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Introduction: Prepare To Be Surprised | |
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The Tools | |
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An Overview of Religion: Making Sense of Life | |
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Explaining Suffering and Evil | |
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Explaining Death | |
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Ghosts | |
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Resurrection | |
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Souls | |
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Reincarnation | |
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The Importance of Order | |
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Order Out of Chaos | |
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Order and Predictability: Eschatology, Prophecy, Divination | |
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Social Order | |
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Group Identity | |
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Ethics/Morality and Law | |
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Authority and Power | |
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The Role of Ritual | |
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Conclusion | |
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3 | |
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The Relationship between Philosophy and Theology | |
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Two Kinds of Christian Theology | |
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Scriptural (Biblical) Studies and the Impact of the Printing Press | |
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Baruch Spinoza | |
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William Robertson Smith: Historical Criticism | |
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The Rise of Modernity and New Academic Disciplines:Oriental Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology | |
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Max Mller: Oriental Studies and Religion | |
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Edward Burnett Tylor: Anthropology and Religion | |
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James Frazer: Evolution and Religion | |
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Negative Views of Religion | |
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Karl Marx: Religion and the Opiate of the Masses | |
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Sigmund Freud: Religion and Neurosis | |
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Sociology of Religion | |
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Emile Durkheim: Modernization Theory | |
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Max Weber: The Protestant Ethic | |
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Conclusion | |
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4 | |
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Back to Philosophy | |
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Analytic Philosophy: Antony Flew | |
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Phenomenology and Religious Studies | |
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Rudolf Otto | |
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Mircea Eliade | |
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Philosophy of Religion | |
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John Hick | |
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William Lane Craig | |
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Anthropology of Religion | |
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Clifford Geertz | |
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Mary Douglas | |
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Sociology of Religion | |
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Peter L. Berger | |
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Robert N. Bellah | |
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Psychology of Religion | |
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Wiliam James | |
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Carl Jung | |
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Conclusion | |
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Using the Tools: Surveying World Religions | |
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5 | |
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Prehistoric Traditions | |
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Animism and Anthropomorphism | |
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Death Rituals | |
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Fertility Goddesses | |
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Hunting Rituals | |
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Shamans | |
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Ancient Religions, Oral Religions | |
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The Neolithic Revolution, Patriarchy, and the Rise of Historic Religions | |
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Conclusion | |
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6 | |
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Judaism | |
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The Torah, the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament | |
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The History and Teachings of Judaism | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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3 | |
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The Enlightenment | |
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The Development of Reform Judaism | |
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Conservative Judaism | |
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Reconstructionist Judaism | |
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The Rituals of Judaism | |
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Judaism Today | |
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Christianity | |
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The History and Teachings of Christianity | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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The Institutionalization and Politicization of Christianity | |
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Eastern and Western Christians | |
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The Western/Roman Church | |
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The Eastern Orthodox Churches | |
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3 | |
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Christian Rituals | |
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Christianity Today | |
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Islam | |
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The History and Teachings of Islam | |
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1 | |
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Early History: The Life of Muhammad and the Rashidun Caliphs | |
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3 | |
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The Modern Period: Reform and Recovery | |
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Islamic Rituals | |
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Major Divisions Today | |
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The Impact of Religious Studies on the Western Monotheisms | |
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Biblical Studies | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Theology | |
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1 | |
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Gustavo Gutierrez | |
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Farid Esack | |
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2 | |
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Judith Plaskow | |
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Rosemary Radford Ruether | |
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Amina Wadud | |
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Conclusion | |
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Two Traditions of India: Hinduism and Buddhism | |
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Hinduism and Buddhism | |
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Hinduism | |
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1 | |
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Indus Valley Civilization (3,000-1,500 BCE) | |
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The Aryans and the Vedas (1,500-600 BCE) | |
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The Mystical Worldview of the Upanishads | |
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Classical Hinduism | |
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The Ramayana | |
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The Mahabharata | |
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The Puranas | |
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The Laws of Manu | |
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2 | |
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3 | |
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Buddhism | |
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History and Teachings of Buddhism | |
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Understanding the Four Noble Truths | |
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The Ethics of "Awakening" | |
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The Core of All Buddhist Traditions | |
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The Development of the Three Main Traditions | |
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Theravada (Hinayana) | |
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Mahayana | |
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Vajrayana | |
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2 | |
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3 | |
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Conclusion: Religious Studies and Indian Traditions | |
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8 | |
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The Tao, Yin and Yang | |
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The History of Chinese Religious Thought | |
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1 | |
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The Zhou Period (12th-3rd c. BCE) | |
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Confucius | |
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Taoism | |
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Buddhism in China | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Chinese Folk Traditions | |
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Chinese Traditions Today | |
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9 | |
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What Makes a "World Religion"? | |
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Zoroastrianism | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Shinto | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Baha'i | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Scientology | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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3 | |
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Wicca | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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The Traditions of the Seneca | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Conclusion: To Be or Not To Be a Religion? | |
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10 | |
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Can We Define Religion? | |
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Secularization? | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Resurgent Islam | |
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Resurgent Religion in the U.S.? | |
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Secularization in Europe | |
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Religion Revisited | |
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Other Issues | |
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1 | |
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2 | |
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Religion and Physical Health | |
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Religion and Mental Health | |
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Does Prayer Work? | |
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Brain Science and Mystical Experience | |
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Conclusion: Another Surprise? | |