Category: Comparative Religion

By Benyamin Cohen

One day a Georgia-born son of an Orthodox rabbi discovers that his enthusiasm for Judaism is flagging. He observes the Sabbath, he is going to synagogue, and he even flies to manhattan on weekends for a chain of "speed dates" with great, eligible Jewish ladies. yet, whatever is lacking. searching of his window and around the highway at one of many thousands of church buildings in Atlanta, he asks, "What wouldn't it be prefer to be a Christian?"

So starts off Benyamin Cohen's hilarious trip that's My Jesus Year—part memoir, half non secular quest, and half anthropologist's undertaking. between Cohen's many adventures (and misadventures), he unearths himself in a few particularly not likely locations: leaping into the mosh-pit at a Christian rock live performance, seeing his face projected at the great JumboTron of an African-American megachurch, vacationing a possible convert with younger Mormon missionaries, attending a Christian "professional wrestling" fit, and waking up early for a dawn Easter carrier on most sensible of Stone Mountain—a accomplice memorial and previous base of operations for the KKK.

During his year-long exploration, Cohen sees the simplest and the worst of Christianity— #8212;from megachurches to storefront church buildings; from crass commercialization of faith to the easy, relocating religion of the standard believer; from the profound to the profane to the simply undeniable laughable. all through, he retains an open center and brain, a great humorousness, and takes what he learns from Christianity to mirror on his personal religion and dating to God. by means of year's finish, to Cohen's shock, his look for common solutions and truths within the Bible Belt truly make him a greater Jew.

By Winfried Corduan

For all who are looking to comprehend the non secular faiths in their buddies and coworkers, Winfried Corduan bargains an advent to the religions of the realm. His survey covers significant and minor religions together with Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, African conventional religions, local American faith, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, chinese language well known faith, and Shinto and jap religions.

Neighboring Faiths emphasizes not only formal spiritual teachings but additionally how each one faith is practiced in lifestyle. Dozens of photos, charts and maps support illustrate how the faiths are lived out in modern tradition. relocating past mere description, Corduan bargains particular feedback for the way Christians can stay away from giving pointless offense to fans of those faiths whereas enticing them in optimistic discussion.

By Stuckrad, C.K.M. von (ed.), Kocku Von Stuckrad

The recent and impressively complete Brill Dictionary of faith addresses faith as a component of lifestyle and public discourse. Richly illustrated and with greater than 500 entries, the dictionary is a multi-media reference resource at the many and numerous sorts of non secular dedication. it really is strange in that it not just addresses the various theologies and doctrinal declarations of the legitimate institutionalized religions however it additionally provides equivalent weight and attention to a multiplicity of alternative spiritual phenomena. humans understand and exhibit non secular studies in lots of other ways: via dance, sensuality, in family members among sexes and in compassion at loss of life. Religions aid ascertain how humans shape and understand their id as a part of a social staff. the various results of religions is also perceived within the surroundings, society and the general public sphere. The Brill Dictionary of faith is helping map out and outline the networks and connections created by means of quite a few religions in modern societies, and gives versions for figuring out those advanced phenomena.

By Abdu H. Murray, Josh McDowell

All religions and worldviews search to respond to the basic questions of human life: Why am I the following? What does it suggest to be human? Why is there evil on the planet and the way will we take care of it? yet no longer each worldview areas equivalent emphasis on every one factor. the most worldviews each one are inclined to pressure a distinct principal query. Secular humanism makes a speciality of: what's the inherent worth of people? Pantheism emphasizes: How can we get away anguish? Islam’s major quandary is: How is God nice? Abdu Murray digs deeply into those 3 representatives of significant worldviews of our day: secular humanism, pantheism and theism (specifically within the type of Islam). This attorney and previous Muslim brings compassion, knowing and readability to his research, evaluating the solutions of every view to the crucial message of Christianity.

By G. Ronald Murphy

Winner of the 2014 Mythopoeic delusion & fable experiences Award

At the center of the mythology of the Anglo-Scandinavian-Germanic North is the evergreen Yggdrasil, the tree of existence believed to carry up the skies and unite and separate 3 worlds: Asgard, excessive within the tree, the place the gods dwelled of their nice halls; Middlegard, the place people lived; and the darkish underground global of Hel, domestic to the giant goddess of demise. With the arrival of Christianity within the North round the yr a thousand, Yggdrasil used to be recast because the go on which Christ sacrificed himself. G. Ronald Murphy bargains an insightful exam of the lasting importance of Yggdrasil in northern Europe, displaying that the tree's picture continued no longer easily via its absorption into descriptions of Christ's crucifix, yet via acceptance by way of the newly switched over Christians of the reality in their new faith within the pictures and narratives in their older religion.

Rather than living on theological and cultural alterations among Christianity and older Anglo-Scandinavian ideals, Murphy makes an issue inner to the tradition, exhibiting how the hot dispensation used to be a attention of the previous. He indicates how architectural and literary works, together with the Jelling stone in Denmark, the stave church buildings in Norway, The Dream of the Rood, the runes of the futhark, the around church buildings on Bornholm, the Viking crosses at Middleton in Yorkshire or even the Christmas tree, are all indebted to the cultural interweaving of go and tree within the North. Tree of Salvation demonstrates that either Christian and older Northern symbols could be learn as a unmarried tale of salvation.

By Kevin McDonald

The earlier decade has witnessed a unprecedented upward thrust of latest worldwide activities that throw into query the best way we predict approximately tradition, energy, and motion in a globalizing international. This booklet surveys the sphere and explores one of the most major of those activities, together with antiglobalization and the recent Islamic activities. those routine require a rethinking of the very concept of social stream, an idea that owes greatly to the civic and business tradition that was once so severe to Western modernity, yet could be much less enough whilst exploring different types of tradition, motion, and conversation in a globalized international. This e-book explores key dimensions of those hobbies, the tensions they confront, and the crises to which they're topic. it's going to supply a vital textual content for college kids on globalization and social events.

By Garry W. Trompf

The sequence Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social structures either in Western and non-Western societies; specifically, it examines religions of their differentiation from, and intersection with, different cultural platforms, akin to artwork, economic climate, legislation and politics. Due realization is given to paradigmatic case or comparative experiences that convey a transparent theoretical orientation with the empirical and historic facts of faith and such facets of faith as ritual, the non secular mind's eye, structures of culture, iconography, or media. additionally, the formation of non secular groups, their development of id, and their relation to society and the broader public are key problems with this sequence.

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By Jan Nattier

An in-depth research of Buddhist theories of the decline and disappearance in their personal faith. Nattier's paintings demanding situations past assumptions in this subject and makes a speciality of the serious learn of the "Kausambi Story," a Buddhist prophecy of decline, in its Tibetan, important Asian, and chinese language variations.

By Donald F. Tuzin

1980 Mylar coated Hardcover. pale backbone. Foxing on best periphery. minimum put on. No markings or highlights in textual content, in a different way great fresh replica.

By F. A. M. Wiggerman

Wiggerman's research of Mesopotamian monsters bridges the space among textual content and snapshot. wood and clay figures of vast spirits akin to Hairy-One (lahmu), Bison-Bull (kusarikku), and Furious-Snake (mushussu) stand defend on the entrances to constructions to guard the inhavitants from demonic intruders. Deriving his details from the ritual texts that describe the construction and install of those figures, the writer identifies the monsters of the texts with gadgets from the archaeological checklist and provides an in depth dialogue of the identities and histories of quite a few Mesopotamian monsters.