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Preface | p. xiii |
Thinking about Being a Student of Religion | p. 1 |
Insider's and Outsider's Perspectives | p. 1 |
Qualities Worth Having | p. 4 |
Openness | p. 4 |
Honesty | p. 4 |
Critical Intelligence | p. 5 |
Careful Observing, Reading, and Listening | p. 7 |
Critical Tolerance | p. 8 |
Why Study Religion? | p. 10 |
Review Questions | p. 12 |
Explorations | p. 12 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 13 |
Internet Resources | p. 13 |
On Defining and Studying Religion | p. 14 |
Marks of a Good Definition | p. 14 |
Usefulness | p. 14 |
Precision | p. 15 |
Freedom from Bias | p. 18 |
Two Definitions | p. 21 |
Is Secular Humanism a Religion? | p. 22 |
A Simple Map of the Field | p. 24 |
Goals and Methods | p. 28 |
Description | p. 28 |
Interpretation | p. 30 |
Explanation | p. 31 |
Evaluation | p. 32 |
Fieldwork | p. 33 |
A Controversy | p. 35 |
Review Questions | p. 35 |
Explorations | p. 36 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 36 |
Internet Resources | p. 37 |
Sacred Power | p. 38 |
Two Case Studies | p. 38 |
Dao (Tao) | p. 38 |
Anselm on God | p. 41 |
Comparison | p. 43 |
Forms of Sacred Power | p. 45 |
Spirits, Ancestors, and Totems | p. 46 |
Goddesses and Gods | p. 47 |
Monotheism and Deism | p. 49 |
Dualism Divine | p. 51 |
Pantheism and Monism | p. 52 |
Agnosticism and Atheism | p. 54 |
Review Questions | p. 55 |
Research Case-Ganesha | p. 56 |
Questions on the Case of Ganesha | p. 58 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 58 |
Internet Resources | p. 59 |
Myth as Sacred Story | p. 60 |
Two Case Studies | p. 61 |
Enuma elish | p. 61 |
Moses | p. 63 |
Comparison | p. 67 |
Types and Functions | p. 68 |
Theories of Myth | p. 71 |
Myth and Science | p. 74 |
Review Questions | p. 78 |
Research Case-The Primal Man | p. 78 |
Questions on the Case of the Primal Man | p. 80 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 80 |
Internet Resources | p. 81 |
Ritual as Sacred Action | p. 82 |
Two Case Studies | p. 83 |
Akitu Festival | p. 83 |
Her Alone They Sing Over (Ishna Ta Awi Cha Lowan) | p. 87 |
Comparison | p. 92 |
Types and Functions | p. 93 |
Sacrifice and Violence | p. 94 |
Myth and Ritual | p. 97 |
Review Questions | p. 98 |
Research Case-Seder | p. 98 |
Questions on the Case of the Seder | p. 101 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 102 |
Internet Resources | p. 102 |
Sacred Space and Time | p. 103 |
Two Case Studies | p. 105 |
Mount Kilimanjaro | p. 105 |
The Dreamtime | p. 108 |
Comparison | p. 110 |
Features of Sacred Space and Time | p. 112 |
Glimpsing the Sacred | p. 115 |
Architecture | p. 116 |
Music | p. 120 |
Review Questions | p. 121 |
Research Case-The Cathedral of St. Andrew | p. 121 |
Questions on the Case of the Cathedral of St. Andrew | p. 125 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 126 |
Internet Resources | p. 126 |
Experiencing the Sacred | p. 127 |
Two Case Studies | p. 129 |
Muhammad | p. 129 |
The Buddha | p. 133 |
Comparison | p. 138 |
Debates About the Nature of Religious Experiences | p. 140 |
Shamanic Ecstasy | p. 143 |
Mystical Techniques and States | p. 144 |
Typologies of Mystical Experiences | p. 144 |
Mystical Experience: Pure or Culturally Conditioned? | p. 145 |
Mystical Techniques | p. 146 |
Psychoanalytic Theories | p. 148 |
Review Questions | p. 152 |
Research Case-St. Teresa of Avila | p. 152 |
Questions on the Case of St. Teresa of Avila | p. 156 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 157 |
Internet Resources | p. 158 |
Explaining Evil | p. 159 |
Two Case Studies | p. 162 |
Karma | p. 162 |
The Mahdi | p. 164 |
Comparison | p. 166 |
Types of Theodicies | p. 167 |
Karma Theodicies | p. 167 |
Eschatological Theodicies | p. 169 |
Theodicies of Participation | p. 171 |
Dualistic Theodicies | p. 173 |
The Theological Problem of Evil | p. 174 |
How Theodicies Work | p. 179 |
Review Questions | p. 181 |
Research Case-Manichaeism | p. 182 |
Questions on the Case of Manichaeism | p. 183 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 184 |
Internet Resources | p. 185 |
Religion and Morality | p. 186 |
Two Case Studies | p. 188 |
Divine Command Theory | p. 188 |
Confucian Virtue | p. 191 |
Comparison | p. 195 |
Identifying and Legitimating Moral Norms | p. 197 |
What are the Elements of a Religious Morality? | p. 199 |
Retribution | p. 201 |
Overcoming Moral Failure | p. 202 |
Review Questions | p. 203 |
Research Case-Jain Nonviolence | p. 203 |
Questions on the Case of Jain Nonviolence | p. 208 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 208 |
Internet Resources | p. 209 |
Religion and Politics | p. 210 |
Two Case Studies | p. 212 |
Inside the Mind of a Religious Terrorist | p. 212 |
Separation of Church and State | p. 217 |
Comparison | p. 222 |
Patterns of Political Engagement | p. 224 |
Just War and Holy War | p. 226 |
Civil Religion | p. 227 |
Theocracy | p. 229 |
Review Questions | p. 233 |
Research Case-The Truth and Reconciliation Commission | p. 234 |
Questions on the Case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission | p. 238 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 238 |
Internet Resources | p. 239 |
Organizing the Sacred | p. 240 |
Two Case Studies | p. 242 |
Tibetan Buddhism | p. 242 |
Jonestown | p. 246 |
Comparison | p. 252 |
The Dilemmas of Institutionalization | p. 257 |
Types of Authority | p. 259 |
Scripture | p. 261 |
Gender | p. 264 |
Review Questions | p. 268 |
Research Case-Shinto | p. 268 |
Questions on the Case of Shinto | p. 274 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 274 |
Internet Resources | p. 275 |
Human Existence and Destiny | p. 276 |
Two Case Studies | p. 279 |
Sikhism | p. 279 |
Christianity | p. 282 |
Comparison | p. 287 |
Religions of Salvation and Society | p. 288 |
Where are We Going? | p. 291 |
Review Questions | p. 295 |
Research Case-Zen Buddhism | p. 296 |
Questions on the Case of Zen Buddhism | p. 298 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 298 |
Internet Resources | p. 299 |
Religious Diversity and Truth | p. 300 |
Why Can't We All Get Along? | p. 301 |
Exclusivism, Inclusivism, and Pluralism | p. 303 |
Exclusivism | p. 303 |
Inclusivism | p. 306 |
Pluralism | p. 308 |
Can We Determine Religious Truth? | p. 311 |
Language Games | p. 314 |
Critical Tolerance and the Principle of Charity | p. 314 |
The Blind People and the Elephant | p. 315 |
The Elephant Principle | p. 316 |
Review Questions | p. 317 |
Research Case-Baha'l | p. 317 |
Questions on the Case of Baha'i | p. 323 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 324 |
Internet Resources | p. 325 |
Notes | p. N-1 |
Glossary | p. G-1 |
Credits | p. C-1 |
Index | p. I-1 |
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