Comparative religion Books

Book SynopsisIn this thoroughly revised and updated edition, leading religion and Middle East expert Charles Kimball shows how all religious traditions are susceptible to these basic corruptions and why only authentic faith can prevent such evil.The Five Warning Signs of Corruption in Religion1. Absolute Truth Claims2. Blind Obedience3. Establishing the Ideal Time4. The End Justifies Any Means5. Declaring Holy War

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Book SynopsisThis book draws together authors respected in six traditions to explore in parallel the ethical foundations for Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. Each section introduces a different religion and asks specific, topical questions, set in a wider context.Table of ContentsHinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Introduction Acknowledgements A Note on Transliteration and Pronunciation SECTION A: HINDUISM Werner Menski 1. RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND AUTHORITY On Being a Hindu stic Violence 9. GLOBAL ISSUES Responses to Word Poverty F: ISLAM Azim Nanji 1. RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND AUTHORITY On Being a Muslim

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Book SynopsisThis distinctive comparison of Islamic and Christian mysticism focuses on the mystic journey in the two faith traditions.Trade ReviewThis innovative book explores the ways of self-abandonment and union with the Divine. It compares the perceptions of renowned Christian and Muslim mystics, relating their self-abnegating insights through common motifs, and repeatedly returning to the mysterious Qur'anic figure of al-Khi?r and the colour green he embodies. It challenges the boundaries of single religious traditions, and with striking originality it discloses the quest for union with God as the basis and climax of the highest human endeavour. -- Professor David Thomas, the University of Birmingham This innovative book explores the ways of self-abandonment and union with the Divine. It compares the perceptions of renowned Christian and Muslim mystics, relating their self-abnegating insights through common motifs, and repeatedly returning to the mysterious Qur'anic figure of al-Khi?r and the colour green he embodies. It challenges the boundaries of single religious traditions, and with striking originality it discloses the quest for union with God as the basis and climax of the highest human endeavour.Table of Contents1. Exploring the Mystical Imagination: Perfection and its Quinque Viae; 2. Caves, Clouds and Mountains: The Apophatic Tradition; 3. The Mystic Telos: The Cataphatic Tradition.

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Book SynopsisThis new and dynamic approach to the perennially fascinating subject of miracles adopts a strictly anthropological and phenomenological approach. Allowing the miracles to speak for themselves, Ian Richard Netton examines these phenomena in the Islamic and Christian traditions through the lens of narration.

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Book SynopsisUnder the rubric of ''Religions of the East'', which includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Janiism and a myriad of Chinese religio-philosophies, are a vast range of views concerning human sexuality. These contrasting attitudes are mapped through this volume on Religions of the East in The Library of Essays on Sexuality and Religion series. Part 1 presents previously-published articles that explore several Eastern Religions in the way they construct sexuality through expressions of their pertinent holy writings and belief systems, as applied in differing historical and cultural contexts. Part 2 takes sexual renunciation and asceticism as its focus through the traditions of Hinduism, Jainism and the Chinese religious systems. Part 3 explores the connection between sexuality, gender and sexuality in Hindu and Buddhist customs in varied social settings. The final part of the volume includes articles examining Eastern religions in their attitudes towards sexual ''variants'' including bi-sexTrade Review'This book captures historical diversity as well as contemporary dilemmas...an epic book covering the issue of sexuality principally in relation to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.' Religion and Human Rights JournalTable of ContentsContents: Introduction; Part I Sexuality and Cultural Expression: Concerning kamasutras: challenging narratives of history and sexuality, Jyoti Puri; The cult of the Earth Goddess among the Magar of Nepal, Marie Lecomte-Tilouine; Women in Honglou meng: prescriptions of purity in the femininity of Qing dynasty China, Louise Edwards; Contemporary Theravada and Zen Buddhist attitudes to human sexuality: an exercise in comparative ethics, Michel Clasquin-Johnson; Sexuality; the Chinese and the Judeo-Christian traditions in Hong Kong, Adolf K.T. Tsang. Part II Renunciation and Asceticism: Singing the glory of asceticism in Jainism, John E. Cort; ’Asceticism and sexuality in the mythology of Siva. Part II, Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty; Temple girls of medieval Karnataka, Aloka Parasher and Usha Naik; Kumari or 'virgin' worship in Kathmandu valley, M.R. Allen; Social consequences of marrying Visnu Narayana: primary marriage among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley, Anne Vergati. Part III Eastern Religion: Sexuality, Gender and Patriarchy: 'Abductions' and the constellation of a Hindu communal bloc in Bengal of the 1920s, P.K. Dutta; Women, sexuality and enlightenment: ’Kankyo no Tomo’, Rajyashree Pandey; Re-Imagining the divine in Sikhism, Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh; The power to pollute and the power to preserve: perceptions of female power in a Hindu village, Catherine Thompson; Lustful women, elusive lovers: identifying males as objects of female desire, Prem Chowdhry. Part IV Eastern Religion: Sexual Variants: Not this, not that: the hijras of India and the cultural politics of sexuality, Vinay Lal; Like a city ablaze: the 3rd sex and the creation of sexuality in Jain religious literature, Leonard Zwilling and Michael J. Sweet; A comparative analysis of hijras and drag queens: the subversive possibilities and limits of parading effeminacy and negotiating masculinity, Sandeep Bakshi; Transsexualism, gender, and anxiety in traditional India, Robert P. Goldman; Ambiguous s

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Book SynopsisThis volume on Indigenous Religions in The Library of Essays on Sexuality and Religion series focuses on indigenous religions and their attitudes towards human sexuality. Through previously-published articles the volume gives full scope to attitudes towards sexuality found in a vast range of contrasting expressions of religiosity outside of the so-called ''World Faiths''. Examples are taken from cultures as far afield as Africa, Australasia, South America and the Pacific islands. Part 1 includes a number of articles centring on the role of sexuality in rites of passage and initiation in relation to liminality, maturity and reproduction. Part 2 examines the relationship between sexuality, spirit possession and witchcraft. Part 3 includes such areas as religion, gender, patriarchy and both hetero-sexualality and non-heterosexuality. The final part considers sexuality and indigenous religions in a changing and globalised world and entails the themes of sexuality as expressed through ''carTrade Review'...an insightful inclusion to the collection, moving away from dominant world religions to an exploration of religious practices and spiritualities that encompass ancient traditions.' Religion and Human Rights Journal ’...a fascinating insight into both the origins of early religious traditions and sexuality, and into the modern world of religion and sex. Hunt has accomplished a feat at collecting a rich and varied selection of essays and articles that create a thorough, well-developed three-dimensional context within which sex, religion and society intersect. These works are valuable tools to consider these intersections, the lives of both modern and historical humankind.’ Sexuality & CultureTable of ContentsContents: Introduction; Part I Rites of Passage and Sexuality: The timing and role of initiation rites in preparing young people for adolescence and responsible sexual and reproductive behaviour in Malawi, Alister C. Munthali and Eliya M. Zulu; Coming of age in Samoa and Nebraska, David Weisberg; Learning the facts of life: past and present experiences in a rural Tanzanian community, Denise Roth Allen; Growing yams and men: an interpretation of Kiman male ritualized homosexual behaviour, J. Patrick Gray; Liminal meanings: sexually charged Giriama funerary ritual and unsettled participant frameworks, Janet McIntosh. Part II Spiritual Possession, Witchcraft and Sexuality: Perversion of power, witchcraft and the sexuality of evil in the South African lowveld, Isak Niehaus; Witchcraft and the exchange of sex, blood, and money among Africans in Cape Town, South Africa, Erik Bähre; 'Broken calabashes and covenants of fruitfulness': cursing barrenness in contemporary African Christianity, J.Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu; Male homosexuality and spirit possession in Brazil, Peter Fry; Women heal women: spirit possession and sexual segregation in a Muslim society, Pamela Constantinides. Part III Gender and Sexuality: Manhood, warriorhood and sex in Eastern Africa: perspectives from the 19th and 20th centuries, Dent Ocaya-Lakidi; Sex, food and female power: discussion of data material from Northern Mozambique, Signe Arnfred; Heteronormativity and the deflection of male same-sex attraction among the Pitjantjatjara people of Australia's Western Desert, Jon Willis; Sexuality and gender in certain Native American tribes: the case of cross-gender females, Evelyn Blackwood; Queer Nahuatl: Sahagún's faggots and sodomites, lesbians and hermaphrodites, Peter Sigal. Part IV Social Transformations and Sexuality: Sexuality and cargo cults: the politics of gender and procreation in West New Britain, Andrew Lattas; Myth, pilgrimage and fascination in the Aiyappa cult. A view from field work in Ta

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Book SynopsisThis accessible guide to the development of Japan's indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami worship, and their role in Shinto's enduring religious identity.Trade Review“It is a measure of the book’s achievement that it has managed to introduce such scholarly notions in a way that is at once accessible and instructive. Even those skeptical about its claims would have to admit the solidity of the research, and the book renders valuable service by opening up debate about Shinto’s origins to a general readership. Its influence is likely to be long lasting.” (Japan Review, 2012) "Breen and Teeuwen offer a postmodern, historical exposition of Shinto. In addition to independent research, they draw on a wide field of contemporary Japanese Shinto studies . . . The book is thus not only a result of solid academic work-it is also an ambitious political assessment." (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 2010) "But for anyone interested in Shinto studies, religion and nationalism, and the contested and ever-changing nature of religious traditions, this is an essential read." (Religious Studies Review, 1 March 2011) "Written by two scholars at the forefront of the study of Japanese religions, this book offers much more than a ‘brief history’. It is in fact a very bold and lucid attempt to redraw the parameters that govern our understanding of that elusive body of thought and practice we call Shinto … This book will surprise and on occasion shock; it will surely be required reading for all those interested in Japan and the Japanese." --Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies, University of Cambridge Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vi Conventions and Abbreviations Used in the Text vii Prologue ix 1 An Alternative Approach to the History of Shinto 1 2 Kami Shrines, Myths, and Rituals in Premodern Times 24 3 The History of a Shrine: Hie 66 4 The History of a Myth: The Sun-Goddess and the Rock-Cave 129 5 The Daijo-sai: A "Shinto" Rite of Imperial Accession 168 6 Issues in Contemporary Shinto 199 Conclusion 221 Notes 229 References 242 Index 253

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Book SynopsisMore than just a straight audiobook, this pack offers a unique introduction to the world of philosophy. In a series of structured discussions our panel of four leading experts will guide you through all the key areas of interest including the concept of the divine in different faiths, what it means to live a religious life and the question of what happens after we die. Whether you are a complete beginner or a student wanting a convenient way to recap before your exams they are guaranteed to hold your attention as they explore the ways that religion have shaped our world today. Ideal for downloading onto an ipod or mp3 player, and with a booklet to help you recap on key ideas and specialist phrases, Religion for the Curious means you can learn wherever and however you want.Table of Contents : Introduction : What is Religion? : God, Scripture, and Revelation : Mysticism : Creation and End Times : Evil, Sin, and Redemption : Death, Judgment and the Afterlife : Ethics and the Religious Life : Ritual : Mission and Conversion

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Book Synopsis Over the past decade the Religion vs. Atheism debate has generated a lot more heat than light. With passionate advocates on both sides, it is possible we have lost sight of the real people and problems behind the controversies and conflicts.Where does the truth lie?In Faitheism Krish Kandiah asks us to take a long hard look at ourselves - and a more understanding look at each other. Written for both committed Christians and committed Atheists and everyone in between, this accessible and practical book can help all of us find a way to talk about the things that really matter to us in ways that encourage empathy, mutual understanding and respect and yet that don''t shy away from tackling the hard topics. The ideas in this book can transform our relationships, our workplaces and our nation as it lays down a path for a genuinely more inclusive, hospitable and understanding society. Krish contends that whether yoTrade ReviewPraise for GOD IS STRANGER: Beautifully written and profoundly challenging... you will be grateful for this book. - Preach magazinePraise for GOD IS STRANGER: Utterly compelling - Together Magazine

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Book Synopsis Over the past decade the Religion vs. Atheism debate has generated a lot more heat than light. With passionate advocates on both sides, it is possible we have lost sight of the real people and problems behind the controversies and conflicts.Where does the truth lie?In Faitheism Krish Kandiah asks us to take a long hard look at ourselves - and a more understanding look at each other. Written for both committed Christians and committed Atheists and everyone in between, this accessible and practical book can help all of us find a way to talk about the things that really matter to us in ways that encourage empathy, mutual understanding and respect and yet that don''t shy away from tackling the hard topics. The ideas in this book can transform our relationships, our workplaces and our nation as it lays down a path for a genuinely more inclusive, hospitable and understanding society. Krish contends that whether you are a Christian, anTrade ReviewPraise for GOD IS STRANGER: Beautifully written and profoundly challenging... you will be grateful for this book. - Preach magazinePraise for GOD IS STRANGER: Utterly compelling - Together Magazine

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Book SynopsisTorstein Try is Associate Professor at Ansgar University College in Norway specializing in interreligious and intercultural studies.

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Book SynopsisBarely a century has passed since anime (Japanese animation) was first screened to a Western audience. Over time the number of anime genres and generic hybrids have significantly grown. These have been influenced and inspired by various historical and cultural phenomena, one of which -Japanese native religion and spirituality - this book argues is an important and dominant. There have always been anime lovers in the West, but today that number is growing exponentially. This is intriguing as many Japanese anime directors and studios initially created works that were not aimed at a Western audience at all. The mutual imbrication of the profane and sacred worlds in anime, along with the profound reciprocal relationship between 'Eastern' (Japanese) and 'Western' (chiefly American) culture in the development of the anime artistic form, form the twin narrative arcs of the book. One of the most significant contributions of this book is the analysis of the employment of spiritual and religious motifs by directors. The reception of this content by fans is also examined.The appeal of anime to aficionados is, broadly speaking, the appeal of the spiritual in a post-religious world, in which personal identity and meaning in life may be crafted from popular cultural texts which offer an immersive and enchanting experience that, for many in the modern world, is more thrilling and authentic than 'real life'. In the past, religions posited that after human existence on earth had ceased, the individual soul would be reincarnated again, or perhaps reside in heaven. In the early twenty-first century, spiritual seekers still desire a life beyond that of everyday reality, and just as passionately believe in the existence of other worlds and the afterlife. However, the other worlds are the fantasy landscapes and outer space settings of anime (and other popular cultural forms), and the afterlife the digital circuitry and electronic impulses of the Internet. These important new understandings of religion and the spiritual underpin anime's status as a major site of new religious and spiritual inspiration in the West, and indeed, the world.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Japanese Modernity and the Manga and Anime Art Forms Chapter 2 The New Life of Old Beliefs: Religious and Spiritual Concepts in Anime Chapter 3 From Realistic to Supernatural: Genres in Anime Chapter 4 Power Within: The Fan's Embrace of Profane and Sacred Worlds in Anime Conclusion

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Book SynopsisPlant life has figured prominently in Indian culture. Archaeobotanical findings and Vedic texts confirm that plants have been central not only as a commodity (sources of food; materia medica; sacrificial matter; etc.) but also as powerful and enduring symbols. Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion. Plant Life in South Asian Traditions explores how herbs, trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables have been studied, classified, represented and discussed in a variety of Indian traditions such as Vedism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, indigenous cultures and Islam. Moving from an analysis of the sentience of plants in early Indian philosophies and scientific literature, the various chapters, divided in four thematic sections, explore Indian flora within devotional and mystic literature (bhakti and Sufism), mythological, ritual and sacrificial culture, folklore, medicine, perfumery, botany, floriculture and agriculture. Arboreal and floral motifs are also discussed as an expression of Indian aesthetics since early coinage to figurative arts and literary figures.Finally, the volume reflects current discourses on environmentalism and ecology as well as on the place of indigenous flora as part of an ancient yet still very much alive sacred geography.

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Book SynopsisThe sky forms fifty percent of our visual world and has a voice across cultures. This complex sky-voice contains great diversity and is informed by human images, dreams, and aspirations. The inherent nature of this sky-voice is transmitted from one generation to another through text, image, oral tradition, physical mapping, and painted description. This volume is written by some of the most noted scholars in their fields of British history, history of art, social anthropology, Greek horoscopes and narratology, globe cartography, comets and Irish mythology, western astronomy, Australian aboriginal sky astronomy and mythology, and cultural astronomy and astrology. These scholars acknowledge the presence of such a voice, in the sky's movement mirrored in the archoeastronomy of British prehistory, the apocalyptic myths of comets and meteors, the sky cartography reflected in European globes and frescoes, the Australian aboriginal sky myths, the issue of disappearing dark skies, and in contemporary reflections on the sky. It recognises that sky imagery has persisted in similar forms since its potential roots in the Palaeolithic period.These eleven essays offer critical engagement in understanding the sky in human imagination and culture and contribute to the new fields of cultural astronomy and skyscapes, the role and importance of the sky in the interpretation of cultures, emerging within the academy.Table of Contents1. Introduction Darrelyn Gunzburg (University of Bristol, UK and University of Wales Trinity Saint David) 2. 'The Strange History of British Archaeoastronomy' Ronald Hutton (University of Bristol, UK) 3. 'Comets And Meteors: The Ignored Explanations For Myths And Apocalypse'Patrick McCafferty (Universitat Leipzig / Philologische Fakultat, Leipzig)4. 'Imagery and Narrative in an Ancient Horoscope: P.Lond. 130 (Greek Horoscopes No. 81)' Roger Beck (Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada) 5. 'Reflections on the Farnese Atlas: exploring the scientific, literary and pictorial antecedents of the constellations on a Graeco-Roman globe' Kristen Lippincott (The Exhibitions Team, UK) 6. 'Giotto's sky: the fresco paintings of the first floor Salone of the Palazzo della Ragione, Padua, Italy'Darrelyn Gunzburg (University of Bristol, UK and University of Wales Trinity Saint David) 7. 'Astrology as Sociology: The 'Children of Planets', 1400-1600'Geoffrey Shamos (Redline, Denver, CO, USA)8. 'Mapping the Heavens: The Ceiling of the Sala Bologna in the Vatican Palace' Emily Urban (Independent scholar)9. 'Cosmos, culture and landscape: Documenting, learning and sharing Australian Aboriginal astronomical knowledge in contemporary society' John Goldsmith (Curtin University and The University of Western Australia/ The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research)10. 'At Night's End'Tyler Nordgren (University of Redlands, USA)11. 'Reach For The Stars! - Light, Vision And The Atmosphere' Tim Ingold (University of Aberdeen, UK)12. 'Images in the Heavens: a cultural landscape' Bernadette Brady (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)

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Book SynopsisThis book describes and analyses the writings and records compiled by the notable linguist, T.G.H. Strehlow (1908-1978), on Australian Aboriginal religions, particularly as practised by the Arrernte of the central desert region. During numerous research trips between 1932 and 1966, the local Indigenous Arrernte Elders entrusted him with sacred objects, allowed him to film their secret rituals and record their songs, partly because he was regarded as one of them, an `insider’, who they believed would help preserve their ancient traditions in the face of threats posed by outside forces. Strehlow characterised Arrernte society as `personal monototemism in a polytotemic community’. This concept provides an important insight into understanding how Arrernte society was traditionally organised and how the societal structure was re-enforced by carefully organised rituals. Strehlow’s research into this complex societal system is here examined both in terms of its meaning and current application and with reference to how the societal structure traditionally was interwoven into religious understandings of the world. It exemplifies precisely how the `insider-outsider’ problem is embodied in one individual: he was accepted by the Arrernte people as an insider who used this knowledge to interpret Arrernte culture for non-Indigenous audiences (outsiders). The volume documents how Strehlow’s works are contributing to the current repatriation by Australian Aboriginal leaders of rituals, ancient songs, meanings associated with sacred objects and genealogies, much of which by the 1950s had been lost through the processes of colonisation, missionary influences and Australian governmental interference in the lives of Indigenous societies.Table of ContentsPreface Chapter One: The Context: Central Australia, T.G.H. Strehlow and His Detractors Chapter Two: Restoring the Chain of Memory: A Theory of Religion and Indigenous Religions Chapter Three: Eternity: Arrernte Myths of Creation Chapter Four: Personal Monototemism in a Polytotemic Community Chapter Five: Songs of Central Australia Chapter Six: `One Hour Before Sunset’: The Loss of Indigenous Religious Knowledge Chapter Seven: Strehlow the `Insider’ as a Phenomenologist of Religion Chapter Eight: T.G.H. Strehlow and the Repatriation of Knowledge in Central Australia Chapter Nine: Knowledge, Tradition and Authority

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Book SynopsisThis volume examines the intellectual trajectories of remarkable individuals who interacted with religious discourses, doctrines or practices in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Inspired by S. Subrahmanyam and S. Gruzinski’s historiographical model of “connected histories”, this book introduces the approach of “connected religion” and invites the study of cross-cultural and “translocal” encounters by bringing together documents that represent diverse aspects of the story and reconstructing a narrative from diverse standpoints, with analytical potential. Testing this approach through specific cases of interactions between Asia and Europe, the volume explores the little-known stories of actors such as migrants or expatriates interacting with religious discourses, and of religious leaders producing and propagating beliefs and practices. The cases pose questions that can be applied to further contexts, such as: the significance of improved travels and communications for the diffusion of religious content across national, cultural and institutional boundaries; the impact of specific individuals, charismatic or not, well-established or subaltern in the reconfiguration of institutional forms of religion; and the role of the South Asian referent in legitimating the propagation of specific religious views. Offering both an innovative methodological framework and original cases based on new research, the book will be of interest to scholars of religion, to specialists of South Asia in late modernity and to the broader public.Table of ContentsPreface Sujit Sivasundaram, Cambridge University Editor’s Introduction Philippe Bornet Part I: Introduction 1. From Comparative to Connected Religion: Translocal Aspects of Orientalism and the Study of Religion Philippe Bornet Part II: Transnational Trajectories and Individual Appropriations of Religion 2. “In-Between” Religiosity: European Kālī-bhakti in Early Colonial Calcutta Gautam Chakrabarti, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München/Freie Universität Berlin 3. The Making of the Ideal Transnational Disciple: Unravelling Biographies of Margaret Noble/Sister Nivedita Gwilym Beckerlegge, The Open University 4. The Curious Case of the Drs. D’Abreu: Catholicism, Migration and a Kanara Catholic Family in the Heart of the Empire, 1890-1950 Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London 5. Religion and the “Simple Life”: Dugald Semple and Translocal “Life Reform” Networks Steven Sutcliffe, University of Edinburgh 6. Re-discovering Buddha’s Land: The Transnational Formative Years of China’s Indology Minyu Zhang, Beijing Foreign Studies University Part III: Religions on the Move 7. Charles Pfoundes and the Forgotten First Buddhist Mission to the West, London 1889 Brian Bocking, University College Cork 8. Travelling through Interstitial Spaces: The Radical Spiritual Journeys of Pandita Mary Ramabai Saraswathi Parinitha Shetty, Mangalore University 9. A “Christian Hindu Apostle”? The Multiple Lives of Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889‒1929?) Philippe Bornet 10. The Chen Jianmin (1906-1987) Legacy: An “Always on the Move” Buddhist Practice Fabienne Jagou, École française d’Extrême-Orient, Paris Part IV: In Summary 11. Afterword Maya Burger, University of Lausanne

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Book SynopsisEvil: A Critical Primer begins with the claim that evil is a concept that is contextually bound. This means that we should not expect to find shared or similar notions of evil across cultures. Addressing evil in a way that is at once contextually specific and applicable to cross-cultural settings, this primer breaks with moral conceptions of evil by redescribing it within a new framework of dangers and aversions (i.e., things that cause harm and things to avoid). Doing so provides an empirical and heuristic framework as a new starting point for the study of religion, deemphasizing things associated with evil (like the devil, wickedness, or a diabolic will) and focusing instead on attitudes and practices (like rituals of purity and impurity, notions of clean and dirty, or expressions of disgust). Introducing and reflecting on cultural and cognitive aspects of classification, myth, ritual, emotions, and morality, Evil: A Critical Primer argues that our colloquial conception of evil, as related exclusively to the moral domain, is usefully illuminated by attending to historical and cultural context and cross-cultural comparison.Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introducing Evil 2. Classification and Magical Thinking 3. Ritual and Authority 4. Myths and Mythmaking 5. Strong Emotions 6. Morality 7. Conclusion Further Reading

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Book SynopsisHuman cultures, especially religious groups but also secular artists and performers, often ritualize bodies as sacred books and books as divine beings. An international team of scholars addresses this theme of books as sacred beings in this volume through an impressively diverse range of primary material and perspectives. These studies show the wide variety of ways in which books, bodies, and beings intermingle in material sacred texts manipulated by human bodies, and also in literary and artistic depictions of transcendent textual bodies. The boundary between material immanence and spiritual transcendence turns out to be very thin indeed when people use books. The chapters on specific book practices in different cultures are bracketed by an introduction to the collection and by a concluding essay that extrapolates on the widespread theme of books as sacred beings.Table of Contents1. Introduction James W. Watts 2. Performing Scriptures: Ritualizing Written Texts in Seolwi-seolgyeong, the Korean Shamanistic Recitation of Scriptures Yohan Yoo 3. Embodying the Qu’ran Katharina Wilkens, LMU Munich 4. Sacred Texts and the Digital Turn: Reflections on Scriptures as Material Objects in a Liminal Age Brad Anderson, Dublin City University 5. Being the Bible: Sacred Bodies and Iconic Books in Bring Your Bible to School Day Dorina Miller Parmenter, Spalding University 6. Body Building in the Hindu Tantric Tradition: The Advantages and Confusions of Scriptural Entextualization in the Worship of the Goddess Kali Rachel McDermott, Barnard College and Columbia University 7. Saints’ Lives as Performance Art Virginia Burrus, Syracuse University 8. Aspiring Narratives of Previous Births: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Written and Visual Media in Ancient Gandhara Jason Neelis, Wilfrid Laurier University 9. Daoist Writs and Scriptures as Sacred Beings: With a Focus on Cosmological Meaning Jihyun Kim, Seoul National University 10. Books as Sacred Beings James W. Watts

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Book SynopsisTracing Africa's history through the framework of the Holy Bible and of broader scholarship, this remarkable book uncovers the original Africans, their relationships with Ancient Greece, Israel, Mesopotamia and beyond, from the Patriarchs on through to the New Testament... The book asks what the world can learn from the new Pentecostal Churches, and considering the growth of AQIM, BOKO HARAM and ISIS, it shows the uneasy relationship between Islam and Christianity in Africa.

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Book SynopsisWhat is the role of scripture in illuminating the lives of the faithful today? In this book, three experts in Judaism, Christianity and Islam respectively discuss and debate this question, by exploring the core messages of the Torah, Bible and Qu'ran. Taking a deeper look at the wide range of theological, political and social issues that divide (and sometimes unite) their religions, they reveal how inspiration and guidance can be drawn not only on life's big questions such as sin and the afterlife, but also on societal issues including war, suffering, marriage and justice.Trade ReviewThe book offers a useful trialogue between the authors - as well as between the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Quran - concerning the views of these three scriptures on a variety of topics, from creation to afterlife, and from land to God. As such, it not only offers the readers a glimpse into each scripture, but also a background for understanding the differences and similarities between the three scriptures, and the religions which they represent. -- Dr Zohar Hadromi-AlloucheIn this most illuminating and engaging volume, three authors, from (their) committed standpoints as Jew, Christian and Muslim, present their informed positions on a wide range of topics, ranging from the interpretation of the Word of God to gender and ethnicity, aspects that vitally affect how we live, communicate with, and understand each other in today's world. Dispelling ignorance and misunderstanding, the volume will surprise the reader as to the extent of those values and beliefs we actually share in common rather than what keeps us apart.This is a most readable, and informative book, usefully divided into helpful sections so that it can act as a reference volume as well as a work to be read in one sitting. It is an ideal resource for those engaged in interfaith dialogue, at either an academic or pastoral level and is a major contribution to promoting understanding and respect for others, whose beliefs we may not personally hold ourselves. -- Martin O'Kane, Professor Emeritus, UWTSDRich and fascinating, People of the Book will undoubtedly be used as a reference book by those who are involved in interfaith engagement. Members of each faith group will surely learn new things from this book, not just about the other religions but also about their own religious heritage. Just as surely, those outside of the interfaith arena who are seeking to understand diverse religious worldviews among their constituencies, or in the wider global environment, will benefit from this profoundly informative and thought-provoking work. -- Farhana Mayer (MA OXON), Doctoral Research Scholar, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of OxfordGreat stories, memorable jokes, profound theory - all are interwoven in this wonderful record of what happens when a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim talk together about their scriptures. You could call it Scriptural Reasoning; or you could call it a conversation among friends of God. Whatever you call it, this book will enlighten, enliven and engross your spirit. -- Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of LichfieldA very interesting and informative dialogue amongst three expert theologians that covers a wide range of topics from the perspective of Abrahamic faiths. The dialogue is engaging, thought-provoking and eye-opening in relation to the sources of scripture, God and man's relationship with the divine, daily life, ethics, morality and eschatology. A frank conversation like this, conducted with mutual respect, is rare in our atmosphere of exclusivist discourse, and we need more of this. I very much hope that this worthy book will inspire and encourage further such encounters. -- Sheikh Dr Salah al-Ansari, Egypt and UK-based Imam for 20 years, including at the Regent's Park Mosque (London Central Mosque)Table of ContentsAbout the Authors. Introduction. Section 1: Questions about Scripture. 1. Transmission. 2. Authority. 3. How Are Our Scriptures Used? 4. Methods of Interpretation. Section 2: God. 5. The Nature of God. 6. Creation. 7. God's Presence. 8. Guidance. Section 3: Guidance for Life. 9. Law. 10. Sin. 11. Food. 12. Marriage and Family. 13. Rites. Section 4: Social and political issues. 14. Social Justice. 15. Wealth. 16. Men and Women. 17. War and Peace. 18. Other Faiths. 19. Persecution. Section 5: Hope. 20. Suffering. 21. Prophecy. 22. Land. 23. Life after Death. 24. Concluding Reflections.

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Book SynopsisThis volume investigates contemporary bodily practices as a mode of transmitting and receiving South Asian religious and spiritual traditions.

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Book SynopsisReligions of the World: Questions, Challenges, and New Directions provides a critical introduction to the social, political, and cultural interests that inform how people describe and identify with religion. One of its goals is to provide a sense of methodological transparency that few, if any, other textbooks today offer. The book opens with an Introduction that discusses contemporary methodological concerns in the study of religion, with special focus on the World Religions Paradigm. This is followed by ten chapters, six (6) of which discuss a distinct religion and four (4) of which discuss regional traditions. This organization is intentional and self-conscious, as the authors discuss how these scholarly categories (distinct tradition vs. regional tradition) shape the ways that both insiders and outsiders discuss, practice, and engage religion in their daily lives. Each chapter introduces four different popular descriptions, or representations, of a particular religion or regional tradition. Following each representation is an analysis of what this representation accomplishes for those who promote it and what (or who) it also leaves out. Following this, a specific case study provides a real-world example of the difficulties in thinking about religion in overly simplistic ways. The text does not attempt to diminish or reconcile the possible contradictions between the different representations so as not to leave the reader with the idea that one representation is more correct or authentic than another, or that all four can be easily stitched together to make a tidy picture. Instead, students take away from each chapter a foundation of knowledge about the practices, issues, and conceptions that are associated with global religious traditions as well as the complexity behind any single representation. The objective is to make more transparent the human activity of constructing religion as well as the contemporary consequences of these representations, as people use them to legitimize identities and negotiate for social, legal, and economic resources. Thus, throughout the text, students are challenged to interrogate who gets to decide on a particular portrayal of a religious tradition as well as the interests informing those decisions. An Afterword also discusses ways that the skills learned in the text have applicability beyond the study of religious discourses.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. African Religions 3. Buddhism 4. Chinese Religions 5. Christianity 6. Hinduism 7. Indigenous Religions of North America 8. Islam 9. Japanese Religions 10. Judaism 11. Sikhism

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores current challenges pertinent to cross-cultural research on religion in today's world. It reflects important aspects of global cultural and religious diversity. All articles stem from the international research project Young Adults and Religion in a Global Perspective.

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Book SynopsisThis anthology asks how the handling, use, and embodied enactments of sacred texts regulate, entangle, occlude, tolerate, or even subvert religious and gendered identities. While many studies have looked at the semantic content of sacred texts to answer this question, the volume mends a knowledge gap by looking at the effects on gender that follow both from uses of sacred texts as directly accessible, material objects and from embodied enactments of sacred texts in indirect ways. To signify the embodied enactment of sacred texts, not directly at hand, Marianne Schleicher coins the term sacred texture in the introduction to extend sacred text studies to capture both the textuality of poetic and narrative expressions in oral cultures and how most lay people, often women, have expressed their religiosity through indirect uses of sacred texts through bodily enactments. Among the insights this volume offers are how Old Norse women''s composition of oral sacred textures renders their gender fluid, how a sacred text in Numbers 5 is used to handle a woman and simultaneously bolsters the masculinities of the involved men, how Jewish women through centuries have been intelligible as such by enabling men''s direct access to sacred texts or by bodily enacting sacred textures themselves, how both Christian women and sacred texts should leave adornments behind to embody Jerome''s ascetic ideals, how four women in contemporary American Judaism write Esther scrolls according to halakhic rules to become intelligible as scribes despite their female gender, how American Evangelical women have compensated for the absence of a directly accessible Bible at work by bodily enacting fragments of the Bible, and how Muslim family members in Denmark bodily enact and navigate Qur''anic prescriptions on filial piety up against its prescriptions concerning the naked body.

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Book SynopsisHistorically and culturally, Sufism and Zen may not seem to have anything in common. However, in the West, their spiritual messages are often perceived as strikingly similar. In this book, scholars analyse the ways in which Sufism and Zen were introduced to and developed in the West. The collection shows that the popularity of these religions arose not because of the substantive shared elements within the two traditions, but because their promoters in the West employed similar strategies to respond to the interests of a modern, Western audience. The first book to make a close comparison of Sufism and Zen, this study is an important contribution to understanding Western religious life and processes of easternisation'. It sheds new light on how Sufism and Zen came to represent a spirituality that is both countercultural and in touch with modern sensitivities.

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Book SynopsisKeshab Chandra Sen (1838-84) was one of the most powerful and controversial figures in nineteenth-century Bengal. A religious leader and social reformer, his universalist interpretation of Hinduism found mass appeal in India, and generated considerable interest in Britain. His ideas on British imperial rule, religion and spirituality, global history, universalism and modernity were all influential, and his visit to England made him a celebrity. Many Britons regarded him as a prophet of world-historical significance. Keshab was the subject of extreme adulation and vehement criticism. Accounts tell of large crowds prostrating themselves before him, believing him to be an avatar. Yet he died with relatively few followers, his reputation in both India and Britain largely ruined. As a representative of India, Keshab became emblematic of broad concerns regarding Hinduism and Christianity, science and faith, India and the British Empire. This innovative study explores the transnational historical forces that shaped Keshab's life and work. It offers an alternative religious history of empire, characterised by intercultural dialogue and religious syncretism. A fascinating and often tragic portrait of Keshab's experience of the imperial world, and the ways in which he carried meaning for his contemporaries.Trade Review‘Stevens scythes his way through the unkempt woods of time to remind readers of the pivotal role which Keshab played at a particular moment in history, both as a seeming arbiter of Indian destiny in close links with British colonialism and also as an individual whose fall from grace was nothing less than spectacular.’ -- Asian Affairs Journal'Much maligned and misunderstood in his days and forgotten thereafter, the genius of Keshab comes alive in these pages. The prophet has at last been redeemed.' -- Professor Amiya P. Sen'Colonial India produced few figures as fascinating as Keshab Chandra Sen, the Brahmo reformer and apostle of East-West harmony. Stevens situates Keshab within the capillaries of transnational reform, highlighting a complex subjectivity pledged to the performance of both Indian and global identities. Keshab emerges as a prophet inspired--and constrained--by the binaries of his age.' -- Brian A. Hatcher'Stevens provides a fascinating and timely account of Keshab's varied reception in both India and Britain. In exploring the mission of this contentious, and now often neglected, 'prophet', Stevens reveals the intractable nature of the problems Keshab sought to address, many of which remain with us to this day.' -- Gwilym Beckerlegge

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first authoritative volume in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo, dedicated to the Japanese war dead. Twelve convicted and two suspected Class A war criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni, while the shrine's museum narrates an account of Japan's actions in the Second World War that is best described as revisionist. Visits to the shrine by cabinet members often set off protests at home and abroad, especially in China, Korea and Taiwan, and Yasukuni remains a source of considerable mistrust between the Chinese and Japanese governments. Despite the controversy, the former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made annual visits from 2001-6. The distinctive feature of this volume is that it sets out neither to commend Yasukuni nor to condemn it; it seeks, rather, to present authoritative yet divergent views, thereby allowing the contributors to render more complex an issue which, in the media at least, has long been portrayed in starkly simplistic terms. It accommodates chapters by leading pro-Yasukuni and anti-Yasukuni Japanese intellectuals; it carries multiple Chinese perspectives; and there are also contributions from Western commmentators who offer their own insights on the shrine and its place in post war Japanese diplomacy, ideology and history.Trade Review'By bringing together a wide range of perspectives and casting Yasukuni in multiple historical, ideological, political and religious frameworks that cut across Japanese, Chinese and international perspectives, this volume contributes much that is fresh and provocative.' * Mark Selden, Japan Focus *'The controversial Yasukuni Shrine has become a barometer of the inclinations of the Japanese political elite but we have lacked a dispassionate examination of its history and political significance. John Breen has brought his formidable energies as a researcher and his expertise in the history of Japanese religion to bear on a subject of continuing political significance, and this splendid book ought to dispel much of the myth-making and mistaken suppositions that surround this subject.' * Professor Peter Kornicki, University of Cambridge *'One of the key Sino-Japanese points of friction is the relatively obscure Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. In this impressive English language work John Breen brings together eight scholars who represent a diverse array of perspectives spanning the entire spectrum of thought on the Shinto shrine. The conflicting Chinese, Japanese and foreign opinions found in this volume, illuminate the radically differing standpoints and national narratives surrounding the shrine. They also demonstrate the daunting challenge the two countries face in their efforts to resolve this highly emotive and contentious issue.' * Japan Society *Table of ContentsContentsPrefaceIntroductionYasukuni -- A GenealogyJohn Breen1 The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in Sino-Japanese Relations: Facing a StalemateCaroline Rose2A Religious Perspective on the Yasukuni Shrine ControversyKevin Doak3Unlocking the Secrets of Yasukuni: a Chinese PerspectiveWang Zhixin,4Plumbing the Depths: the Yasukuni Controversy in ChinaSeki Hei5The Showa Emperor and the Yasukuni ShrineTakahashi Tetsuya6And Why Shouldn't the Prime Minister Worship at Yasukuni?Nitta Hitoshi7Yasukuni and the Loss of Historical MemoryJohn Breen8Pledge Fulfilled: the Japanese Media and Prime Minister Koizumi's Yasukuni Worship, 2001-6,Phillip SeatonIndex

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Book SynopsisIn this systematic and accessible analysis, Harold Coward carefully explores the scriptures - written and spoekn - of six major world faiths. He examines their interpretation, their role in devotion and education, and their relationships with each other.Trade Review"nice introduction to how several major world religions view and use scripture." * World Faiths Encounter *Table of Contents1. Scripture In Judaism 1 2. Scripture in Christianity 34 3. Scripture in Islam 81 4. Scripture in Hinduism 105 5. Scripture in Sikhism 130 6. Scripture in Buddhism 138 7. Scripture and the future of religions 159

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Book SynopsisTengiz Abuladze's allegorical film, made in Georgia, is the best known film of the perestroika and glasnost years. With its outspoken and controversial reference to the Stalin era and Stalin's place in the Soviet psyche, 'Repentance' was originally shelved but ultimately released in 1986 to widespread popular and critical acclaim. This _KINOfile_ investigates the production, context and critical reception of the film, the people who made it, and provides an analysis of the film itself and its place in world cinema.

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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 SynopsisThe familiar and heartwarming story of Christmas is one of hope, encapsulated by the birth of the infant Jesus. It is also a story that unites Christianity and Islam--two faiths that have often been at odds with each other. The accounts of the Nativity given by the Evangelists Luke and Matthew find their parallels in Surahs 3 and 19 of the Qur'an, which take up the Annunciation to Mary, the Incarnation from the Holy Spirit, and the Nativity. Christmas and the Qur'an is a sensitive and precise analysis of the Christmas story as it appears in the Gospels and the Qur'an. Karl-Josef Kuschel presents both scriptures in a convincing comparative exegesis and reveals startling similarities as well as significant differences. Kuschel explores how Christians and Muslims read these texts and reveals an intertwining legacy that serves as a base for greater understanding. Without leaving the realm of theology, Kuschel approaches his analysis in a theocentric way by emphasizing the shared belief that God is almighty, which, he argues, can act as a healing suture between Christianity and Islam. Christmas and the Qur'an gives the reader the chance to remember the message of hope that the birth of Jesus brings and invites to a dialogue between Muslims and Christians.Trade Review'The depiction of Jesus and indeed of Mary in the Qur'an is a subject of great importance for a more intelligent dialogue between Islam and the Christian tradition. Too many people know little or nothing about it, and it is a pleasure to welcome the English translation of this book from a seasoned and creative scholar.- Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College and former Archbishop of Canterbury; 'This is a most interesting and informative book; it is equally valuable for scholars and a wider readership. [...] Professor Kuschel has highlighted very clearly the joint heritage of Christianity and Islam at a time when mutual understanding between these two religious traditions is so vital.' - Prof. Carole Hillenbrand, University of St Andrews; 'Shows convincingly that the beliefs of Christians and Muslims are entwined in unexpected and profound ways' -Daily Telegraph

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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