Further religions and spiritual beliefs Books

Book SynopsisGrowing older is inevitable, but aging can be prevented, even reversedbut only when you upgrade your brain, using both ancient and modern science, to create psychosomatic health. A healthy brain is the foundation for a healthier and more fulfilling life, and in Grow A New Brain, modern shamanic practitioner Alberto Villoldo reveals research and introduces protocols for readers to improve their brain function, right now. It combines ancient and modern science to eliminate old senescent cells, detoxify your brain and body, reduce inflammation, increase the growth of brain cells that support neuroplasticity, and more. Readers will learn: How to turn your kitchen into a shaman's laboratory to make your own probiotics that repair that gut and produce neurotransmitters that balance the brain. How to use shamanic meditative techniques to switch on genes for health and turn off genes for illness and disease, and drawing on the science of epi

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Book SynopsisIn Bali, what you see - sekala - is a colorful world of ceremony, ritual, dance, and drama. What you don't see -niskala - is the doctrine underlying the pageants, the code underlying the rites, and the magic underlying the dance. This title explores both tangibles and intangibles in the realm of Balinese religion, ritual and performing arts.

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Book SynopsisConnect to your starseed heritage and integrate cosmic powers into your life• Includes 44 full-color cards featuring intergalactic star beings and wisdom for the age of ascension • The guidebook explores each card’s message accompanied by a matching exercise • Discover your cosmic starseed family and the talents and abilities you bring to Earth Has your intuition told you that your soul originated in the stars? Have you had an encounter with star beings or aliens, or have a deep inner knowing that they are real? You are not alone, nor are you a strange or isolated case. You are part of the cosmic family of starseeds. Welcome home! With this oracle deck, you are invited to explore the wisdom of star beings from across the galaxy, including the innate spiritual gifts you have inherited through your starseed ancestors. Fourteen star families are represented on the cards, including Pleiadians, Hathors, Draconians, and Sirians, and each card shares a talent or quality from the star being shown, such as courage, empathy, beauty, wisdom, or healing power. The accompanying guidebook explores the meaning of each card and the star being shown as well as providing an affirmation and an exercise to implement the theme of the card. It explains how shamanic and indigenous cultures have long known that human life on Earth has extraterrestrial origins. For example, the ancient cultures of North and South America recognize 12 planets with human-like life in other solar systems, indigenous Hawaiians believe their ancestors came from the Pleiades, and lore in Peru and Bolivia contains accounts of a golden boat that came from the heavens. The book also describes how to use the cards to discover your original spirit family in the stars, get in touch with them telepathically, unleash the dormant power in your DNA, and protect yourself from negative aliens. Designed to bring you closer to your own star essence as well as support the personal and cosmic healing needed to assist in Earth’s ascension process, this deck enables you to learn about your intergalactic connections and remember your soul purpose as a starseed.

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Book SynopsisA specialist in medieval Islamic and Ottoman art and architecture, and an expert on Yezidi religion and culture, Birgul Acikyildiz is Professor of the History of Art at Mardin Artuklu University. Before taking this post she was Research Fellow in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, and taught in the Department of Islamic Art and Archaeology of the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Chapter I: Origins, History and Development Yezidis in Mesopotamia and Anatolia Yezidis in Syria Yezidis in Transcaucasia II: Religious Belief System 1. God, Angels and the Trinity God (Xwedê) Angels The Peacock Angel (Tawûsî Melek) Sultan Êzi Sheikh ‘Ad? 2. Yezidi Mythology Creation of Cosmos and Universe Creation of Human Being The Flood 3. Holy Books 4. Religious Hierarchy Chapter III: Religious Practices, Observances and Rituals Haircut, Baptism, Circumcision, Brother of the Hereafter, Marriage, Death Prayer Fast Pilgrimage Festivals and Ceremonies Taboos Chapter IV: Material Culture Homeland, Landscape, Sacred Places Places of Worship The Sanctuary Mausoleums Shrines The Baptistery Caves Tombstones Conclusion Appendixes Glossary Notes BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisRainbow Painting is saturated with direct, pithy instruction, the very quintessence of the Buddhist Spiritual approach. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche speaks from experience, expressing what he himself has undergone, instructing us in the way we should train in a complete and unmistaken manner. We come to understand that to become enlightened we must experience what was always present within us. The ultimate object of realization, the natural state of mind, unmistakenly and exactly as it is, need not be sought for elsewhere but is present within ourselves. Stability in this unexcelled state of unity is not attained independently of means, proper conduct and knowledge of the view. We should unite view and conduct; and this book contains the key points for doing just that.“Some people have the habit of thinking that something is bound to happen after practicing meditation a while — like going through school — that after ten or fifteen years you end up with a degree. That’s the idea in the back of people’s minds: “I can make it happen! I can do enlight¬enment!” Not in this case, though. You cannot make enlightenment, because enlightenment is unconstructed. Realizing the awakened state is a matter of being diligent in allowing nondual awareness to regain its natural stability. It is difficult to reach enlightenment without such dili¬gence, without undertaking any hardship.”---Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche“Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche is someone who has lived at length in mountain hermitages, spent many years in retreat, and done a considerable amount of meditation training. For this reason, he gives the very quintessence of the sacred Dharma spoken by our compassionate Buddha Shakyamuni. He speaks from experience, expressing what he himself has undergone, instructing us in the way we should practice in a complete and unmistaken manner. These teachings, saturated with direct, pithy instruction, are unique.”---Chökyi Nyima RinpocheThe ultimate object of realization, the natural state of mind, unmistakenly and exactly as it is, need not be sought elsewhere than in ourselves. We become enlightened through experiencing what is always innately present. Stability in this unexcelled unawareness is attained when view, the knowledge aspect and conduct, the means are integrated. In Rainbow Painting, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche presents the practices to accomplish this unity.

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Book SynopsisAs demonstrated in this book, Rudolf Steiner had the ability to speak to the British in a very lively an d direct way. This volume provides readers with a fuller pic ture of Steiner''s work in Britain and his approach to esoter ic ideas whilst here. '

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Book SynopsisTraditional Ando-Amazonian medicine man takes readers through the three main pillars of Amazonian indigenous teachings, and through a deeper place of transformation and healing with insights and step-by-step guidance. Beyond Ayahuasca empowers readers to transform their very relationship to themselvesand the entire universethrough a series of tools and practices, questions for self-inquiry and guided contemplation, reminders of the power to stay real and accountable throughout the innate spiritual journey, and information about the evolutionary science of humanity. This will aid in recognizing patterns in their lifeboth beneficial and malefic as well as provide the awareness training tools to help transform one's life. This book offers a unique guide to Ayahuasca ceremonial traditions, allowing the reader to have a direct firsthand experience of going through a shamanic rite of passage and apprenticeship, and realizing one's fullest potential to live a life free of suffering. For the past two decades, I have incessantly studied and consulted with elders, native guides, ethnobotanists, anthropologists, and archaeologists of the Peruvian Amazon and the Andes. The lessons, revealed to me through these encounters and those discovered through personal practice, have been pieced together, thread by thread, to recreate a spiritual discipline of a forgotten and highly advanced civilization. Many elders I met referred to their ancestral wisdom as the evolutionary science of humanity. At the heart of this book is the indigenous evolutionary science of what it means to be human.

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Book SynopsisAUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honoured tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages.Self-Realization Fellowship''s editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final chapter on the closing years of his life.Selected as One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century, Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into more than 50 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a classic of religious literature. Several million copies have been sold, and it continues to appear on best-seller lists after more than sixty consecutive years in print. With engaging candour, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda tells the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his r

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Book SynopsisThis new text is a detailed study of an important process in modern Indian history. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, India experienced an intellectual renaissance, which owed as much to the influx of new ideas from the West as to traditional religious and cultural insights. Gosling examines the effects of the introduction of Western science into India, and the relationship between Indian traditions of thought and secular Western scientific doctrine. He charts the early development of science in India, its role in the secularization of Indian society, and the subsequent reassertion, adaptation and rejection of traditional modes of thought. The beliefs of key Indian scientists, including Jagadish Chandra Bose, P.C. Roy and S.N. Bose are explored and the book goes on to reflect upon how individual scientists could still accept particular religious beliefs such as reincarnation, cosmology, miracles and prayer. Science and the Indian TraditionTrade Review"... splendid new book. It is very exciting and contains much more than the exchange between Einstein and Tagore....It really is a very great achievement"- John Bowker, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Cambridge.'Be prepared for substantial chapters on a number of intertwined topics, but be prepared also to enjoy this most instructive account of a complex encounter between civilisations and thought-worlds. Somehow Gosling also manages to tell us where physics in general has got to, in a manner which seems rather understandable to the non-expert in that field.'- Marburg Review 'This is a book that is important both for the solid information it offers and for the way it discusses the issues involved with fairness and a rational mind. There is much that is pure science, much more that is philosophy and an understream of religiosity and mysticism' - G. Gispert-Sauch, Journal of Theological Reflection, July 2008'The book is indispensable for those who are interested to learn about the effects of Western Science on the Indian subcontinent and in the interactions between Western and Indo-Pak tradtitions of intellectual thought...A conversation between Rabindranath tagore and Alvert Einstein is also one of the merits of the book which, undoubtedly, makes it an essential and thoroughly entertaining read' - The Frontier Post, September 2008'Students and scholars can draw much inspiration from this storehouse of interdisciplinary data and ideas. It is a most useful volume for all library collections and specialised courses on science and religion.' - Ursula King, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Bristol and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2009Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Science in India’s Intellectual Renaissance 3. Tradition Redefined 4. Worldviews in Encounter 5. Relativity and Beyond 6. Indian Science Comes of Age 7. An Investigation into the Beliefs of Indian Scientists 8. How Clear Reason’s Stream? 9. Looking to the Future. Appendix A: The Nature of Reality. Appendix B: Investigation Questionnaire

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises.Trade Review"Hadot's essays exhibit impressive scholarship and a habit of profound reflection. This is not a book for the casual reader but it is an important publication and should be a required text for every student of philosophy, classics and the history of ideas, and for any serious teacher of these subjects." The Tablet "Hadot's work is very engaging, knowledgeable, well written and insightful. I highly recommend this book for both general and professional readers." Richard S. Findler, Phil dept, Slippery Rock University for the History of European Ideas "Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty." H. L. Shapiro, University of Missouri for ChoiceTable of ContentsTranslator's Note. Introduction. Part I: Method: . 1. Forms of Life and Forms of Discourse in Ancient Philosophy. 2. Philosophy, Exegesis and Creative Mistakes. Part II: Spiritual Exercise: . 3. Spiritual Exercise. 4. Ancient Spirituality and 'Christian Philosophy.'. Part III: Figures: . 5. Figure of Socrates. 6. Marcus Aurelius. 7. Reflections of the Idea of the 'Cultivation of the Self'. Part IV: Themes:. 8. Only the Present is our Happiness. 9. The View From Above. 10. The Sage and the World. 11. Philosophy as a Way of Life. Postscript. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe famed medium and author of Talking to Heaven presents an inspirational collection of structured meditations and reflections designed to help readers follow their own personal journeys of self- awareness and psychic discovery. Original. 17,500 first printing.

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Book SynopsisIncludes bonus CD The Voice of Paramahansa Yogananda, featuring excerpts from the Self-Realization Fellowship Collector''s Series of rare recorded talks by Paramahansa Yogananda. Named one of the 100 best spiritual books of the twentieth century, Paramahansa Yogananda''s remarkable life story takes you on an unforgettable exploration of the world of saints and yogis, science and miracles, death and resurrection. With soul-satisfying wisdom and endearing wit, he illuminates the deepest secrets of life and the universe - opening our hearts and minds to the joy, beauty and unlimited spiritual potentials that exist in the lives of every human being. This complete edition is the only one that incorporates all of his wishes for the final text including extensive material he added after the original 1946 edition and a final chapter on the closing years of his life.

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Book SynopsisSunday Times bestselling author and acclaimed speaker Candice Brathwaite shares her revolutionary and inclusive approach to manifesting. Believing that you deserve abundance is the route to inviting it into your life. But what if your experiences so far have demonstrated the exact opposite? What does Manifesting look like if you''re not white, thin, traditionally pretty, or able-bodied? Candice has learnt to manifest the hard way and can teach you to do the same. Focusing on the four pillars of Wellness, Wealth, Love and Happiness, Candice''s customary no bullsh*t candour will guide you towards the life you desire and show you that manifesting can be for everyone, not just those to whom the universe has already been kind.A game-changing approach to manifesting to help you bring your dreams into reality and find contentment in your everyday.

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Book SynopsisThe provocative and penetrating philosophical classic of science and spirituality—a discourse between the revered spiritual leader Krishnamurti and renowned physicist Dr. David Bohm, exploring the origin of human conflict and what we can do about the barriers that stand in the way of insight and consciousness, now revised and updated with a new introduction and added dialogues.The Ending of Time is a series of important and enlightening dialogues in which Jiddu Krishnamurti and Dr. David Bohm—men from vastly different backgrounds in philosophy and physics, respectively—debate profound existential questions that illuminate the fundamental nature of existence, probing topics such as insight, illusion, awakening, transcendence,  renewal, morality, the temporal, and the spiritual. Along the way, Krishnamurti and Bohm explore a person’s relationship to society and offer new insights on human thought, death, awakening, self realization, and the problem of the fragmented mind.The Ending of Time also refers to the wrong turn humanity has taken—a state that they argue can be corrected. Though they insist that mankind can change fundamentally, they warn that transformation requires going from one’s narrow and particular interests toward the general, and ultimately moving still deeper into that purity of compassion, love and intelligence that originates beyond thought, time, and even emptiness.This updated edition, edited and revised in clear and engaging language, includes a new introduction and a conversation previously published separately which examines “The Future of Humanity.”

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Book SynopsisRastafari. The word immediately conjures a host of strong, disparate images. To some, the Rastafarian Movement, which emerged from the ghettos of Jamaica in the 1930s, is embodied by a dreadlocked youth in a haze of marijuana smoke. To others, it represents an authentic, organic expression of working-class culture, a vibrant movement that has expanded to North America, the British Isles, and Africa. Ennis Barrington Edmonds moves beyond simple stereotypes to provide a compelling portrait of the Rastafarian phenomenon and chronicle how a once-obscure group, much maligned and persecuted as an internal threat to Jamaican society, became an international cultural force. He focuses in particular on the internal development of Rastafarianism as a social movement to track the process of this strikingly successful integration. He also demonstrates how African and Afro-Christian religions, Ethiopianism, and Garveyism were all fused into the Rastafari posture of resistance, organised as it is arTrade ReviewEnnis Edmonds provides a lucid and thought-provoking argument for how Rastafari has become established as a mainstay in Jamaican culture. Modifying Weberian notions of routinization and charisma, Edmonds demonstrates how Rastafari symbols have permeated Jamaican society, ensuring the continued existence of the movement despite its minimal formal structure. Rastafari is important not only to scholars of Caribbean religions, but to anyone interested in how new religions find a stable place in society. * Richard C. Salter, Department of Religious Studies, Hobart and William Smith Colleges *

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Book SynopsisAre religious fringe movements a recent phenomenon in American history? Are widespread fears of mass suicides, sexual abuse, and brainwashing in cults justified? Do marginalized religious groups play any positive role in American spiritual life? Do the panics over such groups follow any discernible pattern? Phillip Jenkins gives fascinating--and surprising--answers to these and many other questions in Mystics and Messiahs, the first full account of cults and anti-cult scares in American history. Jenkins shows that, contrary to popular belief, cults were by no means an invention of the 1960s. In fact, most of the frightening images and stereotypes surrounding fringe religious movements are traceable to the mid-nineteenth century when Mormons, Freemasons, and even Catholics were vehemently denounced for supposed ritualistic violence, fraud, and sexual depravity. As Charles Ferguson observed in 1928, America has always been the sanctuary of amazing cults. But America has also been the homTrade ReviewFor an understanding of cults in America, this is a vital guide ... Rich in anecdotes, this sober and instructive book succeeds in being entertaining as well. * Jeff Guinn, The Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe Mandaeans are a Gnostic sect that arose in the middle east around the same time as Christianity. What little study of the religion there has been has focused on the ancient Mandaeans and their relation to early Christianity. Buckley examines the lives and religion of contemporary Mandaeans, who live mainly in Iran and Iraq but also in New York and San Diego. She provides a comprehensive introduction to the religion and shows how its ancient texts inform the living religion, and vice versa.Trade ReviewLandmark contribution to the field. * History of Relgions *

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Book SynopsisFourteen leading Ramayana scholars examine the epic in its myriad contexts throughout South and Southeast Asia. They explore the role the narrative plays in societies as varied as India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. This volume will be useful for courses in the history of religions, Hinduism, Asian studies, and anthropology.

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Book SynopsisReligious life in early America is often equated with the fire-and-brimstone Puritanism best embodied by the theology of Cotton Mather. Yet, by the nineteenth century, American theology had shifted dramatically away from the severe European traditions directly descended from the Protestant Reformation, of which Puritanism was in the United States the most influential. In its place arose a singularly American set of beliefs. In America''s God, Mark Noll has written a biography of this new American ethos. In the 125 years preceding the outbreak of the Civil War, theology played an extraordinarily important role in American public and private life. Its evolution had a profound impact on America''s self-definition. The changes taking place in American theology during this period were marked by heightened spiritual inwardness, a new confidence in individual reason, and an attentiveness to the economic and market realities of Western life. Vividly set in the social and political events of the age, America''s God is replete with the figures who made up the early American intellectual landscape, from theologians such as Jonathan Edwards, Nathaniel W. Taylor, William Ellery Channing, and Charles Hodge and religiously inspired writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Catherine Stowe to dominant political leaders of the day like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. The contributions of these thinkers combined with the religious revival of the 1740s, colonial warfare with France, the consuming struggle for independence, and the rise of evangelical Protestantism to form a common intellectual coinage based on a rising republicanism and commonsense principles. As this Christian republicanism affirmed itself, it imbued in dedicated Christians a conviction that the Bible supported their beliefs over those of all others. Tragically, this sense of religious purpose set the stage for the Civil War, as the conviction of Christians both North and South that God was on their side served to deepen a schism that would soon rend the young nation asunder. Mark Noll has given us the definitive history of Christian theology in America from the time of Jonathan Edwards to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. It is a story of a flexible and creative theological energy that over time forged a guiding national ideology the legacies of which remain with us to this day.Trade Review"Essential reading for anyone interested in American history, politics and religion."--Themelios"For academics-historians, theologians, and anyone else interested in the history of poltical thought, religion, philosophy, or theology-this book is essential reading"-- The Cresset Epiphany/Lent"America's God deserves to be hailed as the most comprehensive treatment of early American religious thought. But it is far more than that, since Mr. Noll is tracking here not only the rise and fall of American theology but also the genesis of American civilization...Mr. Noll laments the passing of Christian republicanism and in the end suggests that a dose of Jonathan Edwards ('the last of the Puritans and the first of the evangelicals') may be just what contemporary America needs. You do not have to agree with that assessment to appreciate this fine book, which brings some of the nation's greatest thinkers very much alive."--Wall Street Journal"Noll belongs to a talented group of historians who have transformed our understanding of American evangelicalism... Among Noll's many great strengths (all on display in this immense work) is his comparative method, based on wide learning in Protestant sources worldwide."--Times Literary Supplement"Magisterial"The Weekly Standard"Carefully documented and including an excellent bibliography, this insightful volume makes a useful contribution to the study of religion in America"--Library Journal"Mark Noll's America's God delineates the Americanization of an Old World Protestantism with a breadth, learning, and sophistication unmatched by any other historian. Noll uncovers hidden, obscure figures even as he breathes new life into seemingly familiar names. Those who think intellectual history is dead or irrelevant will be jolted by the wondrous vigor of this exceptional, synoptic book. There's nothing else like it."--Jon Butler, author of Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People"Noll has an astounding command of the vast literature...this is almost certainly the most significant work of American historical scholarship this year."--Atlantic Monthly"America's God is a richly rewarding work. Awesomely researched and beautifully written, Mark Noll's magisterial study embeds American religious thought from the late Colonial era through the Civil War in its cultural and political context. Not only historians of religion, but everyone interested in the ideas and beliefs that shaped America's past--and still remain potent today--will profit from this insightful interpretive study."--Paul S. Boyer, Editor-in-Chief, The Oxford Companion to United States History"Noll's book is the most comprehensive study of religious ideas in America that we have, and a work that makes the most sustained case for the impact of the spiritual on American public life. The book is original and well argued; and the research is impeccable. Some will not agree with Noll's arguments but everyone interested in religious thought will have to consider them."--Bruce Kuklick, author of A History of Philosophy in America: 1720-2000"Those who might consider America's God an old-fashioned work about a bygone era and might therefore pass Noll by will do so at their peril...Argue over interfaith services after 9/11, prayers by football teams at public schools, in 'creationism' versus 'evolutionism,' Focus on the Family; 'the virtues,' the American moral condition, 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance, the political power of the Religious Right--engage in any or all of these debates, and you will be contending in the shadow of the achievements of Noll's cast of characters."-- Books & Culture"This 'social history of theology' in America, from the colonial era through the Civil War, promises to reshape the way we think about American religion, and, indeed, American history...Noll's trademark clarity--both in analysis and in prose--is in evidence here...Equally obvious is Noll's erudite mastery of everything from Puritan ecclesiology to Scottish moral philosophy. This is, finally, the magisterial work that has long been expected from one of our leading historians."--Publishers Weekly"A broadly based and solid account of the surprising evolution of Christian theology in America during the golden age of Protestant evangelicalism. Mark Noll's magnum opus is a notable achievement of Christian and historical scholarship."--Daniel Walker Howe, Rhodes Professor of American History, Oxford University"The wonderfully prolific Noll-as fine a historian as America now boasts-offers a rich and learned and deeply thoughtful magnum opus that is destined to shape discussions of the history of American religion and politics for a long time. Everyone who pretends to an interest in American history and American politics, to say nothing of American religion, must read this book."--The New Republic

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Book SynopsisOnce an obscure group of outcasts from the ghettoes of West Kingston, Jamaica, the Rastafarians have transformed themselves into a vibrant movement, firmly grounded in Jamaican society and beyond. In Rastafari, Ennis Barrington Edmonds provides a compelling portrait of the Rastafarian phenomenon and chronicles how this group, much maligned and persecuted, became a dominant cultural force in the world today. Edmonds charts the evolution of the relationship between Rastafari and the wider Jamaican society, from confrontation and repression to grudging tolerance and eventually to cultural integration. Edmonds focuses in particular on the internal development of Rastafarianism as a social movement, with its network of houses (small, informal groups that form around leading Rastas) and mansions (larger, more communal associations), to track the process of this strikingly successful integration. He further demonstrates how Rastafarian artistic creativity, especially in fashioning the music aTable of ContentsAPPENDIX: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON RASTAFARI

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Book SynopsisThe second edition of Jews, Christians, Muslims: A Comparative Introduction to Monotheistic Religions, compares Judaism, Christianity, and Islam using seven common themes which are equally relevant to each tradition. Provoking critical thinking, this text addresses the cultural framework of religious meanings and explores the similarities and differences among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as it explains the ongoing process of interpretation in each religion. The book is designed for courses in Western and World Religions.Table of ContentsIN THIS SECTION:1.) BRIEF2.) COMPREHENSIVE BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part I: Scripture and TraditionChapter 1: In JudaismChapter 2: In ChristianityChapter 3: In Islam Part II: Monotheism Chapter 4: In JudaismChapter 5: In ChristianityChapter 6: In Islam Part III: AuthorityChapter 7: In JudaismChapter 8: In ChristianityChapter 9: In Islam Part IV: Worship and RitualsChapter 10: In JudaismChapter 11: In ChristianityChapter 12: In Islam Part V: EthicsChapter 13: In JudaismChapter 14: In Christianity Chapter 15: In Islam Part VI: Material CultureChapter 16: In JudaismChapter 17: In ChristianityChapter 18: In Islam VII. Religion and the Political OrderChapter 19: In JudaismChapter 20: In ChristianityChapter 21: In Islam COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part I: Scripture and Tradition Chapter 1: Scripture and Tradition in JudaismThe Bible’s History and the History or JudaismScripture and the Interpretive Tradition in Rabbinic JudaismScripture and Tradition in the History of JudaismThe “Rabbinization” of Medieval Judaism Chapter 2: Scripture and Tradition in ChristianityBible, Revelation, and ChristianityScripture and Interpretive Tradition in ChristianityScripture and Tradition in the History of Christianity Chapter 3: Scripture and Tradition in IslamThe Qur’an and the ProphetScripture and Interpretive Tradition in IslamQuestions for Discussion and Review Part II: Monotheism Chapter 4: Monotheism in JudaismStructuring Elements of Judaic TheologyJudaic Theology in Diverse Cultural SettingsJudaic Thought in Modern European Culture Chapter 5: Monotheism in ChristianityThe God of a New Revelation: Father, Son, and Holy SpiritDefining the Triune God Defining the Incarnate God Chapter 6: Monotheism in Islam Doctrines and Practices Islamic Monotheism: A Wider Perspective Questions for Discussion and Review Part III: Authority Chapter 7: Authority in JudaismBiblical Metaphors of Covenant Community Applications of Covenantal Models in the Dead Sea Yahad Covenantal Models and Rabbinic Tradition Chapter 8: Authority in Christianity Christian Construction of Authority Historical Development of Authority after 1500 Chapter 9: Authority in Islam Muhammad's Sunna as Perfect Pattern for Muslim Life The Shar+Aa As Islam's Supreme Authority The Sources of Jurisprudence (U.sk l al-Fiqh) Political Authority in Islam Part IV: Worship and Ritual Chapter 10: Worship and Ritual in Judaism The Halakhic Shaping of Religious Experience Modernity and the Ideal of Avodah Chapter 11: Worship and Ritual in Christianity Constructing a World in Ritual Transformation of Ritual Chapter 12: Worship and Ritual in Islam Foundations of Worship in Islam Islamic Life Cycle Rites Variations and Popular Practices Saint Veneration Questions for Discussion and Review Part V: Ethics Chapter 13: Ethics in Judaism Halakhah and the Cultivation of Character Halakhah and the Social Order Jewish Commitments in a Non-Halakhic Framework Chapter 14: Ethics in Christianity The Structure of Christian Ethics The Historical Development of Christian Ethics Chapter 15: Ethics in Islam Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil The “Five Categories” or “Principles” of Actions Righteousness as True Piety Fear and Friendship Muslims “Think Globally, Act Locally” The Devil in the Details On the Boundary of Law and Morality: Some Contemporary Issues Questions for Discussion and Review Part VI: Material Culture Chapter 16: Material Culture in Judaism Judaic Material Culture: The Problem of Context The Synagogue as a Cultural Puzzle Marking the Jewishness of the Home The Book in Judaic Cultures The Symbolic Vocabulary of Costume Chapter 17: Material Culture in Christianity Relics Art and Architecture Images The Reformation Christianity and Print Culture Modernity and Religious Identity Chapter 18: Material Culture in Islam The Mosque as Both Islamic and Muslim Aspects of Material Culture Public Space in Muslim Perspective Muslim Domestic Space The Muslim Body: Clothing, Adornment, Cosmetics, Grooming Muslim Expressions of the Beautiful: Painting, the Decorative Arts, and Music Questions for Discussion and Review Part VII: Religion and the Political Order Chapter 19: Religion and the Political Order in Judaism The Jewish State Between Messiahs Jewish Self-Government Under Patriarch and Exilarch Jewish Autonomy Under Islamic and Christian Empires Judaism and the Modern European State Judaism and the Secular Jewish State Jewish Civil Religion in Israel and America Chapter 20: Religion and The Political Order in Christianity From Persecution to Rulership Secular and Sacred in Conflict The Reformation Pluralism: Churches and the State National Destinies Christianity and Violence in Modernity Sexuality and Gender Chapter 21: Religion and The Political Order in Islam Roots of Islamic Revival Islam and Reform in Modern Indonesia Political Islam Muslim Extremism Muslim Views of Sex and Gender Questions for Discussion and Review Notes Glossary Suggestions for Further Reading Timeline Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThe word possession is trickier than we often think, especially in the context of the Black Atlantic and its religions and economy. Here possession can refer to spirits, material goods, and, indeed, people. This book features essays by anthropologists in the Americas to explore the nexus found at the heart of the idea of being possessed.Trade Review"Spirited Things is an ambitious and provocative work that casts a brilliant light over one of the more complex and critical issues in anthropology. It brings spirit possession into the heart of anthropological theory, revealing its central place in the 'genealogy of modernity.'" (Stefania Capone, National Center for Scientific Research and School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences)"

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Book SynopsisIn this book, J. C. Heesterman attempts to understand the origins and nature of Vedic sacrificethe complex compound of ritual practices that stood at the center of ancient Indian religion. Paying close attention to anomalous elements within both the Vedic ritual texts, the brahmanas, and the ritual manuals, the srautasutras, Heesterman reconstructs the ideal sacrifice as consisting of four moments: killing, destruction, feasting, and contest. He shows that Vedic sacrifice all but exclusively stressed the offering in the firethe element of destructionat the expense of the other elements. Notably, the contest was radically eliminated. At the same time sacrifice was withdrawn from society to become the sole concern of the individual sacrificer. The ritual turns in on the individual as self-sacrificer who realizes through the internalized knowledge of the ritual the immortal Self. At this point the sacrificial cult of the fire recedes behind doctrine of the atman's transcendence and unit

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores the everyday lives of Nazarite women - part of one of the most popular indigenous religious communities in South Africa - through their songs and dances, dream narratives and fertility rituals, which come to life both musically and visually on CD-ROM.

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores the everyday lives of Nazarite women - part of one of the most popular indigenous religious communities in South Africa - through their songs and dances, dream narratives and fertility rituals, which come to life both musically and visually on CD-ROM.

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Book SynopsisAlthough ecstasy has been explored in several Indian contexts, surprisingly little scholarship has been devoted to its central role in Bengali devotion. In The Madness of the Saints, June McDaniel undertakes the first comprehensive study of religious ecstasy in Bengal, examining the texts that describe it, the people who experience it, and the traditions that support it.

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Book SynopsisAfter Haiti's recent earthquake, various American commentators - from Pat Robertson to David Brooks - joined a long tradition of blaming Vodou for the country's woes. This book examines that vexed history, asking why, from 1835 to 1987, Haiti banned many popular ritual practices.Trade Review"In this compelling study, Ramsey culls a remarkable set of materials to bring to bear on the topic, ranging from colonial travel accounts, memoirs, State Department records, and UN sorcery reports. The richness of her account is a testament to indefatigable research, and she develops fresh insights into the related literature as well. This fascinating book adds much to our knowledge of modern Haiti as well as religion and cultural politics in Latin America and the Caribbean in general." - Lauren Derby, University of California, Los Angeles"

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDrawing on eight years of ethnographic research, Beliso-De Jesús traces the phenomenon of copresence in the lives of Santería practitionersTrade ReviewAisha Beliso-De Jesus allows us to see the densely intertwined modes of becoming that include the racing, sexing, and engendering of bodies. Electric Santeria is an exciting and timely addition to the series Gender, Theory, and Religion. -- Solimar Otero, author of Afro-Cuban Diasporas in the Atlantic World, and coeditor of Yemoja: Gender, Sexuality, and Creativity in the Latina/o and African Diasporas An inspiring-even astonishing-piece of anthropological research. -- John L. Jackson Jr., author of Thin Description: Ethnography and the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem A brilliantly coherent and insightful contribution to the way that we think about the complexities and nuances of new transnational formations. This artfully mastered ethnography is bound to become an influential staple for a range of actors: Santeria practitioners, academics, and cultural critics. Not only does it demand from its readership a rethinking of our ontologies of knowing, but it also requires that we take seriously affective practices in clarifying the way we make sense of our world. This is a must read for all! -- Kamari Clarke, University of Pennsylvania Ethnographically rich and theoretically audacious, Beliso-De Jesus's Electric Santeria breathes fresh air into the scholarship on Afro-Cuban ritual praxis. Her principled refusal of an analytic of transcendence, her spirited critique of conventional approaches towards mediation, her focus of the sensorium, and her mobilization of black feminist and queer theory give us a handle on problems that anthropologists of religion and religious studies scholars have yet to pay full attention to. -- Stephan Palmie, author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion In this brilliant, theoretically exciting, and innovative ethnography, Beliso-De Jesus explains Santeria in Cuba in terms of a transnational, diasporic geo-ontology. Critiquing the ubiquity of religious universals-based Christian notions of transcendence and transubstantiation, she reveals Santeria's 'trans' as an assemblage of co-presences, in which nationalisms, gender, and sexuality are mediated through sound, image, and sense. Electric Santeria is a new 'classic' for religious studies and for African diaspora studies. -- Inderpal Grewal, Yale University An innovative exploration of a protean and complex religious phenomenon, Electric Santeria presents a powerful challenge to the longstanding dominance of the Abrahamic within anthropological scholarship on religion. Drawing on her own vast ethnographic archive, Beliso-De Jesus carries us along the historical and transnational peregrinations of people, spiritual forces, racial formations, and nationalist projects that together constitute the relational ontology of Santero worlds. This is a work of considerable insight and theoretical daring, a rare accomplishment that deserves to be widely read. -- Charles Hirschkind, University of California, Berkeley Electric Santer'ia should be required reading for ethnographers of not only Cuba and African-inspired religious traditions, but any new religious movements that challenge Western theories of being in the world. Nova Religio This book is a major breakthrough in the conceptualization of transnational religious ontologies be they in Cuba or not. American Anthropologist This book is an important contribution to writing stories that are not nationally bounded but also that work to look beyond binary dualisms. SociologyTable of ContentsAuthor's Note Preface: Despedidas Acknowledgments Introduction: Transnational Santeria Assemblages 1. Electric Oricha 2. Transnational Caminos 3. Pacts with Darkness 4. Scent of Empire 5. Contaminating Femininities Epilogue: A Death at Dawn Glossary Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1970, The Way of Power is an exploration of the school of Mahayana Buddhism prevalent in Tibet and Mongolia, known as the Vajrayana. Divided into two parts, the book provides an introduction to the background and theory behind the Vajrayana before progressing to a study of Vajrayana in practice. In doing so, it provides an overview of the history, development, and contemporary status of the Vajrayana, and takes a look at the different schools and sects. The book's primary focus is the use of Tantric mystical techniques.The Way of Power will appeal to those with an interest in Buddhism, religious psychology, and religious history. Table of ContentsPart One: Background and Theory; 1: The Vajrayana; 2: The Mahayana Setting; 3: The Essence of the Tantric Method; 4: Psychic and Material Symbols; Part Two: Practice; 1: Aspiration; 2: The Preliminaries; 3: General Practice; 4: The Sadhanas; 5: Advanced Practice; Glossary

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Book SynopsisThe World Religions Reader gathers together material on six of the world''s most influential faiths. The selection of readings is drawn from a broad range of historical and contemporary sources, giving a full picture of the beliefs and practices of each religion. This new edition includes new introductions to each religious tradition, an extensively revised section on Hinduism, and a completely new selection of readings on Buddhism.Trade Review'Altogether this is a very useful collection of resources, not only for those studying with The Open University, but for anyone wanting easy access to significant primary sources which will help them to understand something of the history and contemporary concerns of six of the most influential spiritual traditions.' - Denise Cush, Bath Spa University College'The book is beautifully presented and there are some intriguing choices of extracts.' - Reviews in Religion and TheologyTable of Contents1. JUDAISM: Passages from the Jewish Bible; From the Rabbinic Tradition; Different Voices from the Past; The Holocaust and Post-Holocaust Theology; Judaism and Israel; Torah and Covenant 2. CHRISTIANITY: Passages from the Christian Bible; The Church Fathers; The Churches: Their Life and Faith; Women's Voices and Feminist Theology; Christianity and Social Justice 3. ISLAM: From the Qur'an; The Beautiful Names; Hadith/Sunnah; Law in Islam; Muslim Mystics; Islam in the late Twentieth Century 4. HINDUISM: Village Hinduism; Hindu Patterns of Liberation; The Modern Period 5. BUDDHISM: From the Suttas and Vinaya of the Theravada Tradition; From the Mahayana Texts; Buddhist Practices; Recent and Contemporary Buddhist Concerns 6. SIKHISM: Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh; The Sikh Tradition; Khalistan and Sikh Identity; A Sikh Woman of the Nineties

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Book SynopsisPeter B. Clarke's in-depth account explores the innovative character of new religious movements and new forms of spirituality from a global vantage point. Ranging from North America and Europe to Japan, Latin America, South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, it is the perfect introduction to NRMs such as Falun Gong, Aum Shirikyo, the Brahma Kumaris, the Ikhwan or Muslim Brotherhood, Sufism, the Engaged Buddhist and Engaged Hindi movements, Messianic Judaism and Rastafarianism.Charting the cultural significance and global impact of NRMs, he discusses the ways in which various religious traditions are shaping, rather than displacing, each other's understanding of notions such as transcendence and faith, good and evil, of the meaning, purpose and function of religion, and of religious belonging. He then examines the responses of governments, churches, the media and general public to new religious movements, as well as the reaction to older, increasingly influential reTrade Review'Peter Clarke provides us with an excellent contemporary theoretical account of the field and a comprehensive source of information on a plethora of religious groups... I strongly recommend it.' - Adam Possamai, University of Western Sydney, Australia'Peter Clarke provides us with an excellent contemporary theoretical account of the field and a comprehensive source of information on a plethora of religious groups... I strongly recommend it.' - Adam Possamai, University of Western Sydney, Australia'New Religions in Global Perspective is one of the best books on New Religious Movements (NRMs) since the beginning of the 21st century...Peter Clarke provides us with an excellent contemporary theoretical account of the field and a comprehensive source of information on a plethora of religious groups, and for this reason, I strongly recommend it. This book would be excellent as a textbook on NRMs for undergraduate and postgraduate students. For experts in the field, it offers a clear light on the most current debates in the field and covers so much across the globe, that any scholar wukk certainly find room to learn more.' -Adam Possamai, University of Western Sydney'Creemos que la presente obra, enciclopédica en su formato, con buena bibliografía anglosajona, puede ser de ayuda para destinarios muy diversos; estudiosos de las religiones actuales, políticos, pastores y sociólogos; útil, por su sistemización y contenido, para estudiantes universitarios que buscan conocer el momento actual del espectro religioso-espiritual del mundo.' Bibliographia MissionariaTable of ContentsPart 1: Global Perspective, New Age, and Society’s Response 1. New Religious Movements: A Global Perspective 2. The New Age Movement (NAM): alternative or mainstream? 3. Accounting for Hostility to New Religious Movements Part 2: New Religions in the West 4. New Religious Movements in Europe 5. New Religious Movements in North America 6. New Religious Movements in Australia, New Zealand and Melanesia (New Guinea) Part 3: The New Religions of the Middle-East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean 7. New Islamic Movements in North Africa and the Middle-East 8. New Religious Movements in Africa South of the Sahara 9. New Religious Movements in South and Central America and the Carribean Part 4: New Religions of South, Southeast and East Asia 10. New Religious Movements in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) 11. NRMs in South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia) 12. East Asia (1): Japanese New Religious Movements 13. East Asia (2): New Religious Movements in Japan, Taiwan and Korea Part 5: Conclusions 14. Conclusion: The Uncertain Impact of Old and New Religions Select Bibliography Index

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