| Preface | |
| Preliminaries | |
| Thinking about Being a Student of Religion | |
| Insider's and Outsider's Perspectives | |
| Qualities Worth Having | |
| Openness | |
| Honesty | |
| Critical Intelligence | |
| Careful Observing, Reading, and Listening | |
| Critical Tolerance | |
| Why Study Religion? | |
| Plan of the Book | |
| Review Questions Explorations Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| On Defining and Studying Religion | |
| Marks of a Good Definition | |
| Usefulness | |
| Precision | |
| Freedom from Bias | |
| Two Definitions | |
| Superstition, Magic, and Religion | |
| Toward a Working Definition of Religion | |
| A Simple Map of the Field | |
| Goals and Methods | |
| Description | |
| Interpretation | |
| Explanation | |
| Evaluation | |
| Fieldwork | |
| A Controversy | |
| Review Questions Explorations Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Liminaries | |
| Sacred Power | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Dao (Tao) | |
| Anselm on God | |
| Comparison | |
| Forms of Sacred Power | |
| Spirits, Ancestors, and Totems | |
| Goddesses and Gods | |
| Monotheism and Deism | |
| Dualism Divine | |
| Pantheism and Monism | |
| Agnosticism and Atheism | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: Ganesha Questions on the Case of Ganesha Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Myth as Sacred Story | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Enuma elish | |
| Moses | |
| Comparison | |
| Types and Functions | |
| Theories of Myth | |
| Myth and Science | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: The Primal Man Questions on the Case of the Primal Man Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Ritual as Sacred Action | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Akitu Festival | |
| Her Alone They Sing Over (Ishna Ta Awi Cha Lowan) | |
| Comparison | |
| Types and Functions | |
| Sacrifice | |
| Magic, Performatives, and Ritual | |
| Myth and Ritual | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: Seder Questions on the Case of the Seder Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Sacred Space, Time, and Art | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Mount Kilimanjaro | |
| The Dreamtime | |
| Comparison | |
| Features of Sacred Space and Time | |
| Religion and Art | |
| Architecture | |
| Music | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: The Cathedral of St. Andrew Questions on the Case of the Cathedral of St. Andrew Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Experiencing the Sacred | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Muhammad | |
| The Buddha | |
| Comparison | |
| Debates about the Nature of Religious Experiences | |
| Shamanic Ecstasy | |
| Mystical Techniques and States | |
| Typologies of Mystical Experiences | |
| Mystical Experience: Pure or Culturally Conditioned? | |
| Mystical Techniques | |
| Psychoanalytic Theories | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: St. Teresa of Avila Questions on the Case of St. Teresa of Avila Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Evil | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Karma | |
| The Mahdi | |
| Comparison | |
| Types of Theodicies | |
| Karma Theodicies | |
| Eschatological Theodicies | |
| Theodicies of Participation | |
| Dualistic Theodicies | |
| The Theological Problem of Evil | |
| How Theodicies Work | |
| Review Questions | |
| Research Case: Manichaeism Questions on the Case of Manichaeism Suggestions for Further Reading Internet Resources | |
| Religion and Morality | |
| Two Case Studies | |
| Divine Command Theor | |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |