Often when people have become alienated from their religious backgrounds, they access their traditions through lifecycle events such as marriage. At times, modern values such as gender equality may be at odds with some of the traditions; many of which have always been in a state of flux in relationship to changing social, economic and political realities. Traditional Jewish marriage is based on the man acquiring the woman, which has symbolic and actual ramifications. Grounded in the traditional texts yet accessible, this book shows how the marriage is an acquisition and contextualises the gender hierarchy of marriage within the rabbinic exclusion of women from Torah study, the highest cultural practice and women's exemption from positive commandments. Melanie Landau offers two alternative models of partnership that partially or fully bypass the non-reciprocity of traditional Jewish marriage and that have their basis in the ancient rabbinic texts.

Animism is an important part of many religions - from Shinto, Hinduism and Buddhism to Paganism and a range of indigenous religions - which connects the spiritual and material and holds that humans might not be unique in possessing souls or in being intentional agents. Over recent decades, research into animism has broadened its scope to consider, at one end, the vibrant roles of objects in human lives and, at the other, the possible similarities between humans and other species. "The Handbook of Contemporary Animism" brings together an international team of scholars to examine the full range of animist worldviews and practices. The Handbook opens with an examination of recent approaches to animism. This is followed by evaluations of ethnographic, cognitive, literary, performative, and material culture approaches as well as advances in activist and indigenous thinking about animism. "The Handbook of Contemporary Animism" invites readers to think creatively and critically about the world around us and will be invaluable to students and scholars of Religion, Sociology and Anthropology.

With diverse and robust voices, women are reclaiming their place at the seder table. This complete sourcebook and guide shows you how to do it, too. For the first time, contemporary Jewish women's writings on the Passover seder are gathered in one comprehensive and compelling sourcebook an unprecedented and powerful resource for those planning a women s seder and those seeking to infuse their Passover celebration with the creative and courageous voices of Jewish women. Arranged according to the order of the seder, this practical guide gathers the voices of more than one hundred women in readings, personal and creative reflections, commentaries, blessings and ritual suggestions that can be incorporated into your Passover celebration as supplements to or substitutes for traditional passages of the haggadah. It also includes a detailed guide to planning a women s seder, based on information from successful seder organizers around the world. Whether you are organizing a women s seder in your community or planning a family seder in your home, this inspiring and accessible resource will help you take an active role in re-creating the educational and spiritual experience of Passover and in shaping Judaism s future. Contributors include: Dr. Rachel Adler Dr. Rebecca T. Alpert Rabbi Renni S. Altman Zoe Baird Dr. Evelyn Torton Beck Susan Berrin Senator Barbara Boxer Dr. Esther Broner Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin Tamara Cohen Anita Diamant Dr. Carol Diament Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, PhD Eve Ensler Dr. Marcia Falk Merle Feld Rabbi Susan P. Fendrick Rabbi Tirzah Firestone Dr. Ellen Frankel Nan Fink Gefen Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb Dr. Susannah Heschel Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar Rabbi Naamah Kelman Naomi Klein Irena Klepfisz Maxine Kumin Rabbi Noa Rachel Kushner Rabbi Joy Levitt Hadassah Lieberman Ruth W. Messinger Dr. Faye Moskowitz Joan Nathan Dr. Alicia Suskin Ostriker Dr. Judith Plaskow Marge Piercy Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen Anne Roiphe Danya Ruttenberg Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso The Honorable Jan Schakowsky Rabbi Susan Schnur Rabbi Susan Silverman Dr. Ellen M. Umansky Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg Dr. Chava Weissler Cantor Lorel Zar-Kessler"

Our willingness and faithfulness to pray for others is the hallmark of an effective prayer life. Sometimes our prayers are hindered because we focus only on our needs or requests. But the church has been commissioned to make disciples of all nations, and it is the responsibility of each member to pray for others in our world.

Well-organized and inspirational, The Prayer Manifesto for the Globally Conscious explores the importance of having a heart to pray for God's people across the world by denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow God. Author Lischa T. Brooks uses scriptural examples and humorous, personal stories to illustrate how to develop an effective personal prayer life and focus on our responsibility to pray for others.

In addition to finding a deeper purpose and understanding of prayer principles, you can learn how to:

-begin your prayer with worship;-conduct an examination of your attitudes and actions;-pray with the Word of God;-take time to listen to the Father;-establish prayer partners; and-connect with a local church body.

Establishing a life of prayer requires more than just passion and desire; it involves a commitment to applying the principles outlined in the Word of God every day. Develop a rich prayer life committed to God with The Prayer Manifesto for the Globally Conscious.

The author applies the fields of gender studies, psychoanalysis, and literature to Talmudic texts. In opposition to the perception of Judaism as a legal system, he argues that the Talmud demands inner spiritual effort, to which the trait of humility and the refinement of the ego are central. This leads to the question of the attitude to the Other, in general, and especially to women. The author shows that the Talmud places the woman (who represents humility and good-heartedness in the Talmudic narratives) above the character of the male depicted in these narratives as a scholar with an inflated sense of self-importance. In the last chapter (that in terms of its scope and content could be a freestanding monograph) the author employs the insights that emerged from the preceding chapters to present a new reading of the Creation narrative in the Bible and the Rabbinic commentaries. The divine act of creation is presented as a primal sexual act, a sort of dialogic model of the consummate sanctity that takes its place in man's spiritual life when the option of opening one's heart to the other in a male-female dialogue is realized.

Women's seders have recently emerged as one of the most meaningful and popular rituals in contemporary Jewish life. These two books bring together the voices of over 150 Jewish women -- authors, scholars, activists, rabbis, artists, political leaders, and students -- to share new insights about Passover and to discuss the origins, evolution, and significance of women's seders.

This first-of-its-kind resource provides in The Women's Passover Companion a complete exploration of the questions at the heart of this contemporary ritual, and in The Women's Seder Sourcebook over 200 texts and ideas for a women's seder and practical guidance for planning the event. These innovative readings can be easily incorporated into a family seder as well.
-- Presents an inspiring collection of Jewish women's writings on Passover, the Exodus story, and women's seders.
-- Provides readers with textual resources to compile their own women's Haggadah and a practical guide to planning a women's seder, based on information from successful seder organizers around the world.
-- Offers a wide variety of women's writings that can be incorporated into the family seder to bring women's voices to the table.
-- Includes a formal curriculum of texts, discussion questions, and writing exercises for further study, to transform the planning process for a women's seder into a community-building and Jewish learning experience.

Mysticism and Intellect in Medieval Christianity and Buddhism explores two influential intellectual and religious leaders in Christianity and Buddhism, Bonaventure (c. 1217-74) and Chinul (1158-1210), a Franciscan theologian and a Korean Zen master respectively, with respect to their lifelong endeavors to integrate the intellectual and spiritual life so as to achieve the religious aims of their respective religious traditions. It also investigates an associated tension between different modes of discourse relating to the divine or the ultimate-positive (cataphatic) discourse and negative (apophatic) discourse. Both of these modes of discourse are closely related to different ways of understanding the immanence and transcendence of the divine or the ultimate. Through close studies of Bonaventure and Chinul, the book presents a unique dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism and between West and East.

An accessible introduction to the concepts of Jewish mysticism, their religious
and spiritual significance, and how they relate to our lives.

"The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition" allows us to experience and understand mysticism s inexpressible reverence before the awe and mystery of creation, and celebrate this rich tradition s quest to transform our ordinary reality into holiness.

Narasimha is one of the least studied major deities of Hinduism. Furthermore, there are limited studies of the history, thought, and literature of middle India. Lavanya Vemsani redresses this by exploring a range of primary sources, including classical Sanskrit texts (puranas and epics), and regional accounts (sthalapuranas), which include texts, artistic compositions, and oral folk stories in the regional languages of Telugu, Oriya, and Kannada. She also examines the historical context as well as contemporary practice. Moving beyond the stereotypical classifications applied to sources of Hinduism, this unique study dedicates chapters to each region of middle India bringing together literary, religious, and cultural practices to comprehensively understand the religion of Middle India (Madhya Desha). Incorporating lived religion and textual data, this book offers a rich contribution to Hindu studies and Indian studies in general, and Vaishnava Studies and regional Hinduism in particular.

Each year, more than two million pilgrims from over 100 countries converge on the holy city of Mecca to reenact the ritual dramas that Muslims have been performing for centuries. Making the hajj is one of the most important duties in the life of a Muslim. The pilgrimage-and its impact on international politics-is enormous and growing every year, yet Westerners know virtually nothing about it. What is the hajj and what does it mean? Who are the hajjis? What do they do and say in Mecca and how do they interpret their experiences? Who runs the hajj and what are their political objectives? How does the hajj encourage international cooperation among Muslims and can it also promote harmony between Islam and the West? In Guests of God, Robert R. Bianchi seeks to answer these and many other questions. While it is first and foremost a religious festival, he shows, the hajj is also very much a political event. The Muslim world's leading multinational organization, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has established the first international regime explicitly devoted to pilgrimage. Every large Muslim nation has developed a comprehensive hajj policy and a powerful bureaucracy to enforce it. Yet, Bianchi argues, no authority- secular or religious, national or international-can really control the hajj. Pilgrims believe that they are entitled to travel freely to Mecca as "Guests of God"-not as guests of any nation or organization that might wish to restrict or profit from their efforts to fulfill a fundamental religious obligation. Drawing on his personal experience as a pilgrim and a wealth of data gathered over the course of ten years of research, Bianchi has produced a fascinating look at the hajj filled with personal, candid stories from political and religious leaders and hajjis from all walks of life. A wide-ranging study of Islam, politics, and power, Guests of God is the most complete picture of the hajj available anywhere.

Perfect for girls 13 and up, this 52-week devotional and guided prayer journal includes Scripture verses, reflections on the Word, and journaling prompts that will help teen girls feel more confident navigating life's challenges and remember that God is with them every step of the way. From bestselling author Shannon Roberts, author of Prayer Journal for Women (more than 500,000 copies sold), comes this new devotional and prayer journal thoughtfully created to comfort and encourage teen girls on their journey to adulthood. As the mom to a young woman herself, Shannon has witnessed firsthand the challenges teen girls face these days, from insecurities and self-doubt caused by social media to peer pressure from friends and at school. Growing up today isn't easy, but Prayer Journal for Teen Girls gives young women a spiritual compass so that they can lean on the Bible for whatever they are facing each week and know God's Truth will guide them every step of the way. A perfect companion for individual worship or for group Bible study, this undated 12-month journal features: A generous 6x9 trim size with plenty of space to write, Four full pages for each week of the year, Original illustrations on each page by author and artist Shannon Roberts, Each week includes four sections: Scripture: An inspiring Bible verse to reflect and meditate on throughout your week, giving you time to memorize the verse and ingrain it into your heart and soul. Reflect: Thoughts and questions prompted by the weekly Scripture verse, along with space to record your own thoughts and responses. Journal: Two full pages to journal your praise for God, your prayer requests, the things on your heart, and how you wish to be taught and guided, as well as a Bible verse about the power of prayer. Answered Prayers: A tracker with space to record your prayers, so you can see how God moves in your life throughout the course of a year. Bible verses are organised thematically to provide lessons for all aspects of life: Love & Inner Beauty, Provision & Faithfulness, God's Love, Adversity & Trials, Awe & Sovereignty, Strength Through Faith, Fear, Grace & Forgiveness.

This booklet contains the order of the General Moleben (or Service of Intercession), which may be served in any occasion to invoke the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, or the saints; as well as the unique order of the Paschal Moleben, served during Bright Week. Also presented is the order of the Pannikhida (or Memorial Service) in which Orthodox Christians pray for the blessed repose and salvation of the departed. These texts were included in no-longer available editions of the Book for Commemoration of the Living and the Dead.

In premodern Japan, legitimization of power and knowledge in various contexts was sanctioned by consecration rituals (kanjo) of Buddhist origin. This is the first book to address in a comprehensive way the multiple forms and aspects of these rituals also in relation to other Asian contexts. The multidisciplinary chapters in the book address the origins of these rituals in ancient Persia and India and their developments in China and Tibet, before discussing in depth their transformations in medieval Japan. In particular, kanjo rituals are examined from various perspectives: imperial ceremonies, Buddhist monastic rituals, vernacular religious forms (Shugendo mountain cults, Shinto lineages), rituals of bodily transformation involving sexual practice, and the performing arts: a history of these developments, descriptions of actual rituals, and reference to religious and intellectual arguments based on under-examined primary sources. No other book presents so many cases of kanjo in such depth and breadth. This book is relevant to readers interested in Buddhist studies, Japanese religions, the history of Japanese culture, and in the intersections between religious doctrines, rituals, legitimization, and performance.