Is Belief Overrated?
Published on:
“I didn’t want to just write about loss,” says religion scholar Elaine Pagels. “I wanted to write about coming back from it and finding you can still have joy and a wonderful life. Because for me, that was a surprise.” Pagels is a bestselling author and the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Today, she joins host Elise Loehnen to discuss her books Why Religion? and The Gnostic Gospels and the journey that led her to writing them. They talk about how religious traditions can shape how we understand ourselves, whether Pagels thinks there’s such a thing as sin, and why she considers herself more of an explorer than a believer.
more from the goop podcast
Trae Stephens
Gwyneth sits down with Trae Stephens, the co-founder of the AI defense company Anduril, for a wide ranging conversation about how Trae reconciles his Christian faith with an industry built around weapons and warfare.
Esther Perel
Gwyneth Paltrow sits down with famed psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel to talk about the ways AI is affecting modern dating and relationships.
Kara Swisher
Gwyneth sits down with longtime tech journalist Kara Swisher to talk about the past and present state of Silicon Valley.
Dr. Tara Narula
Many people don’t know this, but heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. In 2023, 1 in 5 women died from heart disease. Gwyneth sits down with Tara Narula, MD, a board certified cardiologist and CNN medical correspondent to talk about some of the lesser-known factors that can make women at-risk for heart disease – and the steps that we can take to protect our heart health.
Tig Notaro
Gwyneth sits down with Tig Notaro—comedian, writer, actor, and producer—to talk about her Oscar-nominated documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which follows poet Andrea Gibson through the final chapter of their life