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Preface | p. xiii |
What Is Religion? | p. 1 |
Definition of Religion | p. 1 |
Religion Versus Science? | p. 3 |
Religion Versus Other Values | p. 5 |
Components of Religion | p. 7 |
God or Gods? | p. 10 |
Religion Versus Government | p. 12 |
Sacred Writings | p. 15 |
Religious Roles | p. 17 |
Scholarly Approaches | p. 23 |
Tribal Religions | p. 29 |
Earliest Religion | p. 31 |
Common Themes in Tribal Religion | p. 33 |
The Sacred | p. 33 |
The Profane | p. 34 |
Animism | p. 35 |
Taboo | p. 35 |
Rites of Passage | p. 35 |
Sacrifice | p. 36 |
Magic | p. 37 |
Exorcism | p. 37 |
Healing | p. 38 |
Divination | p. 38 |
Creation Myths | p. 39 |
Tricksters | p. 39 |
Totems | p. 40 |
The High God | p. 40 |
Afterlife and Ancestors | p. 40 |
Megaliths | p. 41 |
The Shaman | p. 43 |
Australian Aborigines | p. 44 |
Inuits (Eskimos) | p. 48 |
Native Americans | p. 51 |
Africans | p. 55 |
Southeast Asians and Melanesians | p. 60 |
Polynesians | p. 61 |
Ainu | p. 62 |
Teutons | p. 64 |
Celts | p. 65 |
Religions of Ancient Civilizations | p. 67 |
Religious Themes | p. 71 |
Mesopotamia | p. 72 |
Case Study: Enuma Elish | p. 75 |
Case Study: Gilgamesh | p. 77 |
Egypt | p. 79 |
Iran | p. 84 |
New World Civilizations | p. 89 |
Hinduism | p. 99 |
History | p. 99 |
Pre-Vedic India | p. 99 |
Vedic India | p. 102 |
Case Study: The Isa Upanishad | p. 109 |
The Period of Native Challenge | p. 112 |
The Period of Reform and Elaboration | p. 118 |
Case Study: Stories from the Mahabharata | p. 119 |
The Period of Foreign Challenge | p. 124 |
Contemporary Hinduism: Popular Religion | p. 127 |
Worldview | p. 130 |
Nature | p. 130 |
Society | p. 132 |
Self | p. 134 |
Case Study: The Hindu Child | p. 136 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 137 |
Summary: The Hindu Center | p. 140 |
Judaism | p. 145 |
History | p. 146 |
The Biblical Period | p. 146 |
Case Study: Jeremiah | p. 151 |
Rabbinic Judaism | p. 155 |
The Medieval Period | p. 161 |
The Modern Period | p. 164 |
Case Study: Hasidic Tales | p. 165 |
Worldview | p. 169 |
Nature | p. 169 |
Society | p. 170 |
Case Study: Jewish Rituals | p. 172 |
Self | p. 175 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 177 |
Case Study: Jewish Prayer | p. 178 |
Summary: The Jewish Center | p. 181 |
China and Japan | p. 183 |
The History of China | p. 183 |
Preaxial Chinese Religion | p. 183 |
The Six Schools | p. 187 |
Case Study: The Cult of Confucius | p. 193 |
The Communist Era | p. 206 |
The Chinese Worldview | p. 208 |
Nature | p. 208 |
Society | p. 208 |
Self | p. 209 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 210 |
Summary: The Chinese Center | p. 211 |
The History of Japan | p. 212 |
The Ancient-Formative Period | p. 212 |
Japan's Modern-Reformative Period | p. 216 |
The Japanese Worldview | p. 219 |
Nature | p. 219 |
Society | p. 220 |
Self | p. 221 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 222 |
Summary: The Japanese Center | p. 223 |
Greek and Hellenistic Religion | p. 227 |
History | p. 227 |
The Earliest Religion | p. 228 |
The Olympian Pantheon | p. 229 |
Oracles and Divination | p. 233 |
The Older Mystery Cults | p. 233 |
Philosophy | p. 235 |
The Hellenistic Mystery Cults | p. 238 |
Worldview | p. 241 |
Nature and Ultimate Reality | p. 241 |
Society | p. 243 |
Women | p. 243 |
Self | p. 244 |
Summary: The Greek and Hellenistic Center | p. 247 |
Buddhism | p. 249 |
History | p. 249 |
Overview | p. 249 |
The Buddha | p. 250 |
The Dharma (Buddhist Doctrine) | p. 253 |
Early Buddhism | p. 256 |
Case Study: Theravada | p. 259 |
Mahayana | p. 260 |
Case Study: The Diamond Sutra | p. 262 |
Tantrism | p. 264 |
The Demise of Indian Buddhism | p. 268 |
Buddhism in China | p. 268 |
Buddhism in Japan | p. 274 |
Contemporary Buddhist Rituals | p. 277 |
Worldview | p. 279 |
Nature | p. 280 |
Society | p. 282 |
Self | p. 285 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 286 |
Case Study: Nagarjuna | p. 287 |
Summary: The Buddhist Center | p. 288 |
Christianity | p. 291 |
History | p. 291 |
Jesus | p. 291 |
Case Study: Jesus' Parables | p. 297 |
The Early Centuries | p. 300 |
The Conciliar Age | p. 304 |
Eastern Orthodox Churches | p. 312 |
The Medieval Period | p. 315 |
The Period of Reform | p. 317 |
Worldview | p. 322 |
Nature | p. 322 |
Society | p. 325 |
Self | p. 326 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 328 |
Summary: The Christian Center | p. 331 |
Islam | p. 333 |
History | p. 333 |
Muhammad | p. 334 |
Qur'anic Religion | p. 336 |
The Age of Conquest | p. 338 |
Case Study: Mary | p. 339 |
The Golden Civilization | p. 343 |
Case Study: Architecture and Poetry | p. 346 |
The Period of Division | p. 350 |
Late Empire and Modernity | p. 351 |
Case Study: Lessons from Recent Iran | p. 353 |
Worldview | p. 356 |
Nature | p. 356 |
Society | p. 357 |
Self | p. 361 |
Case Study: Islamic Rituals | p. 362 |
Case Study: Muslim Saints | p. 366 |
Ultimate Reality | p. 368 |
Summary: The Muslim Center | p. 371 |
Modern Times | p. 373 |
Enlightenment | p. 373 |
Demythologization | p. 374 |
Modern Science | p. 375 |
Liberalism | p. 377 |
The U.S. Situation | p. 378 |
Marxism | p. 379 |
Existentialism | p. 380 |
Worldview | p. 380 |
Nature and Divinity in Humanistic Perspective | p. 380 |
Society and Self in Humanistic Perspective | p. 381 |
Summary: The Humanistic Center | p. 383 |
Responses to Secularism | p. 384 |
The Great Awakening and the Great Revival | p. 384 |
Pentecostalism | p. 385 |
Christian Science | p. 386 |
Apocalypticism | p. 386 |
Jehovah's Witnesses | p. 387 |
Seventh Day Adventists | p. 387 |
Communistic Societies | p. 388 |
Mormonism | p. 388 |
Evangelicalism | p. 392 |
Ecumenism | p. 394 |
Cults | p. 395 |
Unity and Diversity | p. 398 |
Answers to Crossword Puzzles | p. 403 |
Glossary | p. 420 |
Annotated Bibliography | p. 438 |
Index | p. 448 |
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