The Human Predicament

24 lectures (each lecture 30 minutes long) on 6 Audio CDs with Course Guidebooks; ENTIRE Comparative Religion course in 2 parts Course Lecture Titles 1. Comparative Religion Who, What, Why, How 2. Exploring Similarities and Differences 3. The Sacred, the Holy, and the Profane 4. Sacred Time, Sacred Space, Sacred Objects 5. Sacred People Prophets, Sages, Saviors 6. Sacred People Clergy, Monastics, Shamans 7. Sacred Signs, Analogues, and Sacraments 8. Creation Myths and Sacred Stories 9. From Sacred Stories and Letters to Doctrine 10. Sacred Texts The Bible and the Qur'an 11. Sacred Texts for Hindus and Buddhists 12. Polytheism, Dualism, Monism, and Monotheism 13. From Birth to Death Religious Rituals 14. Daily, Weekly, Annual Religious Rituals 15. Ritual Sacrifice in the World's Religions 16. The Human Predicament How to Overcome It 17. The Problems of Sin and Forgetfulness 18. Breaking through the Illusion of Reality 19. The Goals of Religious Life 20. The Way of Faith and the Way of Devotion 21. The Way of Action and the Way of Meditation 22. The Way of the Mystics 23. The Evolution of Religious Institutions 24. Religious Diversity in the 21st Century

Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. When his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son Robbie and young daughter Rachel for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm suddenly touches down. What follows is the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it in this contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells seminal classic sci-fi thriller.