All pilgrimages should be stopped.' This blunt assertion by Martin Luther, echoed unanimously by the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers, is the pivot of Professor Davies's fascinating and original study. Why were pilgrimages condemned? To answer the question he gathers together material to illustrate the nature of pilgrimages and the motives behind them, extending from patristic times to the Middle Ages. Then he studies the effects of the condemnation on the flourishing pilgrimage trade. During the nineteenth century, the Holy Land again attracted visitors, even among Protestants; here is another change which needs to be explained. Pilgrimages may have been resurrected in our day, but there has been little examination in depth of the criticisms previously levelled against them among Protestants. A substantial chapter attempts to fill this gap, at the same time supplying a modern theology of pilgrimage. The book ends with a review of the devotional aspects of modern pilgrimages, and with suggestions about possible services, use of the Bible, meditations and soon. J. G. Davies was Professor and former Head of the Department of Theology in the University of Birmingham.

Loving Stones is a study of devotees' conceptions of and worshipful interactions with Mount Govardhan, a sacred mountain located in the Braj region of north-central India that has for centuries been considered an embodied form of Krishna. It is often said that worship of Mount Govardhan "makes the impossible possible." In this book, David L. Haberman examines the perplexing paradox of an infinite god embodied in finite form, wherein each particular form is non-different from the unlimited. He takes on the task of interpreting the worship of a mountain and its stones for a culture in which this practice is quite alien. This challenge involves exploring the interpretive strategies that may explain what seems un-understandable, and calls for theoretical considerations of incongruity, inconceivability, and other realms of the impossible. This aspect of the book includes critical consideration of the place and history of the pejorative concept of idolatry (and its twin, anthropomorphism) in the comparative study of religions. Loving Stones uses the worship of Mount Govardhan as a site to explore ways in which scholars engaged in the difficult work of representing other cultures struggle to make "the impossible possible."

WARNING This is a propaganda book. I realize the word propaganda is not a word that is politically correct today. But in its original usage, it was a word coined by Pope Urban VIII. He formed the College of Propaganda in the 17th century in order to spread the Christian faith. In this sense, I AM striving for propaganda. Much of what I write in this book is meant to cause you to embrace prayer as a friend as well as a vital tool of your faith. Prayer is not boring; it is an adventure. I begin with the confession that there is probably nothing else in my spiritual life or disciplines I have struggled with more than prayer. I have read thousands of books on the subject (yes, an exaggeration), and I have been reluctant to add yet another literary work to the chaos of differing opinions, theological studies, and sure-fire methodologies that will guarantee a successful prayer life. Right And yet, as I pondered the direction of this volume, it dawned on me that my personal journey has had little to do with theology or methodology. It hasn't even had much to do with verbiage. But it had and has everything to do with my honestly and openness before God and with what's happening in my heart at the time I'm praying. And it has everything to do with the words of Jesus--"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Our Lord wants us to pray. Always and about everything. During times of joy as well as sorrow. He wants us to talk to Him...not about Him. I've asked myself the question often lately--"Do I pray out of thoughtfulness or habit? What can I do to get my heart involved as well as my mouth?" I continue to struggle. May these writings help you in your struggle. May you enjoy your journey through the school of groaning in the days and months to come. God bless you.

Given the recent interest in the emotions presupposed in early religious literature, it has been thought useful to examine in this volume how the Jews and early Christians expressed their feelings within the prayers recorded in some of their literature. Specialists in their fields from academic institutions around the world have analysed important texts relating to this overall theme and to what is revealed with regard to such diverse topics as relations with God, exegesis, education, prophecy, linguistic expression, feminism, happiness, grief, cult, suicide, non-Jews, Hellenism, Qumran and Jerusalem. The texts discussed are in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and are important for a scientific understanding of how Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity developed their approaches to worship, to the construction of their theology and to the feelings that lay behind their religious ideas and practices. The articles contribute significantly to an historical understanding of how Jews maintained their earlier traditions but also came to terms with the ideology of the dominant Hellenistic culture that surrounded them.

Feeding the Dead outlines the early history of ancestor worship in South Asia, from the earliest sources available, the Vedas, up to the descriptions found in the Dharmshastra tradition. Most prior works on ancestor worship have done little to address the question of how shraddha, the paradigmatic ritual of ancestor worship up to the present day, came to be. Matthew R. Sayers argues that the development of shraddha is central to understanding the shift from Vedic to Classical Hindu modes of religious behavior. Central to this transition is the discursive construction of the role of the religious expert in mediating between the divine and the human actor. Both Hindu and Buddhist traditions draw upon popular religious practices to construct a new tradition. Sayers argues that the definition of a religious expert that informs religiosity in the Common Era is grounded in the redefinition of ancestral rites in the Grhyasutras. Beyond making more clear the much misunderstood history of ancestor worship in India, this book addressing the serious question about how and why religion in India changed so radically in the last half of the first millennium BCE. The redefinition of the role of religious expert is hugely significant for understanding that change. This book ties together the oldest ritual texts with the customs of ancestor worship that underlie and inform medieval and contemporary practice.

God's Word, the Holy Bible, is more than a history book or even an instruction manual. It is a personal love letter from God to his believers containing very specific promises.

God's answer seeks to link your concerns with his promises and help you pray back the Scripture, his own words, to Him.

Jim Greene is a layman Sunday school teacher who challenges himself and his class to enjoy a closer relationship with God.

This book, along with his others, Unlocking Your Spiritual Greatness and A Place of Faith, are practical guides to that closer relationship.

The festive meal texts of Deuteronomy 12-26 depict Israel as a unified people participating in cultic banquets - a powerful and earthy image for both preexilic Judahite and later audiences. Comparison of Deuteronomy 12:13-27, 14:22-29, 16:1-17, and 26:1-15 with pentateuchal texts like Exodus 20-23 is broadened to highlight the rhetorical potential of the Deuteronomic meal texts in relation to the religious and political circumstances in Israel during the Neo-Assyrian and later periods. The texts employ the concrete and rich image of festive banquets, which the monograph investigates in relation to comparative ancient Near Eastern texts and iconography, the zooarchaeological remains of the ancient Levant, and the findings of cultural anthropology with regard to meals.

This book explores educational and cultural experiences of "part-time unveilers" during their degree programs in public institutions in Turkey. The term "part-time unveiler" is coined to refer to undergraduate female students who cover their hair in their private lives, but who remove the headscarf while at a Turkish university as a result of the higher education headscarf ban policy. The book is based on a qualitative study that involved one-on-one interviews with thirty participants. The book highlights how part-time unveilers understand and negotiate the policy, the challenges and opportunities associated with unveiling and the strategies they use in response to these, and the impact of the headscarf ban on part-time unveilers' sense of identity.

..".a successfully ambitious effort, richly informative and insightful in its coverage of the site's religious life and most sophisticated in its use and advancing of theoretical perspectives...Profound insights...abound in this complex and rewarding piece of scholarship..a must read for scholars of south Asian religions." -The Australian Journal of Anthropology

The Sri Lankan ethnic conflict that has occurred largely between Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus is marked by a degree of religious tolerance that sees both communities worshiping together. This study describes one important site of such worship, the ancient Hindu temple complex of Munnesvaram. Standing adjacent to one of Sri Lanka's historical western ports, the fortunes of the Munnesvaram temples have waxed and waned through the years of turbulence, violence and social change that have been the country's lot since the advent of European colonialism in the Indian Ocean. Bastin recounts the story of these temples and analyses how the Hindu temple is reproduced as a center of worship amidst conflict and competition.

Rohan Bastin is Head of the School of Anthropology, Archaeology & Sociology at James Cook University.

Hardbound. The interrelationship of religion and tourism has barely been touched upon in scholarly research. This book aims to present and analyze this relationship from sociological, economic and anthropological perspectives.The religious tourist and categories of religiously motivated tourism are delineated, and numerous contemporary issues worthy of attention and research are identified. This provides insights into the relationship between tourism and religion: suppression or encouragement of one by the other; potential and actual conflicts; their mutual casualty and impact; the expression of religious feeling or freedom; the touristic determinants of pilgrimages, etc. The author ends with his own observations and conclusions regarding the future of the relationship and its likely direction and development.

A revolutionary, science-based approach to meditation from a neuroscientist turned meditation master, The Mind Illuminated is an accessible, step-by-step toolkit for anyone looking to start—or improve—their daily meditation practice.

The book that bestselling meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg raves “brings the path of meditation to life,” The Mind Illuminated is the first how-to meditation guide from a neuroscientist who is also an acclaimed meditation master. This innovative book offers a 10-stage program that is both deeply grounded in ancient spiritual teachings about mindfulness and holistic health, and also draws from the latest brain science to provide a roadmap for anyone interested in achieving the benefits of mindfulness. Dr. John Yates offers a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, including steps to overcome mind wandering and dullness, extending your attention span while meditating, and subduing subtle distractions.

This groundbreaking manual provides illustrations and charts to help you work through each stage of the process, offering tools that work across all types of meditation practices. The Mind Illuminated is an essential read, whether you are a beginner wanting to establish your practice or a seasoned veteran ready to master the deepest state of peace and mindfulness.