This book describes aspects of the concept of the supernatural from the intellectual history of Euro-American cultures. These samplings shed light on issues in the study of religions and religion rather than attempting to provide either a lineally coherent or exhaustive account of a somewhat fraught and complicated notion. Observations include uses of the term among the ancient Greeks and medieval Christian theologians and 19th- and 20th-century social scientists. This book highlights more recent academics who draw on the cognitive and evolutionary sciences in attempting to make sense of recurrent features of the representations and meta-representations of different cultures. This includes such counter-intuitive notions as "the mysterious" among the Wayuu of Columbia and Venezuela and "vampires" in Europe and North America. These observations are concluded in a final essay - "Toward a Realistic and Relevant Science of Religion" - which presents considered opinions on how we might draw on the cognitive and evolutionary sciences to establish the foundations for a genuinely scientific study of religions and religion. Benson Saler sadly passed away shortly after writing this book. An appreciation of his work, written by Armin W. Geertz, is included in this volume.

This volume explores the religious transformation of each nation in modern Asia. When the Asian people, who were not only diverse in culture and history, but also active in performing local traditions and religions, experienced a socio-political change under the wave of Western colonialism, the religious climate was also altered from a transnational perspective. Part One explores the nationals of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, focusing on the manifestations of Japanese religion, Chinese foreign policy, the British educational system in Hong Kong in relation to Tibetan Buddhism, the Korean women of Catholicism, and the Scottish impact in late nineteenth century Korea. Part Two approaches South Asia through the topics of astrology, the works of a Gujarati saint, and Himalayan Buddhism. The third part is focused on the conflicts between 'indigenous religions and colonialism,' 'Buddhism and Christianity,' 'Islam and imperialism,' and 'Hinduism and Christianity' in Southeast Asia.

The question of religion, its contemporary and future significance and its role in society and state is currently perceived as an urgent one by many and is widely discussed within the public sphere. But it has also long been one of the core topics of the historically oriented social sciences. The immense stock of knowledge furnished by the history of religion and religious studies, theology, sociology and history has to be introduced into the public conscience today. This can promote greater awareness of the contemporary global religious situation and its links with politics and economics and counter rash syntheses such as the "clash of civilizations". This volume is concerned with the connections between religions and the social world and with the extent, limits, and future of secularization. The first part deals with major religious traditions and their explicit or implicit ideas about the individual, social and political order. The second part gives an overview of the religious situation in important geographical areas. Additional contributions analyze the legal organization of the relationship between state and religion in a global perspective and the role of the natural sciences in the process of secularization. The contributors are internationally renowned scholars like Winfried Brugger, Jose Casanova, Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, Hans Joas, Hans G. Kippenberg, Gudrun Kramer, David Martin, Eckart Otto and Rudolf Wagner.

Space and Conversion in Global Perspective examines experiences of conversion as they intersect with physical location, mobility, and interiority. The volume's innovative approach is global and encompasses multiple religious traditions. Conversion emerges as a powerful force in early modern globalization. In thirteen essays, the book ranges from the urban settings of Granada and Cuzco to mission stations in Latin America and South India; from villages in Ottoman Palestine and Middle-Volga Russia to Italian hospitals and city squares; and from Atlantic slave ships to the inner life of a Muslim turned Jesuit. Drawing on extensive archival and iconographic materials, this collection invites scholars to rethink conversion in light of the spatial turn. Contributors are: Paolo Aranha, Emanuele Colombo, Irene Fosi, Mercedes Garcia-Arenal, Agnieszka Jagodzinska, Aliocha Maldavsky, Giuseppe Marcocci, Susana Bastos Mateus, Adriano Prosperi, Gabriela Ramos, Rocco Sacconaghi, Felicita Tramontana, Guillermo Wilde, and Oxana Zemtsova.

There is good reason why some people don't want to talk about religion in polite company. Like conversations about politics, discussions about religion all too often set people at odds with each other in ways that are hard to predict and difficult to control. For all the controversy involved with such debate, this book invites the reader to engage with an ethical appraisal of religion(s) as they are practised today. It is written in the belief that this is an important dialogue for our time. It claims, despite the emotive character of the subject, that the free exchange of ideas and experience between people of differing views and commitments can with practice generate more light than heat. Particular effort is made to answer the question: how can we fairly evaluate the ethical character of religion(s)? It focuses especially but not at all exclusively on the religions of Christianity and Islam, being critical of them in many respects; but it also offers sharp rebuke to some of the perspectives of Richard Dawkins and others among the new atheists.

The story of Jesus is well-known worldwide. But have you ever wondered if it is the true and complete story of the Savior? Could there be more to the Son of God?Author Audrey Carr addresses those questions in The Greatest Story Never Told: An Advanced Understanding of Christianity. She not only presents the real story of Jesus, in which he did not die on the cross, but also includes his unitary gospel of "oneness with God" that traditional Christianity has missed. Quoting from highly documented, scholarly works, this story of Jesus incorporates Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. With details and maps of his many years in India, Carr provides a photograph of his real tomb in Kashmir. Carr also offers information about meditation techniques he practiced, for Jesus was not a Christian but a Hindu-Buddha "The Kingdom of Heaven" was his term for Enlightened Consciousness.Unlike other scholarly books, The Greatest Story Never Told is intended for the everyday person. Readers will come away with a new, meaningful, life-changing understanding of Jesus and his teachings. Carr seeks to destroy what is false and resuscitate the real truth, beyond all myths, and she reveals the connections between major religions. Spiritually uplifting and challenging, The Greatest Story Never Told is for anyone who is ready for an advanced understanding of Jesus and all the other God-men of the ages who have realized their divine identity.

First comprehensive book on comparative religion. Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, James Freeman Clarke attended the Boston Latin School, graduated from Harvard College in 1829, and Harvard Divinity School in 1833. Ordained into the Unitarian church he first became an active minister at Louisville, Kentucky, then a slave state and soon threw himself into the national movement for the abolition of slavery.

This book provides a fascinating historical and cultural overview of traditional beliefs about spirit possession and exorcism around the world, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East to the Americas. Possession and exorcism are elements that occur in nearly every culture. Why is belief in spiritual possession so universal? This accessible reference volume offers a broad sample of the traditions and cultures involving possession and exorcism, presenting thoughts on this widely popular topic by experts from the fields of anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, neuroscience, forensics, and theology. The entries cover the subject of possession and exorcism across all inhabited continents, from the Bronze Age to the 21st century, providing information that is accessible and intriguing as well as scholarly and authoritative. Beyond addressing the Christian tradition of possession and exorcism, Pentecostalism, and "New Age" and less widely known Western concepts about possession and exorcism, this work examines ideas about possession and exorcism from other world religions and the indigenous cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It also covers historic cases of possession and presents biographies of famous theologians, exorcists, and possessed individuals. High school and undergraduate readers will learn about world history, religious and spiritual traditions, and world cultures through a topic that figures prominently in popular culture and modern entertainment. Bibliographies that accompany each entry as well as a selected, general bibliography serve to help students locate print and electronic sources of additional information. Provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the subject of spirit possession, reflecting the work of scholars and experts from many fields Covers a wide range of cultures, traditions, and phenomena with up-to-date, little-known information that is difficult to find through independent research Includes primary documents that give students accounts of exorcism and spiritual possession and serve to foster critical thinking skills and media literacy Features sidebars that illuminate key points and present related information, with special attention paid to exorcism and spirit possession in popular culture

Who, what, and where is God? How intricately is God connected with everyone and everything? How can I attain a physical, emotional, and spiritual balance? Why is reality so disguised? "Caught Between Heaven and Hell" attempts to help people with these issues.

The analysis of religion has often placed an emphasis on beliefs and ideologies, prioritizing these elements over those of the material world. Through the ethnographic analysis of a variety of contemporary religious practices, Making Spirits questions the presumed separation of spirit and matter, and sheds light on the dynamics between spiritual and material domains. By examining the cultural contexts in which material culture is central to the creation and experience of religion and belief, this volume analyses the different ways in which the concepts of the material and spiritual worlds intersect, interact and inform each other in the reproduction of religious rites. Using examples such as spirit mediums, fetishes and ritual objects across a variety of cultures such as Latin America, Japan and Central Africa, Nico Tassi and Diana Espirito Santo offer insights that challenge accepted categories in the study of religion, making this book important for scholars of comparative religion, anthropology and sociology.

In Psychology of Religion in Turkey, senior and emerging Turkish scholars present critical conceptual analyses and empirical studies devoted to psychology of religion in Turkey. Part 1 consists of articles placing the psychology of religion in the historical context of an ancient culture undergoing modernization and secularization and articles devoted to conceptual themes suggesting the uniqueness of Islam among the great faith traditions. Part 2 is devoted to empirical studies of religion in the Turkish-Islamic includuing studies focused on the religious life of Turkish youth, popular religiosity, spirituality, and Muslim religious development in light of Al-Ghazzali. Part 3 is devoted to several empirical studies on a variety of social outcomes of religious commitment in Turkey.

This book offers a unique perspective on September 11 and our world after this tragic event, sharing lessons from an Asian religious experience that can help heal a world troubled by religious conflicts and deepening divisions, and promote a positive global transformation. Existing literature regarding the events of September 11 and our world afterward has focused mostly on the West and the Middle East. Asian Perspectives on the World's Religions after September 11 extends this discussion to include Asia-a continent and culture far too important to be ignored in any assessment of the global impact of this event. The book is organized along the following themes, as they emerged post-September 11th: religion and civilizational dialogue; religion, conflict, and peace; religion and human rights; religion and ethics; religion and the arts; religion, hermeneutics, and literature; religion and gender; religion and ecology; and religion and globalization. Individuals who are studying or teaching political science, international relations, philosophy, ethics, Asian studies, or religious studies will find the text invaluable, while general readers will appreciate the largely unvoiced Asian perspective on this topic.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.