Comparative religion Books

Book SynopsisThis set of resources provides readers with a basic introduction to Islam. Ayman Ibrahim helps readers learn about Muslims, their beliefs, their scripture, their prophet, and key Islamic concepts and terms. Volumes include: · A Concise Guide to the Quran: Answering Thirty Critical Questions · A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad: Answering Thirty Key Questions · A Concise Guide to Islam: Defining Key Concepts and Terms A Concise Guide to the Quran offers a clear and concise guide to the history and contents of the Quran, covering thirty common questions. A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad answers thirty common questions about Muhammad, providing an accessible guide to his life and religious significance. A Concise Guide to Islam presents explanations for more than 100 important Islamic concepts and terms. This set is valuable for students of Islam, lay readers interested in Islam, and those moving to or visiting locations where Islam is prevalent.

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Book SynopsisThe Hidden Lamp is a collection of one hundred koans and stories of Buddhist women from the time of the Buddha to the present day. This revolutionary book brings together many teaching stories that were hidden for centuries, unknown until this volume. These stories are extraordinary expressions of freedom and fearlessness, relevant for men and women of any time or place. In these pages we meet nuns, laywomen practicing with their families, famous teachers honored by emperors, and old women selling tea on the side of the road.Each story is accompanied by a reflection by a contemporary woman teacher--personal responses that help bring the old stories alive for readers today--and concluded by a final meditation for the reader, a question from the editors meant to spark further rumination and inquiry. These are the voices of the women ancestors of every contemporary Buddhist.

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Book SynopsisBelievers from a variety of faith communities were asked to assess how the Covid pandemic has affected their faith. The anthology collects their responses to key questions, such as: How does your faith explain why such events occur? How has it affected your religious practices? What changes has it necessitated? What differences might we expect once the pandemic is over? What have we learned from it? Two exponents of each major religion and a number of minority faiths comment on these issues, combined with a concluding essay by the editors assessing the overall impact of the pandemic on religion worldwide. Faiths explored include Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Sikh Baha'i, Jain, African Traditional Religion, Zoroastrian, Unitarian, Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Science.Trade ReviewFor religions of all kinds, the imperative to remember is of great importance. As we tentatively move into a post-Covid society, it is easy to forget the impact the pandemic had on our understanding and practice of faith and spirituality. This remarkable collection of reflections from a very wide range of traditions should serve as a multi-faceted reminder to the deep religious and ethical issues which Covid created, uncovered and amplified. * Michael Ipgrave OBE, Bishop of Lichfield, UK *By sharing experiences of the Covid Pandemic, people of different countries and beliefs will be better prepared to act together in the event of future global threats to peace and prosperity. * Marcus Braybrooke, Former President of the World Congress of Faiths, UK *George D. Chryssides and Dan Cohn-Sherbok have assembled an informed collection of contributors who provide a comparative window into how adherents of a wide variety of religious traditions responded to the global pandemic. Readers will learn not only how differently the religions understood and responded to the traumatic events, but also how united the human species is in drawing upon religion in times of need. * John W. Morehead, Director, Evangelical Chapter of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy/Multifaith Matters, USA *A collection of insightful responses and reflections from a wide variety of religious voices that are valuable in themselves and, as Rowan Williams says in the foreword, “They suggest that the process of distilling what is to be learned from the pandemic will need spiritual insight, not just a superficial optimism about doing better next time." * David Steers, Editor of Faith and Freedom, UK *Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Foreword, Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury Acknowledgements Table of Acronyms 1. Covid and Religion – Christopher Lewis, (Dean Emeritus, Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford, UK) 2. Pandemics and Jewish Responses – Oliver Leaman (University of Kentucky, USA) 3. Some Jewish Perspectives from the United States – David J. Zucker (Rabbi and Author, UK) 4. Covid, Communion and Christianity – Clare Amos (World Council of Churches, Switzerland) 5. We Can’t Forget: Conservative Protestants in the COVID-19 Pandemic – Camille Kaminski Lewis (Furman University, USA) 6. “What people's hands have earned”: Islamic perspectives on Covid – Usama Hasan (Al Quran Society, UK) 7. Glimpses into Islamic Perspectives and Practice – Farhana Mayer (University of Oxford, UK) 8. Turning to Medicine is Not Turning Away from God: Hindu Resilience in a Pandemic – Anantanand Rambachan (St Olaf College, Minnesota, USA) 9. Karma, Chanting, Love, and Zoom; Hindu Responses to a Pandemic – Shaunaka Rishi Das (Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, UK) and Utsa Bose 10. The Buddha’s Prescription for the World: How People Used Buddhism to Cope with the Pandemic – Bogodá Seelawimala (Head of the London Buddhist Vihara and the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain, UK) 11. Covid and Theravada Buddhism – Peter Harvey (University of Sunderland, UK) 12. Fostering Everyday Culture at Shinto Shrines under Covid – Taishi Kato (Shinto Priest, Hattori Tenjingu Shrine, Osaka, Japan) 13. The Significance of Matsuri festivals in Shinto during Epidemics – Koji Suga (Kokugakuin University, Japan) 14. Covid and Sewa: Practising Sikhi during a Global Pandemic – Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal (University of Southern California Riverside, USA) 15. Sikh Scriptemics during Pandemic – Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (Colby College, USA) 16. Navigating the Covid-19 Pandemic: Building Resilience: Reflections of a Bahá’í – Wendi Momen (University of Derby, UK) 17. World-Embracing Vision Against World-Threatening Pandemic – George Merchant Ballentyne (Leicester Council of Faiths, UK) 18. Jains and Covid-19 – Vinod Kapashi (World Congress of Faiths, UK) 19. Jain Perceptions of the Pandemic – Kumarpal Desai 20. African Religion – Vibrant amid Covid-19 in Eswatini – Hebron L Ndlovu (University of Swaziland, Swaziland) 21. Opening our eyes: Covid-19 and Indigenous Funeral Processes in African Traditional Religion – Nokuzola Mndende (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa) 22. Zarathustra’s Wisdom: Accepting Natural Consequences – Jehangir Sarosh (The World Council of Religions for Peace) 23. Transforming Challenges into Progress: A Zoroastrian Perspective – Karishma Koka (University of Cambridge, UK) 24. Unitarians and global catastrophe: a pandemic, a war and a climate emergency – Feargus O’Connor (World Congress of Faiths, UK) 25. Unitarian Universalists Face Covid: Challenges, Surprises, and New Pathways – Jay Atkinson (Starr King School, USA) 26. When ‘No Resident Will Say: “I Am Sick”’ – The Global Religious Response of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Covid-19 Pandemic – Jolene Chu (Archivist, World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, USA) 27. How one Jehovah’s Witness community negotiated the ride of the ‘pale horse’ – Gary Perkins (Independent Scholar, UK) 28. Practising my Christian Science Faith during the Covid-19 Pandemic – Shirley Paulson (Formerly Head of Ecumenical Affairs, Christian Science Church, USA) 29. Personal Experiences of the Christian Science Faith during Covid – Susan Searle, (Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia, Australia) 30. Covid and Theology – Dan Cohn-Sherbok 31. What Have We Learned? – George D. Chryssides Index

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Book SynopsisAs a result of world events over the past few years, Islam has entered our consciousness in an unprecedented way. The Qur''an, guiding text for over one billion Muslims, is being looked to for answers to questions like: does the Qur''an promote peace and harmony or discord and conflict, does it contribute to pluralism or exclusivism, is its message spiritual or fanatical? Based on a profound study of the Sufi perspectives of the likes of Ibn ''Arabi, Rumi and Ghazali, The Other in the Light of the One is an attempt to answer the above questions and is an invitation to study the universality that is present in the Qur''an. Its aim is to relate some of the most profound interpretations of the Qur''an to philosophical and spiritual questions concerning interfaith dialogue.For Muslims, The Other in the Light of the One offers a pioneering view of da''wa, in that it allows them the tangible means of putting into practice the many Qur''anic verses that commend discoursing with others on the basis of ''the finest, most beautiful manner.''

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Book SynopsisVoltaire's Pocket Philosophical Dictionary is a major work of the European Enlightenment. It consists of a series of short essays, arranged alphabetically, whose unifying thread is an attack on religious and political intolerance. Highly entertaining, its concern with intolerance and its consequences is still relevant today.Trade Reviewa marvellously Swiftian look at the bleakness of existence. * Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian *In John Fletcher's wonderfully luminous translation, the Dictionnaire philosophique portatif is like a breath of fresh air... Nicholas Cronk's discreet, helpful introduction and notes direct us to Voltaire's main concern: religion. * David Coward, Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisRitual is part of what it means to be human. Like sports, music, and drama, ritual defines and enriches culture, putting those who practice it in touch with sources of value and meaning larger than themselves. Ritual is unavoidable, yet it holds a place in modern life that is decidedly ambiguous. What is ritual? What does it do? Is it useful? What are the various kinds of ritual? Is ritual tradition bound and conservative or innovative and transformational?Alongside description of a number of specific rites, this Very Short Introduction explores ritual from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Barry Stephenson focuses on the places where ritual touches everyday life: in politics and power; moments of transformation in the life cycle; as performance and embodiment. He also discusses the boundaries of ritual, and how and why certain behaviors have been studied as ritual while others have not. Stephenson shows how ritual is an important vehicle for group and identity formation; how it generates and transmits beliefs and values; how it can be used to exploit and oppress; and how it has served as a touchstone for thinking about cultural origins and historical change. Encompassing the breadth and depth of modern ritual studies, Barry Stephenson''s Very Short Introduction also develops a narrative of ritual''s place in social and cultural life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Introduction ; Chapter 1 Ritualization ; Chapter 2 Ritual and the Origins of Culture ; Chapter 3 Ritual and Society ; Chapter 4 Ritual and Transformation ; Chapter 5 Definitions, Types, Domains ; Chapter 6 Ritual as Performance ; Chapter 7 The Fortunes of Ritual ; References ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisReligion plays a central role in human experience. Billions of people around the world practice a faith and act in accordance with it. Religion shapes how they enter the world and how they leave it - how they eat, dress, marry, and raise their children. It shapes their assumptions about who they are and who they want to be. Religion also identifies insiders and outsiders, who has power and who doesn''t. It sanctifies injustice and combats it. It draws national borders. It affects law, economy, and government. It destroys and restores the environment. It starts wars and ends them. Whether you notice it or not, religion plays a role in how billions conduct their lives. We are called, then, to understand this important factor in human life today.Beginning with the first signs of religion among ancient humans and concluding with a look at modern citizens and global trends, leading scholar Thomas Tweed examines this powerful and enduring force in human society. Tweed deftly documents religion as it exists around the world, addressing its role in both intensifying and alleviating contemporary political and environmental problems, from armed conflict to climate change. Religion: A Very Short Introduction offers a concise non-partisan overview of religion''s long history and its complicated role in the world today.Trade Review...illuminating... * John Pridmore, The Way *...Tweed's book is strong on historizing and contextualizing religion... * Michael Stausberg, Religion *Table of ContentsPreface: Why Religion Matters 1. What Religion Is 2. What Religion Does 3. How Religion Is Expressed 4. How Religion Has Changed 5. Global Religion Today

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Book SynopsisLearn about the beliefs, history, and culture of the world's most popular religions World Religions All-In-One For Dummies offers an easy starting point for anyone curious to investigate religious and cultural differences. In terms anyone can understand, this book explains the foundations of major world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, Catholicism, and Taoism. You can choose the religions you'd like to focus on or read about them all. You'll learn about beliefs and practices specific to each, develop an understanding of how religion affects people's lives, and become a more informed global citizen. Awareness of different religions and how they function in society helps people develop tolerance and respect for others. World religion is also a fascinating topic, and you'll enjoy expanding your mind with this fun Dummies guide. Get an overview of the history, beliefs, and practices of the world's major religionsUnderstand the similarities and differences between different sects of each religionExpand your horizons and go beyond the common misconceptions and myths about religionGain a better understanding of peers, neighbors, coworkers, and friends of different faiths This comprehensive guide is the perfect companion for those beginning their exploration into faith, or for those just needing a quick reference tool.

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Book SynopsisIn the face of climate change, species loss, and vast environmental destruction, Belden C. Lane's spiritually centered environmentalism suggests that we must look to teachers in nature to understand how to save ourselves. Pairing anecdotes of personal encounters with nature with the teachings of spiritual leaders from a range of religious traditions, this book invites us to participate once more in the great conversation among all creatures and the earthitself.Trade ReviewIn this extraordinary book, Lane explores our human need for deep and meaningful connections with nature ... This is a precious book for all nature lovers and also for those who after reading it, will be. * Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Introduction: Wilderness and Soul Work Part I: Beginning to Listen Chapter 1: Restoring the Great Conversation Chapter 2: Falling in Love with a Tree Part II: Nature Teachers and the Spiritual Life AIR: The Child Chapter 3. Birds: Sandhill Cranes, the Platte River, and Farid ud-Din Attar Chapter 4. Wind: Buford Mountain and The Way of a Pilgrim Chapter 5: Trees: A Cottonwood Tree in a City Park and Hildegard of Bingen FIRE: The Adolescent Chapter 6. Wildfire: North Laramie River Trail and Catherine of Siena Chapter 7. Stars: Cahokia Mounds and Origen of Alexandria Chapter 8. Deserts: The Western Australian Bush and Gregory of Nyssa WATER: The Adult Chapter 9. Rivers: Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness and Teresa of Avila Chapter 10. Canyons: Grand Staircase-Escalante Wilderness and Laozi Chapter 11. Islands: Monhegan Island and Nikos Kazantzakis EARTH: The Elder Chapter 12. Mountains: Hemmed-In-Hollow and the Baal Shem Tov Chapter 13. Caves: Lewis Cave and Ignatius of Loyola Chapter 14. Wolves: Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Francis of Assisi Conclusion: Taking the Great Conversation Seriously Afterword Notes Index

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Book SynopsisA Doubter's Guide to World Religions presents each of the world's five major religions and carefully outlines the history, belief systems, and spiritual practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam so that the interested and curious doubters can explore their similarities and differences.

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Book SynopsisWritten by a Russian philosopher and theologian, this book explores the differences between Christian philosophy and other systems and discusses the beliefs of sainted men and women, such as Francis of Assisi, Seraphim of Sarov, and Simeon the New Theologian.

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Book Synopsis'Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soul ... A masterpiece' Elizabeth Gilbert 'A work of spiritual evolution [and] inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors' Washington Post One of our most perceptive travel writers embarks on an exploration of the world's holiest places and where we might find paradise on Earth. It’s so easy, I thought, to place Paradise in the past or the future – anywhere but here. After half a century of travel, Pico Iyer asks himself what kind of paradise can ever be found in a world of unceasing conflict. In a spectacular journey, both inward and outward, he roams the globe from Jerusalem to Belfast to North Korea, from crowded mosques in Iran to a holy mountain in Japan. By the end, he has upended any of our expectations and dared to suggest that we can find paradise right in the heart of our angry and confused world.Trade ReviewA luminous and absorbing book, and one that is good to think with -- Caroline Eden * Financial Times *Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soul. Filled with hope, wisdom, and extraordinary tenderness, this is a book not only for the ages, but for our very specific, very troubled age. A masterpiece. -- Elizabeth GilbertIn elegant and ecstatic prose, Pico Iyer uncovers our wonderful capacity for hope, wearing his erudition so lightly. I was revitalised by this book -- Katherine MayIyer shares Graham Greene’s gift for the enthralling sentence, and can be a charming and perceptive companion . . . He reminds us that the key to good travel writing lies in the discrepancy between what you expect of a country and what you get. And at an even more primal level, he makes you want to go to the countries themselves -- Hugh Thomson * Spectator *To step into The Half Known Life feels both a privilege and a necessity . . . Iyer is more than a guide or a compatriot in an unfamiliar land: in the inward journey to lucidity he is a companion of our own searching minds -- Yiyun LiI defy anyone to read this profound travelogue and not immediately start reading it again. If there is a "paradise of words", this is it -- John KeayA wise, immaculately written achievement that could only be contemplated after a lifetime of travel and reading and pondering. Reading The Half Known Life is to yield to the most invigorating and thought-provoking meditation. -- Nicholas ShakespeareThoughtful . . . Iyer comes across as that finest of all personality types, the pragmatic idealist ... There’s a lovely patience in evidence here; he is calm, reasonable and curious -- Darragh McManus * Irish Independent *Iyer has done the impossible with this book . . . This is a singular offering of magnetic story, deep thinking, truth telling and spiritual refreshment for our tumultuous young century -- Krista TippettI really really enjoyed the book -- Frank Cottrell BoyceEven as Iyer takes you around the world, he remains a most faithful companion to the spirit of that ultimate journey into uncharted territories—our inner selves . . . The Half Known Life is a vigorous quest for the paradise within * Los Angeles Review of Books *Iyer's chronicle, which begins with an appreciation of the sophistication, beauty and culture of Iran, becomes a requiem for a world — and an existence — estranged from itself . . . His book has the ring of a classic Buddhist meditation strategy * New York Times *Thought-provoking . . . Iyer has an acutely observant eye for the telling detail and a delicious turn of phrase -- Richard Hopton * Country and Town House Magazine *Reading Mr Iyer’s book in the depth of winter, in a troubled world, it’s heartening to think that paradise—or at least a glimpse of it—might be available from where we sit * Wall Street Journal *A masterful merging of Iyer’s past and current concerns, a book of inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors * Washington Post *Iyer’s prose is elegant and never hurried as it roams like a travelling mind . . . He comes to his destinations with years of learned erudition and yet seemingly without expectations . . . It may be Iyer’s unique positioning that makes The Half Known Life so much of this moment, in a world reeling from a devastating pandemic as well as lasting divisons * Japan Times *Humming with wisdom and a profound appreciation of nature’s inherent contradictions, Pico Iyer’s meditation on paradise—where it is, what it means, if it can be found on Earth—is much more than a diary of his country-spanning travels. It’s a work of philosophy, probing the scientific and the spiritual to understand why the most beautiful places often become such sources of pain, and how paradise might be re-discovered * Elle US *Iyer’s smooth, intelligent yet elegant prose style makes this an enjoyable and often thought-provoking read * New York Journal of Books *Everywhere Pico Iyer travels his keen vision allows him to see both ravishing beauty and profound flaws * Shelf Awareness *From one of the most perceptive writers of our times, this one brings forth a lifetime of explorations to upend our ideas of utopia and ask how we might find peace in the midst of difficulty and suffering. Could there be anything better to pick at the start of the year? * Harper’s Bazaar India *Iyer flexes his remarkable skill of reading between the lines of passing conversations to extract profound meaning and draw connections between disparate places across the world . . . He does provide hours of thought-provoking meditations on what it means to speak of paradise * New York Times *Mesmering . . . riveting . . . revelatory . . . Iyer poetically depicts the otherworldly beauty of these places while trenchantly examining the paradox of utopia -- Thuy Dinh * NPR *Iyer is the loveliest of writers, a person whose prose is in harmony with the man himself: sharp-minded, witty, benevolent, wise, and never for a second ponderous or spiritually meretricious. To read Iyer, initially, is to entertain ourselves, and then, well, the rest is up to you -- Jim Kelly * Air Mail *Iyer travels the globe—from Iran to Kashmir to Japan to Northern Ireland—to demystify how different communities perceive eternal happiness, and how their quest to achieve it manifests in the face of political, social, and environmental instability. The result is a lyrical, if paradoxical, meditation on a fervent pursuit for happiness that often feels out of reach * TIME, The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 *

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Book Synopsis'An amazingly wide-ranging book, showing that the world's religious texts can be a force for good today' John Barton, author of A History of the BibleIn our increasingly secular world, holy texts are at best seen as irrelevant, and at worst as an excuse to incite violence, hatred and division. The Quran, the Torah and the Bible are often employed selectively to underwrite arbitrary and subjective views. They are believed to be divinely ordained; they are claimed to contain eternal truths. But as Karen Armstrong, a world authority on religious affairs, shows in this fascinating journey through millennia of history, this narrow reading of scripture is a relatively recent phenomenon. Armstrong argues that only by rediscovering an open engagement with their holy texts will the world’s religions be able to curtail arrogance and intolerance. And if scripture is used to engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways, we will find that it still has a great deal to teach us.‘Magisterial… A dazzling accomplishment’ New York Times‘Glorious… Armstrong is the most articulate and generous-hearted exegete of religion writing in English at the present time’ A.N. Wilson, New StatesmanTrade Review'Karen Armstrong has written an amazingly wide-ranging book, showing that the world's religious texts can be a force for good today, rather than a cause of conflict. The scale of her knowledge never ceases to astonish' -- John Barton, author of A History of the BibleA triumph... Karen Armstrong is one of our great commentators on the sacred. In this book she explores the sacred texts with a scholar’s eye and an illuminating clarity suggesting how much their wisdom and lasting power are still needed today -- Salley Vickers[The Lost Art of Scripture] takes us on a glorious journey… Armstrong is the most articulate and generous-hearted exegete of religion writing in English at the present time -- AN Wilson * New Statesman *Rich and wide-ranging… [The Lost Art of Scripture] makes a fascinating read… a treasure chest of social and religious history. Armstrong’s lucid prose makes her many-stranded story remarkably straightforward to follow… a learned and stimulating book -- Teresa Morgan * Tablet *A remarkable book by a remarkable writer… the author’s mission is urgent in the light of the uses to which the world’s scriptures are sometimes put -- Rev Dr Neil Richardson * Methodist Recorder *The Lost Art of Scripture… exhibits [Armstrong’s] well-known and admired characteristics as a writer: an ability to be both authoritative on all the major faiths…a reasoned insistence that religion today is misunderstood, as much by the religious as by their critics; and a passionate appeal to our fractious and fractured world to embrace religion’s core message…compassion and respect for others -- Peter Stanford * Sunday Times *Magisterial ... a dazzling accomplishment, a reflection of an encyclopaedic knowledge of comparative religion and of a wisdom about spirituality in the human species * New York Times Book Review *Exhilarating, challenging and curiously comforting… [The Lost Art of Scripture has] been written not only with intellectual rigour and an accessible turn of phrase, but also with love -- Lucy Winkett * Prospect *One of our best living writers on religion * Financial Times *Karen Armstrong is a genius -- A.N. WilsonKaren Armstrong is one of the handful of wise and supremely intelligent commentators on religion -- Alain De BottonA fascinating excursion into neo-Gnosticism… Armstrong…has clearly done an enormous amount of reading and research to handle so skilfully the mass of material she surveys -- Jack Carrigan * Catholic Herald *[Armstrong] weaves…[a] truly vast history into a coherent and fascinating narrative… an interesting and very well-written book -- Gavin Flood * Church Times *An epic story with a polemical edge… [a] lucid account of the evolution of sacred text… The Lost Art of Scripture is an impressive achievement, presenting a wide sweep of global religious history in little more than five hundred pages… Armstrong is…an accomplished and fluent writer * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the ways in which scriptures are accepted and appropriated by religious people in Korea. It explores how sacred texts in various religions, including Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shamanism, attain their sacred status and power.

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Book SynopsisOffers an overarching definition and framework for the study of religion as it manifests itself in everyday lifeLook around you as you walk down the street; somewhere, usually hidden in plain sight, there will be traces of religion. Perhaps it is the person who walks past with a Christian tattoo or a Muslim hijab. Perhaps it is the poster announcing a charity auction at the local synagogue. Or perhaps you open your Instagram feed to see what inspiring images and meditations have been posted by spiritual guides to help start the day.Studying Lived Religion examines religious practices wherever they happenboth within religious spaces and in everyday life. Although the study of lived religion has been around for over two decades, there has not been an agreed-upon definition of what it encompasses, and we have lacked a sociological theory to frame the way it is studied. This book offers a definition that expands lived religion's geographic scope and a frameworkTrade ReviewThis is a great book! Nancy Ammerman gives us a systematic framework for studying ‘lived religion’ – how real people ‘do’ religion in their everyday lives. Religion happens all around us: not just in churches, mosques, and synagogues, but also on mountaintops, in deep relationships, and in the talk and acts that fill our taken-for-granted days. Through many examples, Ammerman shows us seven dimensions along which everyday religion varies. From different forms of embodiment to different emotions, aesthetics, and moral sensibilities, we learn that religion is far more complex than we imagined – and far more interesting to study. -- James Spickard, University of RedlandsThis book offers both a theoretical underpinning for the sociology of lived religion and a useful guide for carrying out practice in the field. Either one of these would make a significant intellectual contribution. Nancy Ammerman's accomplishment of both objectives makes this book pathbreaking. -- Meredith McGuire, Professor Emerita, Sociology and Anthropology, Trinity UniversityMeticulous, comprehensive, and intelligent, this marvelous book is a must-read for everyone interested in lived religion. Ammerman’s alertness to case studies is matched by her alertness to the expansive repertoire of methods that animate this body of work. -- David D. Hall, Harvard Divinity SchoolA master class in thinking and writing about subtle religion by a rare scholar who knows how to talk across disciplines and in ordinary language. “Pay attention,” Ammerman says, not just to institutional leaders and official doctrines but also to the eruption of the uncanny in unexpected places—in the stories we tell, stuff we hold dear, and the messy social circumstances in which it’s all embedded. Sage wisdom here for scholars, journalists, and anyone else on the lookout for intimations of the "spiritual dimension" breaking into the everyday. -- Stephen Prothero, C. Allyn and Elizabeth V. Russell Professor of Religion in America at Boston University.Generous in spirit and substance, Studying Lived Religion is akin to a handbook-cum-manifesto animated by Nancy Ammerman’s enthusiasm for a ‘lived’ or ‘practice’ approach to the study of religion. -- David Hall, Harvard University * Sociology of Religion *Required reading for students and scholars of religious life at all levels. * Choice *The whole book will be useful to anyone contemplating research on religion…Nancy Ammerman is a terrific guide to the process and to the insights it can yield. * Catholic Books Review *Studying Lived Religion is a much-needed addition to both religious studies research and the classroom. Clearly written and tightly organized, it is accessible and eminently referenceable, offering a variety of methodologies, historical contexts, and examples. * Nova Religio *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Understanding Religion is a lucid, creatively structured, and nearly jargon-free introduction to theories and methods for studying religious communities and traditions in diverse societies, bold in scope, and presented in a manner that is undergraduate-friendly, yet sophisticated enough for use in a graduate-level course." * Journal of Interreligious Studies *"Explores themes one might expect in a textbook as well as ones welcomely added, emphasizing a 'deeply political' approach that continually draws the reader’s attention back to whose voice gets expressed in scholarship, and whose does not." * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Boxes Acknowledgments and Dedications Introduction PART I. WHAT IS RELIGION AND HOW TO APPROACH IT? 1. Religion: Language, Law, and Legacies Case Study 1A: Falun Gong: Religion or Self-Cultivation Practice? Case Study 1B: Christians and Ancestor Veneration: Religion or Culture? 2. Method: Insider-Outsider Debates, Phenomenology, and Reflexivity Case Study 2A: Living between Religious Worlds: Conversion and Reconversion Case Study 2B: Hindu and Christian? Multiple Religious Identities 3. Life: Lived Religion, Syncretism, and Hybridity Case Study 3A: Mexican American Catholicism and Our Lady of Guadalupe Case Study 3B: Thai Buddhism as Lived Religion and Syncretic Practice PART II. THEORIES, METHODOLOGIES, AND CRITICAL DEBATES 4. History: Historical Methodology and the Invention of Tradition Case Study 4A: The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith Case Study 4B: Laozi, the Daodejing, and the Origins of Daoism 5. Power: Social Constructionism, Habitus, and Authority Case Study 5A: Mosques, Minarets, and Power Case Study 5B: Individual (New Age/Alternative) Spirituality as Modernity's Ideology 6. Identity: Social Identity Theory, In-Groups, Out-Groups, and Conflict Case Study 6A: Shiv Sena, Hindu Nationalism, and Identity Politics Case Study 6B: Race, Religion, and the American White Evangelical 7. Colonialism: Postcolonialism, Orientalism, and Decolonization Case Study 7A: Beyond "Inventing" Hinduism Case Study 7B: Magic, Superstition, and Religion in Southeast Asia and Africa 8. Brains: The Cognitive Science of Religion and Beyond Case Study 8A: Religion, Non-Religion, and Atheism Case Study 8B: Ancestors, Jesus, and Prosocial Behavior in Fiji 9. Bodies: Material Religion, Embodiment, and Materiality Case Study 9A: Weeping Gods and Drinking Statues Case Study 9B: Embodied Practice at a Christian Shrine 10. Gender: Feminism, Sexuality, and Religion Case Study 10A: Priests, Paul, and Rewriting Texts Case Study 10B: Buddhist Feminisms and Nuns 11. Comparison: Comparative and Contrastive Methodologies Case Study 11A: Comparing Hinduism and Judaism Case Study 11B: A Comparison of Zen Buddhist and Protestant Christian Sitting Practices 12. Ritual: Ritualization, Myth, and Performance Case Study 12A: The Zen Tea Ceremony and Protestant Eucharist as Performance and Ritual Case Study 12B: Buddhist Ordination Rites PART III. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND SOCIETY 13. Diversity: Religious Borders, Identities, and Discourses Case Study 13A: The Memory of Al-Andalusia Case Study 13B: Dominus Iesus and Catholic Christianity in Asia 14. Dialogue: Interreligious Discourse and Critique Case Study 14A: Christian and Muslim Women Reading Scriptures Case Study 14B: Buddhist-Christian Dialogue: History and Discourse 15. Violence: Fundamentalism, Extremism, and Radicalization Case Study 15A: The Invention of Islamic Terrorism Case Study 15B: Buddhism and Violence 16. Secularism: Secularization, Human Rights, and Religion Case Study 16A: Laïcité and the Burkini Ban Case Study 16B: Singapore's Common Space 17. Geography: Place, the Lived Environment, and Environmentalism Case Study 17A: Trees as Monks? Case Study 17B: Protestant Christian Understandings of the "Holy Land" 18. Politics: Governance, the Colonial Wound, and the Sacred Case Study 18A: Ethnicity and Religion: The Singaporean Malay-Muslim Identity Case Study 18B: Saluting the Flag: The Case of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States Glossary Who's Who Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFor almost 1,500 years, the New Testament manuscripts were copied by hand––and mistakes and intentional changes abound in the competing manuscript versions. Religious and biblical scholar Bart Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself are the results of both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes. In this compelling and fascinating book, Ehrman shows where and why changes were made in our earliest surviving manuscripts, explaining for the first time how the many variations of our cherished biblical stories came to be, and why only certain versions of the stories qualify for publication in the Bibles we read today. Ehrman frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultra–conservative views of the Bible.

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Book SynopsisExamines the evolution of 'green religions' in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have in many cases replaced traditional religions. This book provides a global tour of the green religious phenomenon, enabling readers to evaluate its worldwide emergence and to assess its role in a religious revolution.Trade Review"This ambitious work seeks to set forth a new religious tradition characterized by its central concern for the fate of the planet." Nova Religio: The Journal Of Alternative & Emergent Religions "Dark Green Religion is intelligent, well-written, and very much worth reading." Worldviews "Taylor aims to illustrate the existence of an ideological current in contemporary North American society that has nature as its focus, and to argue that this is socially and politically significant." -- Emma Tomalin Environment & History "Names levels of spirituality that are often unacknowledged, unattended to, or rejected, and demonstrates how a new global spirituality (DGR) is becoming a force for positive change on our planet." Isle: Interdis Stds In Lit & Environ "Recommended." ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface Readers' Guide 1. Introducing Religion and Dark Green Religion 2. Dark Green Religion 3. Dark Green Religion in North America 4. Radical Environmentalism 5. Surfing Spirituality 6. Globalization with Predators and Moving Pictures 7. Globalization in Arts, Sciences, and Letters 8. Terrapolitan Earth Religion 9 .Conclusion: Dark Green Religion and the Planetary Future Afterword on Terminology Acknowledgments Appendix: Excerpts with Commentary on the Writings of Henry David Thoreau Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn THE CIRCLE OF THE SUN, Traleg Rinpoche asks: What is the starting point on the spiritual journey? It is possible that it is seeing oneself as inadequate. It is heartening that the Dzogchen and Mahamudra approach says that what one wants to attain is already present. There is no gap between what one is and what one wants to attain. In Dzogchen, the starting point, which is also the end point of the spiritual journey is having an understanding of the nature of mind. Tsele Natsok Rangdrol''s exposition of the Dzogchen path elucidates that the path rests on the practices of trekchö, which means cutting through, and thögal, which means leaping over. Trekchö practice entails settling the mind in its own natural state without effort and without the rejection of thoughts and emotions. Thögal practice makes use of images and visions to realize the innate wakefulness. Rinpoche explains there are many perspectives designed to help us uncover our authentic state, the ground-of-being, as it is o

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Book SynopsisThe perfect gift for seekers, the curious, and the spiritually hungry, The Little Book of Prayers now has a stunning new cover and a more prayer booklike format.Gathered from holy books and prayer books, from songs and spirituals, spoken traditions and poets, it is an unexpectedly approachable collection of common and uncommon prayers from around the world. The entries, one per page or spread, are chosen for their depth of feeling, beauty of expression, spiritual intensity, and sense of the universal. The book is organized into broad categories of praise, entreaty, contemplation, mourning, and grace; and two indexesone by authorship, and the other by topicmake it immediately accessible.There are familiar prayers, like the Lord's Prayer and 23rd Psalm, which, placed in new context, shine with a renewed beauty and wisdom. You'll find prayers unfamiliar to many in the West, such as the Opener from the Koran or the four vows of the Boddhisattva, chant

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Book SynopsisCatalogues nearly three thousand demons in the mythologies and lore of virtually every ancient society and most religions. Also included are descriptions of the demonic and diabolical members making up the hierarchy of Hell and the numerous species of demons that, according to various folklores, mythologies, and religions, populate the earth and plague mankind.

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Book SynopsisSikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. It is a young religion, having been founded in 1469. It has been in the United States for almost 150 years, but is still relatively unknown. Perhaps you have seen someone wearing a turban in public or seen Sikhs mentioned in the news and wondered who they were. Maybe your neighbor, coworker or friend is Sikh, and you want to learn more without making them feel offended or annoyed.Many people have questions about Sikhs: What are the key beliefs of the Sikh religion? Do they worship in a Sikh temple? Why do Sikhs have long hair? You may wonder who is the Sikhism founder, how to pronounce Sikh, how Sikhism differs from other religions or what to call a Sikh turban. This guide answers all these questions and many more to help you learn about this optimistic and service-oriented faith.The questions in this guide were created by interviewing Sikhs and asking them what they wish people knew about Sikhs and their religion. Whether you know a Sikh personally or just want to learn about this young and growing religion, "100 Questions and Answers About Sikh Americans" includes information ranging from Sikh history, Sikh beliefs and values, Sikh persecution, Sikh articles of faith, Sikh worship and Sikh demographics. It represents varying Sikh perspectives, not just those of one region, division or age.Encouraged by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Sikh coalition, this book is an education tool, complete with questions for discussion and reflection at the end, perfect for a school class or an interfaith learning community. It informs readers about gurdwaras, or the Sikh house of worship, and the 11 gurus. It includes answers about the three core tenets of Sikhism, the role of women in Sikhism and Sikh volunteerism and service.If you would like to learn more about Sikhism, whether to feel more prepared to interact with Sikhs or to familiarize yourself with a new religious perspective, this guide is for you.

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Book SynopsisThis book explains the historical roots of the conflict between Jews and Arabs, which has lost none of its explosiveness to the present day, in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand manner. The question of who owns the Holy Land is more relevant today than ever. The debates on this topic are often characterized by ignorance and strong emotions, while partiality and power interests still obscure the view on the political situation in the Middle East. Shaking up old myths and prejudices, this book presents an overall historical as well as political analysis of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim structures, actors, and actions from the very beginning to this very day, as well as a topical analysis. It combines history with theology and political science. Thus, the book is a must-read for scholars and students of political science, history, and international relations, as well as policy-makers, interested in a better understanding of the historical background and current political situation in the Middle East. Table of ContentsHoly Land? Israel? Palestine?.- RELIGIOSITY AND POLITICS.- The Pious, the Zealous and a "Dead" God.- Fundamentalism - A Shield for the Culture?.- Is Zionism Blasphemy?.- Zionism in the Quran?.- THE HOLY LAND, RELIGIONS AND POLITICS.- What Is the Holy Land? - Biblical Borders?.- Why Is the Land Holy?.- To Whom Is the Land Holy?.- Where Is the Land Holy? Or: To Whom Does Jerusalem Belong?.- How Is the Land Holy? Or: Holiness and Statehood.- By What Means Is the Land Acquired?.- THE HISTORY OF CHANGING OWNERSHIP.-Whose Possession? Whose Property?.-Names and Power.- The Patriarch Fathers.- Jewish Settlement as “Conquest”.- Kingdom and Kingdoms Come and Go.- Exile, Return and Autonomy.- The Europeanization of the Holy Land.- Christians as Heirs and Owners.- Re-Orientalisation - Arabisation, Turkification.- Re-Europeanization.- The Return of Islam.- The Return to Zion.- The British in the Holy Land.- The Founding of Israel -- Palestine Becomes Jordan.- “Greater Israel” -- Jewish or Democratic? Of Federations and Confederation.- Injustice for Injustice – Conclusion – Solution?.

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Book SynopsisThe Gospel of the Holy Twelve presents vegetarian versions of traditional teachings and events described in the canonical New Testament. The first collected volume was issued by The Order of At-One-Ment and United Templars Society. The explanatory preface referred to an ancient source manuscript "preserved in the Monasteries of Thibet". An irish clergyman claims to have discovered in a Tibetan Monastery the Original Gospel from which the present Four Gospels are derived. 

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Book SynopsisA fascinating analysis of the evolution of religion from the internationally renowned evolutionary psychologistWhen did humans develop spiritual thought? What is religion''s evolutionary purpose? And in our increasingly secular world, why has it endured?Every society in the history of humanity has lived with religion. In How Religion Evolved, evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar tracks its origins back to what he terms the ''mystical stance'' - the aspect of human psychology that predisposes us to believe in a transcendent world, and which makes an encounter with the spiritual possible. As he explores world religions and their many derivatives, as well as religions of experience practised by hunter-gatherer societies since time immemorial, Dunbar argues that this instinct is not a peculiar human quirk, an aberration on our otherwise efficient evolutionary journey. Rather, religion confers an advantage: it can benefit our individual health anTrade ReviewStimulating and hugely ambitious... A compelling intellectual workout. Dunbar offers a powerful central argument, an excellent survey of alternative theories and a wide range of vivid and illuminating examples... The story he tells is important to us all -- Matthew Reisz * Observer *Dunbar's intellectual interests are far-ranging, and he is as sure-footed talking about human cognition as congregation sizes... How Religion Evolved is learned, readable and sweeping (in the best sense of that word)... Hard to argue with -- Nick Spencer * Financial Times *When one of the most creative, insightful, and versatile evolutionary thinkers of our time turns his scientific gaze toward religion, it is no surprise that he delivers a landmark book that completely reshapes our understanding of religious belief, experience, and practice. In How Religion Evolved, Dunbar not only raises fundamental questions that previous scholars of religion have ignored, he offers novel solutions in a comprehensive narrative that is as engaging as it is informative. A gifted scientist and writer has given anyone interested in religion a genuine gift -- Richard Sosis, James Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of ConnecticutA book with impressive intellectual sweep -- Clive Cookson * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisPresents an introduction to the spiritual pathways of the major world religions, exploring the core beliefs, values and practices of each tradition. Discussing contemporary issues such as post-modernism and the emergence of a 'new paradigm', this book explores the importance of religion in people's lives to provide direction in the society.Trade Review"A wise and seasoned guide, Duncan Ferguson leads readers through the dense and often confusing thicket of the world's religions into spaces of understanding and appreciation. With unparalleled clarity and insight, this work lays bare the life-affirming and the life-denying potential of the world's great religious traditions. This lucid exploration of spiritual pathways from animism to Zoroaster shows how religious traditions can and should contribute to the development of world peace. Ferguson's book is a must read for those who desire to build bridges of understanding between the religious communities of the world rather than to throw up dividing walls of hostility." - Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Mikoski, Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA, and President, Association of Practical TheologyDuncan Ferguson is similarly captivated by the best that religions have to offer, but also challenges naive readers to take seriously the less-than-best aspects. -- Theology Today (Volume 68, No. 4)Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I The Context and Approach to the Study of Religion and Spirituality; 1. The Spiritual Quest; Part II Spiritual Pathways Rooted in Nature and Culture; 2. The Indigenous Wisdom Traditions; 3. Classical Expressions of Culture-Based Religions; 4. Current Expressions of Nature/Culture Religions; Part III Spiritual Pathways of Transcendent Monism; 5. Spiritual Pathways within Hinduism; 6. Spiritual Pathways within Buddhism; 7. Spiritual Pathways of within Confucianism and Taoism; Part IV The Spiritual Pathways of the Abrahamic Monotheistic Religions; 8. Spiritual Pathways within Judaism; 9. Spiritual Pathways within Christianity; 10. Spiritual Pathways within Islam; Part V The Common Elements of Life-Giving Spiritualities; 11. Finding a Spiritual Pathway Bibliography Index.

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Book SynopsisFinalist, Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Analytical-Descriptive Studies, given by the American Academy of ReligionA groundbreaking reframing of religious pilgrimagePious processions. Sites of miraculous healing. Journeys to far-away sacred places. These are what are usually called to mind when we think of religious pilgrimage. Yet while pilgrimage can include journeying to the heart of sacred shrines, it can also occur in apparently mundane places. Indeed, not everyone has the resources or mobility to take part in religiously inspired movement to foreign lands, and some find meaning in religious movement closer to home and outside of officially sanctioned practices. Powers of Pilgrimage argues that we must question the universality of Western assumptions of what religion is and where it should be located, including the notion that genuine pilgrimage needs to be associated with discrete, formally recognized forms of religiosity. This necessary volume makes the case for eTrade ReviewAn impressive overview of the state of the field of pilgrimage studies. Coleman does an excellent job of putting scholars in context and in dialogue with each other, from anthropologists Victor and Edith Turner to cultural studies scholar Stuart Hall. Coleman presents a complex view of pilgrimage that opens up new possibilities for study and analysis. . . . This book will be an invaluable resource for scholars of ritual, pilgrimage, religion, geography, politics, and beyond. -- Sarah Pike, California State University, ChicoA lucid, wide-reaching, and brilliant book that provides us with a valuable new theoretical lexicon and framework for exploring human pilgrimage. Coleman’s attention to mobilities, context at multiple scales, emergence, uncertainties, and ambiguities further illustrates the relevance of political economy and social justice for pilgrimage studies. This volume will have a major and lasting impact on Pilgrimage Studies and beyond. -- Sharon R. Roseman, co-editor of The Tourism Imaginary and Pilgrimages to the Edges of the WorldPowers of Pilgrimage is an important book for scholars of pilgrimage and religion, but also for scholars of culture, mobility, economy, and geography. The book provides an impressive overview and analysis of the field as well as an impassioned call to expand the field’s approaches and subjects. -- Melissa Coles * The Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism *Coleman’s book is an extremely worthwhile read, bound to leave its mark on the anthropology of religion and beyond.It successfully sets an agenda of interest to anyone, or any discipline engaged in the study of religion. -- Maja Balle and Bjorn Thomassen * Social Sciences and Missions *Simon Coleman’s book presents a much-needed and long overdue exploration of the richness of pilgrimage research… Power of Pilgrimage: Religion in a World of Movement is a compelling and influential book that establishes parameters for comparative research in pilgrimage studies. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *Powers of Pilgrimage is an insightful voyage into the complexities and intricacies of pilgrim practices in various parts of the world today…Coleman’s book is an extremely worthwhile read, bound to leave its mark on the anthropology of religion and beyond. * Social Sciences and Missions *Powers of Pilgrimage makes an enormous contribution to studies of pilgrimage by reframing and expanding the field…The book provides an impressive overview and analysis of the field as well as an impassioned call to expand the field’s approaches and subjects, including by rejecting false binaries between “religious” and “secular” spaces, peoples, and practices. * Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism *

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the most renowned photographers working today, this collection of images explores human spirituality in all its remarkable diversity and beauty. American Magnum and National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry is known for his compelling and evocative images that capture the human experience and the spirit of place; his 1984 portrait of Sharbat Gula, the Afghan Girl, is one of the world's most recognizable photographs. This powerful collection of spiritually inflected images is gleaned from the entirety of McCurry's forty-year career traveling to every corner of the globe. From a mosque in Afghanistan to Burma's Golden Rock; an Easter offering in Paraguay to an elderly couple at Lourdes; a Tibetan monk in India to evangelicals in America's heartland-McCurry captures penetrating moments of devotion, loyalty, faithfulness, and dedication. Reproduced in stunning color, these photographs honor the universal desire to create meaning in the midst of everyday life and offer viewers an opportunity to connect with their own spirituality- whatever form that takes.Trade Review"The world turns on devotion — these pictures show us how.""An astonishing array of pictures."Waterstones Best Books of 2023: Photography“Steve McCurry collects together his images depicting human spirituality in all its special diversity and beauty”

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A remarkably lively and intelligent book."---Robert Irwin, Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisHeaven's Gate, a secretive group of celibate monks awaiting pickup by a UFO, captured intense public attention in 1997 when its members committed collective suicide. As a way of understanding such perplexing events, many have seen those who join cults as needy, lost souls, unable to think for themselves. This book, a compelling look at the cult phenomenon written for a wide audience, dispels such simple formulations by explaining how normal, intelligent people can give up years of their livesand sometimes their very livesto groups and beliefs that appear bizarre and irrational. Looking closely at Heaven's Gate and at the Democratic Workers Party, a radical political group of the 1970s and 1980s, Janja Lalich gives us a rare insider's look at these two cults and advances a new theoretical framework that will reshape our understanding of those who join such groups. Lalich's fascinating discussion includes her in-depth interviews with cult devotees as well as reflections gained from her o

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Book SynopsisMaimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed addressed Jews of his day who felt challenged by apparent contradictions between Torah and science. We Are Not Alone: A Maimonidean Theology of the Other uses Maimonides’ writings to address Jews of today who are perplexed by apparent contradictions between the morality of the Torah and their conviction that all human beings are created in the image of God and are the object of divine concern, that other religions have value, that genocide is never justified, and that slavery is evil. Individuals who choose to emphasize the moral and universalist elements of Jewish tradition can often find support in positions explicitly held by Maimonides or implied by his teachings. We Are Not Alone offers an ethical and universalist vision of traditionalist Judaism.Table of ContentsTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Jewish Voices Rejected; A Jewish Voice Affirmed2. We Are Not Alone3. Election/Chosen People4. The Convert as the Most Jewish of Jews5. Aher—then, Now, and in the Future: Othering the Other in Judaism6. Tolerance7. ChristianityConclusionBibliography

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Book SynopsisCharlotte Rodgers is a non denominational magickal practitioner and an animist, and this is the story of her work with blood. It chronicles her use of road kill and blood in art, ritualised scarification and tattoo work, and the use of venous and menstrual blood in magick. Also included are Charlotte''s interviews with tattoo artists; priests from belief systems which utilise blood sacrifice; artists who use their own HIV positive blood as a medium; and those who use mortifications and body modification to effect changes in consciousness and self. All here share a common bond of talent combined with an ability to articulate their beliefs. For example Louis Martinie, a priest in the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple. Martinie has integrated his Tibetan Buddhist beliefs into his Voodoo practice and in doing so shows how personal spiritual evolution can effect change within a syncretic religion. As a blood related illness affected various parts of Charlotte''s life, she was given a chance to explore blood ritual in a very different way. Documenting this part of her journey gives an understanding of AIDS, HIV and HCV, and its effect on spirituality and contemporary blood rites.Blood Ritual, with all its history, baggage and dangers holds a power to create change. Whether this power is held within blood and how much impact is created merely by our perception is for the reader to decide. This is an honest, modern and thought provoking personal insight into an ancient aspect of our spirituality and creativity.

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Book SynopsisCarrying only basic camping equipment and a collection of the world''s great spiritual writings, Belden C. Lane embarks on solitary spiritual treks through the Ozarks and across the American Southwest. For companions, he has only such teachers as Rumi, John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingen, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Thomas Merton, and as he walks, he engages their writings with the natural wonders he encounters--Bell Mountain Wilderness with Søren Kierkegaard, Moonshine Hollow with Thich Nhat Hanh--demonstrating how being alone in the wild opens a rare view onto one''s interior landscape, and how the saints'' writings reveal the divine in nature. The discipline of backpacking, Lane shows, is a metaphor for a spiritual journey. Just as the trail offered revelations to the early Desert Christians, backpacking hones crucial spiritual skills: paying attention, traveling light, practicing silence, and exercising wonder. Lane engages the practice not only with a wide range of spiritual writings--Celtic, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi Muslim--but with the fascination of other lovers of the backcountry, from John Muir and Ed Abbey to Bill Plotkin and Cheryl Strayed. In this intimate and down-to-earth narrative, backpacking is shown to be a spiritual practice that allows the discovery of God amidst the beauty and unexpected terrors of nature. Adoration, Lane suggests, is the most appropriate human response to what we cannot explain, but have nonetheless learned to love. Backpacking with the Saints is an enchanting exploration of how solitude, simplicity, and mindfulness are illuminated and encouraged by the discipline of backcountry wandering, and of how the wilderness itself becomes a way of knowing--an ecology of the soul.Trade ReviewIf you are feeling brave, if you are in need of something radically new, if your search for God sometimes feels halfhearted, you should read Belden Lane. If possible, try reading it outside Lane describes, better than anyone, how it is landscape (more than language) that really changes us. * Methodist Recorder, Tim Baker *This remarkable book is an invitation to take both an inner and an outer journey into intensity and immensity at the same time. * Network Review, David Lorimer *get out there and find a bit of wilderness for yourself * Northern Echo, Steve Craggs *Belden C. Lane has written a lovely book that seamlessly brings together two rich genres: travel narrative and spiritual memoir. The notion of a spiritual journey, of course, is central to almost every religious tradition, but the author enlivens that tradition as he shares personal and heartfelt stories about his own peregrinations and muses on topics as varied as solitude, ecology, backpacking, beauty, and prayer; and on people as varied as St. Therese of Lisieux, Dag Hammarskjold, John Muir, and Bruce Springsteen. A thoroughly delightful book. * James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage *If the earlier centuries of Christianity had been as honest, emotionally descriptive, and spiritually helpful as Belden Lane is here, we would have a very different notion of religion today. Such wisdom as this will literally 'save the soul' of many a spiritual seeker. * Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Founder, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico *The only problem with this remarkable book is that it cannot be read rightly from a comfortable chair. As Lane and the rest of the saints in these pages insist, what the soul most needs is not found in safe places but in wild ones, where the dangers are as real as the courage they call forth. So find a high rock, a far hill, or a patch of desert that scares you a little and let this book persuade you that you are exactly where you need to be. * Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Learning to Walk in the Dark *The carefully balanced writing about landscape, physical demands, spiritual awakening and literary companionship allows the reader to see, feel, and join in the meditation. * Booklist *Lane's work blends genres, combining the literature of the outdoors with the formal literature of the spiritual as he reviews the work of the world's prominent religious and spiritual writers and ties their insights to the features and experiences of exploring the natural world. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Prologue ; Part I: The Power of Wilderness and the Reading of Dangerous Texts ; Chapter 1: The Allure of the Wild: Backpacking as Spiritual Practice ; Chapter 2: The Risk-Taking Character of Wilderness Reading ; Part II: The Pattern of Wilderness Spirituality ; First Leg: Departure (Leaving the Trailhead) ; Chapter 3: Venturing Out: The Irish Wilderness and Columba of Iona ; Chapter 4: Disillusionment: Laramie Peak and Therese of Lisieux ; Chapter 5: Desire: Rockpile Mountain Wilderness and Thomas Traherne ; Second Leg: Discipline (The Practice of the Wild) ; Chapter 6: Solitude: Bell Mountain Wilderness and Soren Kierkegaard ; Chapter 7: Traveling Light: Gunstock Hollow and Dag Hammarskjold ; Chapter 8: Mindfulness: Moonshine Hollow and Thich Nhat Hanh ; Third Leg: Descent (When the Trail Gets Rough) ; Chapter 9: Fear: The Maze in Canyonlands and John of the Cross ; Chapter 10: Failure: Mount Whitney and Martin Luther ; Chapter 11: Dying: Mudlick Mountain Trail and the Cloud Author ; Fourth Leg: Delight (Returning Home with Gifts) ; Chapter 12: Discernment: Taum Sauk Mountain and Jelaluddin Rumi ; Chapter 13: Community: Lower Rock Creek and Teilhard de Chardin ; Chapter 14: Justice: The Meramec River at Times Beach and Mohandas Gandhi ; Chapter 15: Holy Folly: Aravaipa Canyon and Thomas Merton ; Epilogue ; Appendix: The Meanings of Wilderness ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1913, just before the outbreak of the First World War, a 19-year-old Czech Jew named Jiri Langer left his assimilated family to live in the remote village of Belz, Galicia (now Ukraine). He had gone to live under the Chassidic (or Hasidic) Rokeach dynasty, a line of Rabbis that survives to this day. Nine Gates is the record of Langer''s time amongst these isolated Chassidic mystics of Eastern Galicia, and a window into their world. Langer tells of their enthusiasm, their simple faith, their ecstasies, their austerities, their feasts, their wonder-working Holy Rabbis and their esoteric wisdom. Most of all, he recounts a collection of shrewd and earthy folk tales told by the holy men who ruled these little spiritual kingdoms for generation after generation.Over 80 years since its original publication in Czech, this translation by Stephen Jolly remains the definitive English version of this towering work of Jewish introspection. Nine Gates is a document from another time and place, andTrade Review'Lo! As he reached the roof, an unknown hand gave him a light' Nine Gates is not primarily for those whose approach to Hasidism is detached and analytical, although it would even be interesting to them. It is a book for the reader who wants to breathe Hasidic air. . . . Like the Rebbe Reb Shmelke, the reader of the Nine Gates is given the light without realizing from whence it comes. Isaac Bashevis SingerTable of ContentsForeword by Frantisek Langer Introduction - A Youth from Prague among the Chassidim Gate I - Of diamonds in the Lord's crown the costliest, the holy Reb Sholem of Belz Gate II - Child of God, our dearest, the holy Mayerl of Przemysl Gate III - Heart of our mirth, the holy Reb Naftali of Ropshitz Gate IV - Blazing lion of the heavenly Academy, the holy Reb Urele of Strelisk (also the holy Reb Jude Hersch of Stretena) Gate V - Two golden trambones in the angelic choir, the holy Rebe Reb Meshulem Sussya of Anipol and the holy Rebe Reb Melech of Lizensk Gate VI - Mystic twain, the holy Rebe Reb Schmelke of Mikulov and the holy Rebe Reb Pinchas of Frankfurt Gate VII - Three tall tamarisks in the broad plain, the holy Yismach Moyshe of Ihel - the holy Ohev Yisroel of Apta - and the Saint of Kalev Gate VIII - Mystic shining mirror, the holy Reb Jacob Yitzhak, the Seer of Lublin (also the holy Dyvre Chayyim of Sanz) Gate IX - Most secret brain of Greatness and Wisdom, the holy Reb Pinchas of Koritz (ah! the saints at Slavuta) The City of Wisdom - Gold and silver and pearls and all the precious stones of Kotsk - or the holy Reb Moyshe Yide Lieb of Sassov - Reb Simche Binem of Pzhysha - the Holy Jew - Mendele of Kotsk - and the wise Rim of Gora Kalwariye

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Book SynopsisOffers everything you need to celebrate Mabon, including hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, rituals, and more!

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Book Synopsis4th edition of the successful New Lion Handbook: the World's Religions, updated, redesigned, with new textbook focused questions and bibliography.Trade Review“Positive, thoughtful, and sympathetic treatment of a very wide range of faiths.” * Religious Education Press *“A moving and illuminating book. I am aware of nothing on the market remotely comparable in scope, balance, readability, and sensitivity.” * The Church Times *“A sumptuous handbook. Profusely illustrated in full colour . . . a guide to the past and present faiths of the world.” * Times Educational Supplement *Table of ContentsContentsContributors 9Preface to the Third Edition 12Preface to the Fourth Edition 14List of maps 15List of Time Charts 15List of Festival charts 16List of photographs 16Part 1 Understanding Religion 191 What is Religion? 202 Phenomenology and the Study of Religion 233 The Anthropology of Religion 28Myths and Symbols 304 The Sociology of Religion 335 The Psychology of Religion 376 Theological Approaches to the Study of Religion 407 Critical Theory and Religion 438 Ritual and Performance 47Timeline of World Religions 50Map: The World’s Religions 52Part 2 Religions of Antiquity 559 Religion Before History 56Holy Places, Sacred Calendars 6610 Land of the Aztecs and Incas 6811 The Ancient Near East: Cradle of Civilization 7412 Ancient Egypt: Land of the Priest-King 84Egyptian Temples: Houses of Power 8813 Zoroastrianism: A Historical Overview 9214 Zoroastrian Beliefs 97Fire Temples 10015 The Ancient Religions of Greece and Rome 10116 The Religion of the Celts 11717 The Religions of Scandinavia: The Norse Gods 12018 Nomads of the Steppes 1246 contentsPart 3 Indigenous Religions 12919 Understanding Indigenous Religions 13020 Indigenous Religions in Asia 13421 The Foe of Papua New Guinea 13822 Australian Aboriginal Religions 14023 Melanesia 14324 South American Indigenous Religions 14525 Native North Americans 15026 Inuit 15327 Norse Shamanism 15528 African Indigenous Religions 15729 The Bangwa 16130 The Zulu 162Part 4 Hinduism 16631 A Historical Overview 16832 Philosophy 17533 Sacred Writings 17834 Beliefs 18135 Worship and Festivals 18736 Family and Society 192I am a Hindu 19437 Hinduism in the Modern World 196Part 5 Buddhism 20138 A Historical Overview 20339 Sacred Writings 21040 Beliefs 21541 Family and Society 221The Cao Dai and the Hoa Hao 224I am a Buddhist 22642 Buddhism in the Modern World 228Part 6 Jainism 23543 A Historical Overview 236Leaders and Enlightenment 24044 Sacred Writings 24245 Beliefs 24546 Family and Society 24947 Worship and Festivals 252 introduction to World Religions 7The puja of eight substances 254I am a Jain 25648 Jainism in the Modern World 258Modern Jain leaders 258Part 7 Chinese Religions 26149 Chinese Religions: Sages and Immortals 26150 Christianity in Contemporary China 273The Worship of Ancestors 274Part 8 Korean and Japanese Religions 27951 Sinkyo: Korea’s Traditional Religion 28052 Japanese Religions: A Tapestry of Traditions 283Part 9 Judaism 29553 A Historical Overview 296The Thirteen Principles of the Faith 304The Kabbalah 30654 Sacred Writings 309Divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures 31255 Beliefs 313The Covenant 31856 Family and Society 32057 Worship and Festivals 325Seder meal 326I am a Jew 33058 The Holocaust 33259 Branches of Judaism 33460 Judaism in the Modern World 338Jewish population figures by continent in 2004 340Part 10 Christianity 34361 A Historical Overview 34462 Jesus 351Branches of the Church 35863 Sacred Writings 36364 Beliefs 36565 Worship and Festivals 371I am a Christian 37666 Family and Society 37867 Contemporary Christianity 3808 contentsPART 11 Islam 38768 A Historical Overview 38869 The Unity and Variety of Islam 39770 Sacred Writings 40171 Beliefs 40472 Worship and Festivals 40973 The Law of Islam 41574 Science, Art, and Culture 41875 Family and Society 420I am a Muslim 42276 Islam in the Modern World 424Part 12 Sikhism 42977 A Historical Overview 430The Ten Gurus 432The Khalsa 43478 Sacred Writings 43679 Beliefs 438The Mul Mantra 44080 Worship and Festivals 442The Golden Temple 444Guru Hargobind’s release 44681 Family and Society 447I am a Sikh 44982 Sikhism Today 451Part 13 Religions in Today’s World 45783 From Existentialism to Postmodernism 45884 New Religious Movements 46385 The Bahá’í Faith 46886 Secularization and Sacralization 471Church attendance in England 473I am a Rastafarian 47487 Religion and Globalization 476World Religions Today 478I am a Spiritual Seeker 48088 Religion and Politics 482Part 14 Rapid Fact-Finder 487Index 529

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Book SynopsisAn accessible non-fiction book introducing world religions and worldviews. Part of the accessible and informative Keywords series.Trade Review"Attractive RE non-fiction resources ideal for any school or class library. Teachers and children alike will love to delve into the beautiful content and there is certainly so much information included." -- Saima Saleh (Teacher and NATRE Exec and Local Groups officer)Table of ContentsCONTENTSWhat are religions and worldviews?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What is Judaism?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6What do Jews believe?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8How do Jews live?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10What is Christianity?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12What do Christians believe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14How do Christians live?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16What is Islam?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18What do Muslims believe?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20How do Muslims live?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22What is Hinduism?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24How do Hindus worship? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26How do Hindus live?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28What is Buddhism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30What do Buddhists believe?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32How do Buddhists live?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34What is Sikhism?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36What do Sikhs believe?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38How do Sikhs live? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40What are other worldviews?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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Book SynopsisWhat the Qur'an teaches about Christ, salvation, the Trinity, and other important topics, and how it differs from the key teachings of the Bible.

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Book SynopsisTHE WAY OF MARY, MARYAM, BELOVED OF GOD is a weaving of strands from ancient sources, traditional stories, poetry, prayers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and beyond (with full colour illustrations), to reveal, through the illuminated being and twelve life stations of Beloved Mary, the palpable Oneness of all Creation, our Oneness in Spirit.Trade Review"Revered across the family of Abraham and Sarah, adored as Miriam, Mary, Maryam, Madre Maria, there is no other single figure who so universally serves to lift up the weary heart of the world, blessing us with lovingkindness and infusing us with hope. With her signature blend of sublime wisdom and grounded scholarship, beloved Sufi teacher Camille Helminski offers a penetrating and life-giving transmission of Maryam as guide to the awakening of the soul, during a time when we need her most." ~ Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love and Wild Mercy ; "I have read numerous books on the Holy Mother in Her many guises: Kali, Chochma, Sarada Devi, Shechinah, Avalokiteshvara, and of course Mary, but none was as striking, profound, and potentially heart-transforming as Camille Helminski’s The Way of Mary. This book, steeped in wisdom, is a book to be savored. I cannot recommend it more highly." ~ Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature ; "What beautiful blessedness: the wise and gentle heart of Mary mirrored in the wise and gentle heart of Camille Helminski." ~ The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Wisdom Jesus and The Meaning of Mary Magdalene ; "I would like to thank Camille Hanim for bringing us Hazreti Meryem’s fragrance full of patience, compassion, mercy, and knowing. Camille Hanim has done a great service to humanity by writing this book—the fact that she quotes from the Bible, the Quran and the Masnavi is very important in terms of realizing that all paths lead to the One. Even though the paths are different, the destination is the same." ~ Esin Celebi Bayru, 22nd generation granddaughter of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi; Vice President, International Mevlana Foundation ; "Camille Helminski’s The Way of Mary is a lovely and welcome addition to the deep dialogue of the spirit shared between Muslims and Christians. The Qur’an uses the exact same verb to talk about Mary being “chosen and purified” as that of the most common honorific for the Prophet Muhammad, Mustapha. Indeed, one could say that there is a close association between Mary and Muhammad, in that the former receives God’s Word (Jesus) into her pure womb, and the latter God’s Word (the Qur’an) into his luminous heart. Deeply rooted in the Qur’an and the Sufi tradition, The Way of Mary is a beautiful way of accessing the rich waters of life that are shared across our tradition, and is highly recommended to all spiritual seekers." ~ Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University; Founder, Illuminated Courses and Tours ; "This priceless book is a treasure trove of precious insights, heartfelt poetry, sacred verses and meticulous scholarship. These elements exquisitely woven into twelve chapters uniquely and profoundly enrich our mind, purify our heart and exalt our soul. Our beings feel deeply grateful to be graced and blessed by beauty and a rare taste of the sacred." ~ Imam Jamal Rahman, Interfaith Community SanctuaryTable of ContentsAuthor’s Preface | Introduction: Twelve Stars of Blessing | I. The Gift of the Conception of Mary to Anna, She Who Had Been Barren | II. Within the Sanctuary | III. Annunciation of the Word | IV. Magnifi cat, Mary’s Song of Praise | V. Birthing Jesus | VI. Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple: Forty Days of Love | VII. Journey to Egypt | VIII. Losing and Finding Jesus: Calling the Beloved | IX. Miracles of Nourishment and New Life | X. The Gathering to God: Death and Resurrection | XI. Teaching Journeys | XII. Tranquility of Spirit | Rose Prayers | Antiphon | Appendix I: Songs of Love | Appendix II: Extended Context Notes | Illustrations | Selected Bibliography | Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisAs an atheistic religious tradition, Buddhism conventionally stands in opposition to Christianity, and any bridge between them is considered to be riddled with contradictory beliefs on God the creator, salvific power and the afterlife. But what if a Buddhist could also be a Classical Theist?Showing how the various contradictions are not as fundamental as commonly thought, Tyler Dalton McNabb and Erik Baldwin challenge existing assumptions and argue that Classical Theism is, in fact, compatible with Buddhism. They draw parallels between the metaphysical doctrines of both traditions, synthesize their ethical and soteriological commitments and demonstrate that the Theist can interpret the Buddhist's religious experiences, specifically those of emptiness, as veridical, without denying any core doctrine of Classical Theism. By establishing that a synthesis of the two traditions is plausible, this book provides a bold, fresh perspective on the philosophy of religion and reinvigorates philosoTrade ReviewClassical Theism and Buddhism is a refreshingly generous and well-defended counterpoint to all those who fashionably maintain the incommensurability of Buddhism-Christianity and East-West. * Kelly James Clark, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Ibn Haldun University, Turkey *A timely contribution to cross cultural philosophy of religion, combining rigour and philosophical imagination to open a door between Buddhism and Classical Theism. * Victoria S. Harrison, Professor of Philosophy, University of Macau, China *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Can a Buddhist be a Classical Theist? 2. Buddhist Objections to Classical Theism 3. Contemporary Objections to Classical Theism 4. Buddhist Ethics and Theistic Ethics: A Synthesis 5. Buddhist Soteriology and the God of Abraham 6. Pluralism Part 1 7. Pluralism Part 2 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTHE RELIGION TOOLKIT A comprehensive survey of the study of religion worldwide, from ancient indigenous traditions to today's religious nationalism. This is an excellent book that is a good, comprehensive overview of the history of religions and the ways of studying religion within Religious Studies it really brings religions to life for the reader. Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion, Oxford University The authors provide a clear, first-rate introduction to the study of religions, origins, leading scholars and their theories and beliefs. This is by far the best introductory volume I am aware of both in terms of substance, clarity, and insights. John L. Esposito, Distinguished University Professor, Georgetown University, and Past President of the American Academy of Religion The Religion Toolkit: Understanding Religion in the World Today is a clear and comprehensive introduction to the academic study of religions, providing readers an introduction to the

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