Penguin Books Australia

In an age when physical books matter less and less, here is a thrilling story about a book that meant everything.

James Carroll's urgent, masterly Jerusalem , Jerusalem uncovers the ways in which the city became a transcendent fantasy that ignites religious fervour unlike anywhere else on earth.  He shows how the conflicts within this holiest of cities underscore an important point of history: that religion and violence fuel each other.

Jesus is the man who made the West. What kind of man was he? Is he relevant to a modern world shaken by crises of meaning?

The churches have mainly projected him as Jesus the carer and comforter, Jesus meek and mild, friend of the weak. This is Jesus the Good Shepherd, who preaches on sin and forgiveness. He is Lord and Saviour.

In this ingenious and spellbinding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman reimagines the most influential story ever told. Charged with mystery, compassion and great power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ says something new about who Jesus was and asks questions that will resonate long after the book has been read.

Humanism built western civilization as we know it today.  Its achievements include the liberation of the individual, democracy, universal rights, and widespread prosperity and comfort.  Its ambassadors are the heroes of modern culture: Erasmus, Holbein, Shakespeare, Velzquez, Descartes, Kant, and Freud.

Out of nowhere in 2004, this obscure religious sect burst onto the political stage in Australia. Almost unheard of until then, the Exclusive Brethren was suddenly spending up big in election advertising in support of conservative political parties. But its members were shy to the point of paranoia about who they were — preferring, as they said, to 'fly under the radar'. Brethren members assiduously...

Jesus is the man who made the West. What kind of man was he? Is he relevant to a modern world shaken by crises of meaning?

The churches have mainly projected him as Jesus the carer and comforter, Jesus meek and mild, friend of the weak. This is Jesus the Good Shepherd, who preaches on sin and forgiveness. He is Lord and Saviour.

Is religion toxic or tonic? Is it a force for good or for evil? The answer is 'all of the above' – which is to say that religion is a force far too powerful to be ignored.

God Is Not One is the essential guide to learning about and understanding religion and its place in our global culture today, written for religious and non-religious people alike, and for people in between.

Across much of inland Africa and Asia, from Nigeria, Sudan and Somalia to Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, live more than half of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, and sixty percent of the world's 2 billion Christians.

'A current affairs primer that ensures you'll never again struggle at dinner parties when someone asks you for your views on Palestine' 
Time Out

What is an oligarch?
Who is really in charge of China?
What is Zionism?
How do the US elections work?
What's really going on in Iran?

Do you ever find yourself floundering in a sea of ten-second soundbites, wishing you had a better grasp of current affairs?...

The creation of the Christian Church is one of the most important stories in the development of the world's history, but also one of the most enigmatic and little understood, shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding.  

The updated guide to differences-and similarities-of faiths around the world.

In this revised and updated edition of the popular guide to the many faiths followed around the world, modern and ancient religions are extensively covered as well as New Thought religions.

This edition also now features-

Quick reference to the major religions of the world.

With World Religions at Your Fingertips , readers can quickly learn anything they need to know about Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and more. From reincarnation to resurrection, the Four Noble Truths to the Ten Commandments, this book covers the gamut of religious concepts and beliefs throughout...

A leading American philosopher's personal journey from Godlessness to the experience of God.

IN HIS MOST INTIMATE AND REVEALING WORK, Jacob Needleman-whose voice and ideas have done so much to open the West to esoteric and Eastern religious ideas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries-considers humanity's most vital question: What is God?

From Hinduism to Zoroastrianism take an in-depth look at all the major global religions, past and present. Discover how each religion started, exploring their origins and history, from the moment of its founding to its spread across the world today. Find out all about the Gods and prophets...