A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion

Author: Craig Martin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315474395
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion introduces the key concepts and theories from religious studies that are necessary for a full understanding of the complex relations between religion and society. The aim is to provide readers with an arsenal of critical concepts for studying religious ideologies, practices, and communities. This thoroughly revised second edition has been restructured to clearly emphasize key topics including: Essentialism Functionalism Authority Domination. All ideas and theories are clearly illustrated, with new and engaging examples and case studies throughout, making this the ideal textbook for students approaching the subject area for the first time.

The Study of Religion

Author: George D. Chryssides
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1780936702
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 739

Book Description
This updated textbook unravels the complex issues related to methodology and theory in the study of religion. It equips students with the knowledge needed for the academic study of religion, explaining the history of the methodology, including ideas of key theorists, and discusses key issues in the field, such as gender, phenomenology, and the insider/outsider discourse. Updated throughout, additional material includes: -New chapter on colonialism and post-colonialism -New chapter on insider/outsider discourse -Coverage of 'cyber-religion' and the internet as a research tool in religious studies Study and classroom features in each chapter include: -Chapter outlines -Case studies -Boxed key concepts -Discussion questions -Chapter bibliographies The text is illustrated throughout with 35 images, and extra resources can be found online, including additional coverage of 'levels of religion'.

Introduction to the Study of Religion

Author: Hillary P. Rodrigues
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134132123
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
Why do people study religion? How have they studied it in the past? How do we study religion today? Is the academic study of religion the same as religious education? These and many other questions are addressed in this engaging introduction to the discipline of religious studies, written by two experienced university teachers. The authors have crafted this book to familiarize novice students with key concepts and terminology in the study of religion. More advanced students will find a varied array of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to the field. Topics include: definitions of religion perspectives in the study and teaching of religion how religion began to be studied: traditional perspectives – philosophical and theological how people experience religion: perspectives in the study of religious consciousness and perception – phenomenological and psychological studying religion within communities: Social and cultural perspectives – anthropological, sociological, political and economic judging religion: critical perspectives –feminist approaches, the interaction of popular literature and religion contextual perspectives – historical and comparative. The book encourages students to think critically about the theories and methods presented. Students will find arguments for the strengths and limitations of these approaches, understand connections among religious studies and other intellectual movements, and develop their own ideas of how they might want to go about the study of religion. Summary boxes, a timeline, a glossary and other pedagogic aids help students grasp key concepts, along with a companion website at www.sastor.com.

Introduction to the Study of Religion

Author: Kathleen S. Nash
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 1608332314
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 523

Book Description
This introductory text helps students think through the basic questions that arise in the study of religion. What is the nature of religious experience? How does religion shape the actions of individuals and communities? How does religion promote or inhibit human development and well-being? This 2nd edition has been updated throughout, including new examples, new themes such as religious fundamentalism and violence, and a new emphasis on environmental issues.

Introduction to Religious Studies

Author: Paul O. Myhre
Publisher: Anselm Academic Christian Brothers Pub.
ISBN: 9780884899761
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Filling the need for a clear, solid overview to introduction to religious studies courses, this text is neither too broad nor too narrow. Chapters explore what religion is and how it is formed and studied; religious experience; truth claims; ethics and moral theology; violence and religion; social involvement; religion and the environment; asceticism and mysticism; religion, technology, and science; religions and their words, stories, writings, and books; and more. The text respects cultural considerations and the contemporary global climate in showing religious studies in action and exploring questions of theory, method, and research. The contributing authors are in tune with college students' interests and are well suited to address the issues and methods of religious studies. Designed for college students taking their first course in the study of religion, such as introduction to religious studies and world religions.

Studying Religion

Author: Russell T. McCutcheon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317491661
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
Widely used as a primer, a text and a provocation to critical thinking, 'Studying Religion' aims to develop students' skills. The book clearly explains the methods and theories employed in the study of religion. Essays are offered on a range of topics: from the history and functions of religion to public discourse on religion and the classification of religions. The works of key scholars - from Karl Marx, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Rudolf Otto to Mircea Eliade, James G. Frazer, and Sigmund Freud - are analysed and explored. 'Studying Religion' represents a shift away from the traditional focus of describing the exotic or curious religious 'Other' to an examination of how religious behaviours and institutions are studied. The book will be invaluable to students of religious studies.

An Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion

Author: James Cox
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1441171592
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 199

Book Description
In this thoroughly revised edition, James Cox provides an easily accessible introduction to the phenomenology of religion, which he contends continues as a foundational method for the academic study of religion in the twenty-first century. After dealing with the problematic issue of defining religion, he describes the historical background to phenomenology by tracing its roots to developments in philosophy and the social sciences in the early twentieth century. The phenomenological method is then outlined as a step-by-step process, which includes a survey of the important classifications of religious behaviour. The author concludes with a discussion of the place of the phenomenology of religion in the current academic climate and argues that it can be aligned with the growing scholarly interest in the cognitive science of religion.

The Thing about Religion

Author: David Morgan
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469662841
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
Common views of religion typically focus on the beliefs and meanings derived from revealed scriptures, ideas, and doctrines. David Morgan has led the way in radically broadening that framework to encompass the understanding that religions are fundamentally embodied, material forms of practice. This concise primer shows readers how to study what has come to be termed material religion—the ways religious meaning is enacted in the material world. Material religion includes the things people wear, eat, sing, touch, look at, create, and avoid. It also encompasses the places where religion and the social realities of everyday life, including gender, class, and race, intersect in physical ways. This interdisciplinary approach brings religious studies into conversation with art history, anthropology, and other fields. In the book, Morgan lays out a range of theories, terms, and concepts and shows how they work together to center materiality in the study of religion. Integrating carefully curated visual evidence, Morgan then applies these ideas and methods to case studies across a variety of religious traditions, modeling step-by-step analysis and emphasizing the importance of historical context. The Thing about Religion will be an essential tool for experts and students alike. Two free, downloadable course syllabi created by the author are available online.

The Study of Religion

Author: John S. Harding
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780415495868
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This Reader introduces students of religion to its most common current perspectives and approaches, and provides an understanding of how the discipline developed.

An Introduction to Religion and Literature

Author: Mark Knight
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1441117873
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 175

Book Description
Religion has always been an integral part of the literary tradition: many canonical and non-canonical texts engage extensively with religious ideas, and the development of English Literature as a professional discipline began with an explicit consideration of the relationship between religion and literature. Literature also plays an important role in religious writing, as twentieth-century work on narrative theology has acknowledged. Both the recent theological turn of literary theory and the renewed political significance of religious debate in contemporary western culture have generated further interest in this interdisciplinary area. An Introduction to Religion and Literature offers a lucid, accessible and thoughtful introduction to the study of religion and literature. While the focus is on Christian theology and post-1800 British literature, substantial reference is made to earlier writers, texts from North America and mainland Europe, and other faith positions. Each chapter takes up a major theological idea and explores it through close readings of well-known and influential literary texts.