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