. In fact, Krasnys latest is one of only a dozen or so published this century. Krasny may be a university professor, but he doesnt address his questions as an academic. He explores agnosticism the way he explores topics on his daily NPR showin a thoughtful, informed, and almost conversational tone. The main difference is this isn't just any issue; its Krasnys own story. The authors honesty begins with the books title. He obviously envies the feelings of peace and comfort that people of faith experience. Keeping him from it, though, are innumerable questions. The book presents these ruminations with only hints to the answers. The questions involve issues like the Ten Commandments, Gods existence, evil, and tolerance. Along the way, Krasny brings many people into the conversationfellow agnostics like Thomas Huxley, atheists like Richard Dawkins, and even biblical characters like Job. The authors nondogmatic stance will please virtually all readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

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Languages

  • English

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