CONTENTS

Preface: On Losing Your Children in the Vatican   ix

Acknowledgments   xiii

  1  The Conundrum of the Absolute

1

THE PAGAN

17

  2  Nature Before Nature

19

  3  The Natural Conscience

47

  4  Pagan Monotheism and the Two Evils

77

THE BOURGEOIS

107

  5  Why Jesus Never Talked about Farming

109

  6  Great Departures

148

  7  Electrum Faiths

180

THE GOOD

217

  8  Nonpolitical Politics

219

  9  Awesome Coolness

237

10  The Jewel of Truth

259

Notes   279

References   311

Index   325