"Introducing Religion explores different ways of looking at religion in the twenty-first century. Providing a broad overview to the discipline of religious studies, this textbook introduces students to engaging and contemporary topics such as: sociology of religion, psychology of religion, history of religion, religion and art, religious ethics, popular religion, and religion and violence. Thoroughly updated throughout, this edition includes new coverage of current debates and hot topics in the field, such as concerns about 'essentialism' in religion, the importance of categorization, and the role of psychology in religious experience. This textbook is fundamental reading for students approaching this subject area for the first time"--
Introducing students to engaging and contemporary topics such as sociology of religion, psychology of religion, history of religion, religion and art, religious ethics, popular religion, and religion and violence, this book continues to be fundamental reading for those approaching this subject area for the first time.
Introducing Religion examines the different ways of looking at religion in the twenty-first century. Providing a broad overview to the discipline of religious studies, this new edition continues to introduce students to engaging and contemporary topics such as:
- sociology of religion
- psychology of religion
- history of religion
- religion and art
- religious ethics
- popular religion
- religion and violence
Thoroughly updated throughout, this sixth edition includes new coverage of current debates and hot topics in the field, such as concerns about "essentialism" in religion, the importance of categorization, and the role of psychology in religious experience. This textbook is fundamental reading for students approaching this subject area for the first time.
1. How to Study Religion
2. History of Religion on Planet Earth
3. Myth:
Our Lives, and the Worlds, Are Stories
4. Why Evil?
5. Doorways to Other
Worlds: Symbol, Rite, and Religion
6. Oases of the Mind: The Psychology of
Religion
7. Inner Adventure: Walking the Path, and Monks Who Hated God
8.
Faith through Form: Religion and Art
9. Ghost Marriages and Country Music:
Popular Religion
10. Infinite Information, Worlds without End: The Internet,
Religion, and Virtual Realities
11. Travelling Together: The Sociology of
Religion
12. Truth Messages: The Conceptual Expression of Religion
13. How
Shall We Live? Religion and Ethics
14. Horror and Glory: Religion Confronting
War
15. Worlds to Come: Religious Eschatology and the Afterlife Journey's End
Appendix: Studying Religion Glossary Index
Robert S. Ellwood is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion at the University of Southern California, USA. He is the author of over twenty-five books, including Many Peoples, Many Faiths, The Fifties Spiritual Marketplace, The Sixties Spiritual Awakening, and Islands of the Dawn.
Patrick Horn is Lecturer in Religion at Hope International University and a past President of the American Society for the Philosophy of Religion.
