The Enduring Quest for Meaning: Humans, Mystery, and the Story of Religion

Human beings are uniquely equipped with a capacity and curiosity to consider mystery. For countless generations, people have asked and answered existentially urgent and provocative questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and how to be a good person.




Religions of the world have traditionally been the outlet for dealing with mystery, and in The Enduring Quest for Meaning: Humans, Mystery, and the Story of Religion, Michael Horace Barnes presents a chronicle of the human quest to make sense of these mysteries through religious traditions. Tracing this quest from the mythic tales of hunter-gatherers to modern scientific atheism, this text sheds light not only on the mysteries people face, but--more importantly--on the people who face them. With charts, pictures, and discussion questions at the conclusion of each chapter, The Enduring Quest for Meaning makes questions of ultimate meaning accessible and engaging for any audience.