Intorducing Religion Religious Studies for the Twenty-First Century

includes index and biblioraphy

Chapter 1 How to study religion ......1 Pictures of religion .....2 Another reality ...5 Definitions of religion .....6 Three forms of religious expression and a working definition .....8 The structure of this book .....11 Summary .....12 Key terms .....13 Chapter 2 History of religion on planet earth .....14 Human religious beginnings .....15 The religion of early gatherers and hunders .....17 Archatic agriculture .....20 Ancient empires ....21 The axial age .......22 The great religions .......26 Five stages in the develioment of great religions .....27 Apostolic .....27 Empire and wisdom .......28 Devotionalism ....28 Reformation .....28 Modern .....29 Summary .......29 Key terms ......30 Chapter 3 Myth: our lives, and the world`s are stories ......31 Your story as myth .....32 Stories before writing .....33 Coyote .....36 Kinds of myth ans the creation myth .....37 The myth of the hero ......40 The worrior hero ......41 The savior hero .....44 Myth and meaning .....45 Summary .......46 Key terms .....46 Chapter 4 Magic doorways: Symbol, rite, and religion ....47 Signs and symbols .....48 Audio symbols .....50 Nonverbal ....51 Nonconceptual verbal .......52 Conceptual verbal .....52 The orchestration of symbols in rite .....53 Oublic worship .....54 Pilgrimage .....56 Initiation .....57 Summary .....59 Key terms .....59 Chapter 5 Oases of the mind: The psychology of religion ........60 Mental shifts .....61 Subuniverses ....62 Development and change .....64 Religious experience .....70 Psychological interpretations of religion ....72 Summary ......75 Key terms ......75 Chapter 6 Inner adventure: The way of realization, the way of faith ....76 Ways to go ....77 The way of realization .....80 Awakening ....81 Preparation ...83 Illumination .....83 Dark night of soul .......83 Unitive state .....83 Insight ....84 Faith, and monks who hated god ......86 The meeting of the twain ....90 Summary .....90 Key terms ......91 Chapter 7 Why evil? .....92 What exactly is evil ....93 Myths of the origin of evil ....94 Evil ritual, evil initation: Can religion create evil ? .......98 Why do bad things happen? Religious thought and evil .....100 Summary .....106 Chapter 8 Faith through form: Religion and art .....107 Stained-glass windows .....108 Painting ......110 Sculpture ....113 Architecture .......116 Music ......118 Poetry ........120 Darma .....122 Novels and stories .........124 Summary ......128 Key terms ........129 Chapter 9 Ghost marriages and country music: popular religion .......130 Two kinds of religion .....131 Popular expressions of mainstream religion ..........131 The devil`s share .....135 Global christianity .......136 Theories of popular religion ........137 Camouflages of the sacred .....140 Are they religion ......144 Summary .......146 Key terms ........147 Chapter 10 Infinite information, worlds without end: The internet religion and virtual realities ......147 The way we live now ........148 Levels and life ......149 Information please ........151 Alone together: religious talk online ........154 Gamesmanship .......157 Gateways to wonder ........162 Cyber apocalyptic ......163 Summary .......165 Chapter 11 Traveling together: The sociology of religion ....166 All religion is social .....167 Religious groups ......168 Established religion ....169 Three kinds of religion .....172 Emergent religion .........172 Religious personalities and roles ........177 The transformation of society by religion .......180 Image of the normative nature of society .....180 Worship and sociology of religion ......181 Chapter 12 Truth messages: The conceptual expression of religion ....186 Chapter 13 Worlds to come: Religious eschatology and the afterlife ......202 Chapter 14 How shall we live? Religion and ethics .....218 Chapter 15 Horror and glory: Religion confronting war ....242