First published 2011
James Kugel examines the origins of religious awareness after his cancer diagnosis stripped away life's background noise. The Harvard professor found himself sitting in late summer sun, confronting human smallness with startling clarity. This stark new perspective reminded him of themes from ancient religions he had studied for years. Kugel investigates what he terms the starting point of religious consciousness by analyzing accounts of divine encounters, anthropological studies of hunter-gatherers, African witchcraft practices, and conversion narratives. He combines these historical sources with findings from neuroscience and evolutionary biology. The author argues that an ancient sense of self once helped humans understand their place in the world differently than we do today. This vanished worldview occasionally resurfaces in fleeting moments when sitting on park benches, watching wedding celebrations from the sidelines, or standing in backyards as sunlight filters through trees. Kugel weaves personal reflections on his illness throughout this scholarly exploration, creating an honest examination of faith that acknowledges doubt while affirming belief in God.
Genres: religion, non-fiction, biography-memoir, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: scholarly-exploration
Setting: Africa
Period: Ancient
248 pages · Kindle Edition · Free Press
Content warnings: terminal-illness