Building Blocks of Religion

Building Blocks of Religion PDF Author: Göran Larsson
Publisher: Equinox Publishing (UK)
ISBN: 9781781798669
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The aim of the book is to provide a short and user-friendly introduction and critical discussion of the "building block" approach to religious studies, developed in recent years by Professor Ann (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Associate Professor Egil Asprem (Stockholm University).

Building Blocks of Religion

Building Blocks of Religion PDF Author: Göran Larsson
Publisher: Equinox Publishing (UK)
ISBN: 9781781798669
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

Get Book Here

Book Description
The aim of the book is to provide a short and user-friendly introduction and critical discussion of the "building block" approach to religious studies, developed in recent years by Professor Ann (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Associate Professor Egil Asprem (Stockholm University).

Religious Experience Reconsidered

Religious Experience Reconsidered PDF Author: Ann Taves
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400830974
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
How the sciences of the mind can advance the study of religion The essence of religion was once widely thought to be a unique form of experience that could not be explained in neurological, psychological, or sociological terms. In recent decades scholars have questioned the privileging of the idea of religious experience in the study of religion, an approach that effectively isolated the study of religion from the social and natural sciences. Religious Experience Reconsidered lays out a framework for research into religious phenomena that reclaims experience as a central concept while bridging the divide between religious studies and the sciences. Ann Taves shifts the focus from "religious experience," conceived as a fixed and stable thing, to an examination of the processes by which people attribute meaning to their experiences. She proposes a new approach that unites the study of religion with fields as diverse as neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, and psychology to better understand how these processes are incorporated into the broader cultural formations we think of as religious or spiritual. Taves addresses a series of key questions: how can we set up studies without obscuring contestations over meaning and value? What is the relationship between experience and consciousness? How can research into consciousness help us access and interpret the experiences of others? Why do people individually or collectively explain their experiences in religious terms? How can we set up studies that allow us to compare experiences across times and cultures? Religious Experience Reconsidered demonstrates how methods from the sciences can be combined with those from the humanities to advance a naturalistic understanding of the experiences that people deem religious.

God is Watching You

God is Watching You PDF Author: Dominic Johnson (Professor of Biopolitics)
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199895635
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
The willingness to believe in some kind of payback or karma remains nearly universal. Retribution awaits those who commit bad deeds; rewards await those who do good. Johnson explores how this belief has developed over time, and how it has shaped the course of human evolution.

The Cambridge Companion to Religious Studies

The Cambridge Companion to Religious Studies PDF Author: Robert A. Orsi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521883911
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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Book Description
Informative and provocative, this book introduces readers to debates in the contemporary study of religion and suggests future research possibilities.

Religious Nationalism in Modern Europe

Religious Nationalism in Modern Europe PDF Author: Philip W. Barker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113597392X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
This volume examines the enduring nature of religious nationalism in modern Europe. Through a series of in-depth case studies covering Ireland, England, Poland, and Greece; the author argues that religious frontiers, or geographic lines of division between different and unique religions, are central to the formation of religiously-based national identities. Typically, as states develop economically and politically, religion plays a lesser role in both individual lives and national identity. However, at religious frontiers, religion becomes useful for differentiating and mobilizing groups of people. This is particularly true when the religious frontier also represents a threat or conflict. Although religion may not be the root of conflict in these instances, the conflict takes on religious tones because of its ability to unite an otherwise diverse population. Religion takes precedence over language, culture, or other national building-blocks because the "other" can best be distinguished in religious terms. The in-depth case studies allow for a deep historical understanding of the processes which converge to create a modern religious nation. Greatly expanding our current understanding of the conditions in which religious nationalism develops, this important book has implications for our understanding of religion and politics, secularization, European politics and foreign policy.

Loving Waters Across Religions

Loving Waters Across Religions PDF Author: McAnally, Elizabeth
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 1608337707
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
"McAnally presents an academically rigorous, spiritually rich approach to the myriad global issues related to water. The author draws from Christianity's sacramental consciousness of baptism, loving service of the Yamuna River in Hinduism, and the compassionate wisdom of the bodhisattva to develop 'an integral approach to water ethics.' Building on but distinct from the foundation laid by Christiana Zenner's Just Water, this book is a welcome addition to the growing field of concern surrounding global water crises"--

Tales of the Turing Church: Hacking religion, enlightening science, awakening technology

Tales of the Turing Church: Hacking religion, enlightening science, awakening technology PDF Author: Giulio Prisco
Publisher: Giulio Prisco
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 506

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Book Description
This book explores intersections of science and religion, spirituality and technology, engineering and science fiction, mind and matter, and outlines a new cosmic, transhumanist religion. Hacking religion, enlightening science, awakening technology.

Modern Religion, Modern Race

Modern Religion, Modern Race PDF Author: Theodore Vial
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019021256X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Religion is a racialized category, even when race is not explicitly mentioned. In Modern Religion, Modern Race Theodore Vial argues that because the categories of religion and race are rooted in the post-Enlightenment project of reimagining what it means to be human, we cannot simply will ourselves to stop using them. Only by acknowledging that religion is already racialized can we begin to understand how the two concepts are intertwined and how they operate in our modern world. It has become common to argue that the category religion is not universal, or even very old, but is a product of Europe's Enlightenment modernization. Equally common is the argument that religion is not an innocent category of analysis, but is implicated in colonial regimes of control and as such plays a role in Europe's process of identity construction of itself and of non-European "others." Current debates about race follow an eerily similar trajectory: race is not an ancient but a modern construction. It is part of the project of colonialism, and race discourse forms one of the cornerstones of modern European identity-making. Why can't we stop using them, or re-construct them in less toxic ways? By examining the theories of Kant, Herder, and Schleiermacher, among others, Vial uncovers co-constitutive nature of race and religion, describes how they became building blocks of the modern world, and shows how the two concepts continue to be used today to form identity and to make sense of the world. He shows that while we disdain the racist language of some of the founders of religious studies, the continued influence of the modern worldview they helped create leads us, often unwittingly, to reiterate many of the same distinctions and hierarchies. Although it may not be time to abandon the very category of religion, with all its attendant baggage, Modern Religion, Modern Race calls for us to examine that baggage critically, and to be fully conscious of the ways in which religion always carries with it dangerous ideas of race.

Building Belief

Building Belief PDF Author: Chad V. Meister
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1606087991
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
Take a journey from doubt to belief It can be hard to share your faith with others, especially when people can't agree on whether there is even any actual truth. With that in mind, Chad Meister has developed a simple, logical way for you to help others move past relativism to a place where Christian belief makes sense: the Apologetics Pyramid. In Building Belief, Meister leads you up each step of the pyramid, beginning where many find themselves today--doubting if anything is really true. From there, he powerfully builds a case for absolute truth, the existence of God, universal morals and values, the reliability and divine inspiration of the Bible, the resurrection of Christ, and ultimately, the good news that Jesus is the Son of God who offers salvation to the world. "Join Chad Meister in this concise, clear, and compelling book as he builds a persuasive case for the truth of Christianity."--Lee Strobel, author, The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith "An excellent book to lead earnest enquirers from doubt to conviction about the basic truths of the Christian faith."--Norman L. Geisler, dean, Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College "Chad Meister is a force to be reckoned with, and this delightful little book is a timely resource to be studied by Christians and given to non-Christians."--J. P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy, Talbot School of Theology; author, Love Your God with All Your Mind "Building Belief is thoughtful, fresh, and full of personal and practical illustrations. Meister strikes just the right balance, providing a model for how apologetics ought to be done."--Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach AtlanticUniversity "Meister offers both the tools and the method for making discussions with skeptics more fruitful."--Jay W. Richards, research fellow, Acton Institute; coauthor, The Privileged Planet

Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously

Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously PDF Author: Barbara A. McGraw
Publisher: Baylor University Press
ISBN: 1932792333
Category : Religion and politics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
The clash between the religious right and the secular left undermines any serious debate about the role of religion in American public life. Such strident cultural rhetoric often ignores the positive contributions of America's many religions. By contrast, this volume celebrates America's religious diversity, demonstrating that religious pluralism is actually one of democracy's basic building blocks. Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously expands on Barbara A. McGraw's framework for understanding religious participation in public life--a two-tiered public forum, consisting of the civic public forum and the conscientious public forum. The chapters explore how diverse religious communities and traditions, including "newer" and marginalized religions, can make a meaningful contribution to American society and politics.