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Religious Satire in the Era of New Atheism: Do You ‘Seriously Believe That’ After 9/11 (The Cultural Politics of Media and Popular Culture)
by Jerry C. JaffeReligious Satire in the Era of New Atheism presents a contemporary account of religious satire as evidenced by the modern art of stand-up comedy.Focused on the context of the post-9/11 American culture phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the New Atheism – as embodied by public intellectuals such as Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins – it documents the rise of comedic satire in relation to evangelical beliefs and religious dogma. Drawing on the author’s own experience of stand-up performance, it examines the comedy of figures such as Mark Maron, Bill Maher, and Ricky Gervais and presents material from interviews with comedians including Lewis Black, John Fugelsang, and Leigh Ann Lord to provide unique insights into some of the issues and definitions surrounding satire.With attention to the demonstrable rise in religious satire following the events of September 11, 2001, the author considers the clear link between this increase and the New Atheist movement, exploring shared themes and presence at specific events, such that stand-up comedy represents the Avant Garde of the New Atheists.
Religious Sense
by Luigi Giussani John E. ZucchiGiussani challenges us to penetrate the deepest levels of experience to discover our essential selves, breaking through the layers of opinions and judgments that have obscured our true needs. Asserting that all the tools necessary for self-discovery are inherent within us, he focuses primarily on reason, not as narrowly defined by modern philosophers, but as an openness to existence, a capacity to comprehend and affirm reality in all of its dimensions. Part of the so-called new religious revival, The Religious Sense avoids any sentimental or irrational reduction of the religious experience. It is a forthright and refreshing call to reassess our lives.
Religious Sense
by Luigi Giussani John E. ZucchiGiussani challenges us to penetrate the deepest levels of experience to discover our essential selves, breaking through the layers of opinions and judgments that have obscured our true needs. Asserting that all the tools necessary for self-discovery are inherent within us, he focuses primarily on reason, not as narrowly defined by modern philosophers, but as an openness to existence, a capacity to comprehend and affirm reality in all of its dimensions. Part of the so-called new religious revival, The Religious Sense avoids any sentimental or irrational reduction of the religious experience. It is a forthright and refreshing call to reassess our lives.
Religious Sensibilities in Pursuit of Sexual Well-Being: African Diasporic Communities in the Netherlands (Fertility, Reproduction and Sexuality: Social and Cultural Perspectives #55)
by Amisah Zenabu BakuriThe self-identifying Ghanaian-Dutch and Somali-Dutch communities residing in the Randstad area of the Netherlands are deeply impacted by religious beliefs and cultural factors in their approach towards sexual health practices, well-being and pleasure. This book shows how religious sensibilities shape the physical activities, beauty practices, and gendered roles that are adopted into the daily lives of these communities in pursuit of their sexual and general well-being. Through an ethnographic account, it explores and challenges the assumptions held around the complex relationship between religion and sexuality.
Religious Signing: A Comprehensive Guide for All Faiths
by Elaine CostelloSince the fourth century, when Spanish monks first started signing to communicate during their vows of silence, sign language has been used in religious communities of all faiths. Present-day American Sign Language (ASL) carries on that tradition. Like any living language, it continues to grow and change to meet the communication needs of an ever more diverse religious population. This comprehensive guide, newly revised, updated, and expanded, gives you all the vocabulary you need to communicate effectively in any religious setting. From Alleluia to Zizith, more than 750 signs and their specific meanings Large, clear, upper-torso illustrations that show the corresponding movements of hands, body, and face Easy-to-follow instructions to help you master the art of expressing signs A complete index for quick access to any sign With an essential section of religious "name signs," the addition of signs for the Muslim faith, and an expanded selection of favorite verses, prayers, and blessings, this book is an indispensable resource for signers of all denominations. Written with expertise by an educator and author associated with the field of deafness for more than thirty years, it makes communicating by ASL in a religious setting simple and easy, no matter your level of experience.
Religious Sites in America
by Mary Ellen SnodgrassProfiles the diversity of American religious expression, encompassing active religious centers and some 160 worship groups in all 50 states, from cathedrals to store-front chapels. Entries give information on each site's location, origin, and history, as well as its size, accessibility, purpose, and influence. Telephone, fax, and electronic contacts are also given. A multitude of beliefs and practices are represented, including Navajo sand painting, Messianic Judaism, ki healing, evangelism, and peyotism. Includes a detailed timeline charting the growth of religious expression in America, a glossary, and b&w photos for many entries.
Religious Statecraft: The Politics of Islam in Iran (Columbia Studies in Middle East Politics)
by Mohammad Ayatollahi TabaarSince the 1979 revolution, scholars and policy makers alike have tended to see Iranian political actors as religiously driven—dedicated to overturning the international order in line with a theologically prescribed outlook. This provocative book argues that such views have the link between religious ideology and political order in Iran backwards. Religious Statecraft examines the politics of Islam, rather than political Islam, to achieve a new understanding of Iranian politics and its ideological contradictions.Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar traces half a century of shifting Islamist doctrines against the backdrop of Iran’s factional and international politics, demonstrating that religious narratives in Iran can change rapidly, frequently, and dramatically in accordance with elites’ threat perceptions. He argues that the Islamists’ gambit to capture the state depended on attaining a monopoly over the use of religious narratives. Tabaar explains how competing political actors strategically develop and deploy Shi’a-inspired ideologies to gain credibility, constrain political rivals, and raise mass support. He also challenges readers to rethink conventional wisdom regarding the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, the U.S. embassy hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq War, the Green Movement, nuclear politics, and U.S.–Iran relations. Based on a micro-level analysis of postrevolutionary Iranian media and recently declassified documents as well as theological journals and political memoirs, Religious Statecraft constructs a new picture of Iranian politics in which power drives Islamist ideology.
Religious Stereotyping and Interreligious Relations
by Jesper Svartvik Jakob WirénReligion can heal, but it can hurt as well. This collection of essays addresses some key issues of religious stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and considers a wide range of important topics which haunt our societies today. When stereotyping becomes the oxygen we inhale, when it is so important to us that we cannot see how we can survive without it - what can and should we do? Twenty-two scholars from Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America explore the anatomy of various forms of stereotyping and ways to oppose them.
Religious Studies Scholars as Public Intellectuals (Routledge Studies in Religion)
by Sabrina D. MisirHiralall Christopher L. Fici Gerald S. VignaThe prominence of religion in recent debates around politics, identity formation, and international terrorism has led to an increased demand on those studying religion to help clarify and contextualise religious belief and practice in the public sphere. While many texts focus on the theoretical development of the subject, this book outlines a wider application of these studies by exploring the role of religious studies scholars and theologians as public intellectuals. This collection of essays first seeks to define exactly what makes an intellectual "public". It then goes on to deal with a few questions of concern: How do public intellectuals construct knowledge in religious and theological scholarship? What is the link between public intellectuals of higher education and their role in society? Do higher education institutions have a responsibility to endorse public intellectualism? Looking at the individual and collective role of religious studies scholars and theologians in public life, this book will be of great interest to all scholars and academics involved in religious studies and theology across the academy.
Religious Studies and Rabbinics: A Conversation (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)
by Beth A. Berkowitz Elizabeth Shanks AlexanderReligious Studies and Rabbinics have overlapping yet distinct interests, subject matter, and methods. Religious Studies is committed to the study of religion writ large. It develops theories and methods intended to apply across religious traditions. Rabbinics, by contrast, is dedicated to a defined set of texts produced by the rabbinic movement of late antiquity. Religious Studies and Rabbinics represents the first sustained effort to create a conversation between these two academic fields. In one trajectory of argument, the book shows what is gained when each field sees how the other engages the same questions: When did the concept of "religion" arise? How should a scholar’s normative commitments interact with their scholarship? The book argues that if scholars from Religious Studies and Rabbinics do not realize they are addressing the same problems, they will not benefit from each other’s solutions. A second line of argument brings research methods, theoretical claims, and data associated with one field into contact with those of the other. When Religious Studies categories such as "ritual" or "the sacred" are applied to data from Rabbinics and, conversely, when text-reading strategies distinctive to Rabbinics are employed for texts from other traditions, both Religious Studies and Rabbinics enlarge their scope. The chapters range across such themes as ritual failure; rabbinic conceptions of scripture, ethics, food, time, and everyday life; problems of definition and normativity in the study of religion; J.Z. Smith’s writings; and the preaching of the African-American Christian evangelical social justice activist John Perkins. With chapters written by world-class theorists of Religious Studies and prominent text scholars of Rabbinics, the book provides a unique opportunity to expand the conceptual reach and scholarly audience of both Religious Studies and Jewish Studies.
Religious Studies and the Goal of Interdisciplinarity (Routledge Focus on Religion)
by Brent SmithThis book offers a survey of the development of interdisciplinarity in religious studies within academia and offers ways for it to continue to progress in contemporary universities. It examines the use of the term ‘interdisciplinary’ in the context of the academic study of religion and how it shapes the way scholarly work in this field has developed. The text uses two main elements to discuss religious studies as a field. Firstly, it looks at the history of the development of religious studies in academia, as seen through an interdisciplinary critique of the university as an epistemological project. It then uses the same interdisciplinary critique to develop a foundation for a 21st-century hermeneutic, one which uses the classical concepts reprised by that interdisciplinary critique and retools the field for the 21st century. Setting out both the objects of religious studies as a subject and the techniques used to employ the study of those objects, this book offers an invaluable perspective on the progress of the field. It will, therefore, be of great use to scholars of research methods within religious studies.
Religious Studies for Common Entrance 13+ Exam Practice Answers
by Michael Wilcockson Susan GrenfellThis book provides all answers, as well as marking guidance, to the questions in the accompanying title Religious Studies for Common Entrance 13+ Exam Practice Questions. - Endorsed by ISEB- Provides extensive advice and guidance to help pupils achieve top marks - Saves time marking work and helps identify areas requiring further study
Religious Studies for Common Entrance 13+ Exam Practice Questions
by Michael Wilcockson Susan GrenfellThis book contains over 900 exam-style questions based on Syllabus A of the 13+ ISEB Common Entrance exam; it is ideal for pupils who are looking to achieve top grades in entrance exams at 13+. The guide is laid out to correspond with the examination paper and includes sections on Biblical Stories, World Religions and Contemporary Issues, allowing pupils to familiarise themselves with the format of the exam. It also includes advice on how to answer exam questions.- Endorsed by ISEB- Ideal for pupils working towards Syllabus A of the Religious Studies Common Entrance exam at 13+- Features rigorous exam-style questions for realistic practice
Religious Studies: A Global View
by Gregory D. AllesDrawing on recent developments in the comparative study of religion, this book explores the trends of the past sixty years from a global perspective. Each of the ten chapters covers the study of religion in a different region of the world, from Europe and the Americas to Asia and the Far East. Topics covered include: local background to the study of religions formation of religious studies in the region important thinkers and writings institutions interregional diversity and interregional connections emerging issues. This book is a major contribution to the field of religious studies and a valuable reference for scholars, researchers and graduate students.
Religious Studies: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides)
by Carl OlsonReligious Studies: The Key Concepts is an accessible, A-Z resource, defining and explaining key terms and ideas central to the study of religion. Exploring broad and recurring themes which are applicable in both eastern and western religions, cross-cultural examples are provided for each term to give a comprehensive overview of the subject. Subjects covered include: afterlife comparative religion festivals ethics gender monotheism world religions modernity pilgrimage theism secularization With cross referencing and further reading provided throughout, this book provides an inclusive map of the discipline, and is an essential reference for all students, academics and researchers.
Religious Symbols and the Intervention of the Law: Symbolic Functionality in Pluralist States (Law and Religion)
by Sylvie BacquetIn contemporary pluralist states, where faith communities live together, different religious symbols and practices have to coexist. This may lead to conflicts between certain minority practices and the dominant majority, particularly around the manifestation of belief in the public domain which may be seen both by the religious and secular majorities as a threat to their cultural heritage or against the secular values of the host country. The law has to mitigate those tensions in order to protect the public from harm and preserve order but in doing so, it may where necessary have to limit citizens’ ability to freely manifest their religion. It is those limitations that have been disputed in the courts on grounds of freedom of religion and belief. Religious symbols are often at the heart of legal battles, with courts called upon to consider the lawfulness of banning or restricting certain symbols or practices. This book analyses the relationship between the state, individuals and religious symbols, considering the three main forms of religious expression, symbols that believers wear on their body, symbols in the public space such as religious edifices and rituals that believers perform as a manifestation of their faith. The book looks comparatively at legal responses in England, the U.S.A and France comparing different approaches to the issues of symbols in the public sphere and their interaction with the law. The book considers religious manifestation as a social phenomenon taking a multidisciplinary approach to the question mixing elements of the anthropology, history and sociology of religion in order to provide some context and examine how this could help inform the law.
Religious Talk Online: The Evangelical Discourse of Muslims, Christians, and Atheists
by Stephen PihlajaIn the online world, people argue about anything and everything - religion is no exception. Stephen Pihlaja investigates how several prominent social media figures present views about religion in an environment where their positions are challenged. The analysis shows how conflict creates a space for users to share, explain, and develop their opinions and beliefs, by making appeals to both a core audience of like-minded viewers and a broader audience of viewers who are potentially interested in the claims, ambivalent, or openly hostile. The book argues that in the back-and-forth of these arguments, the positions that users take in response to the arguments of others have consequences for how religious talk develops, and potentially for how people understand and practice their beliefs in the twenty-first century. Based on original empirical research, it addresses long-debated questions in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis regarding the role of language in building solidarity, defining identity and establishing genres and registers of interaction. Develops new methods for social media research; Explains and expands the development of inter-religious dialogue in online contexts; Provides new insights into how online environments affect religious belief and religious interaction.
Religious Television and Pious Authority in Pakistan
by Taha KaziIn Pakistan, religious talk shows emerged as a popular television genre following the 2002 media liberalization reforms. Since then, these shows have become important platforms where ideas about Islam and religious authority in Pakistan are developed and argued. In Religious Television and Pious Authority in Pakistan, Taha Kazi reveals how these talk shows mediate changes in power, belief, and practice. She also identifies the sacrifices and compromises that religious scholars feel compelled to make in order to ensure their presence on television. These scholars, of varying doctrinal and educational backgrounds—including madrasa-educated scholars and self-taught celebrity preachers—are given screen time to debate and issue religious edicts on the authenticity and contemporary application of Islamic concepts and practices. In response, viewers are sometimes allowed to call in live with questions. Kazi maintains that these featured debates inspire viewers to reevaluate the status of scholarly edicts, thereby fragmenting religious authority. By exploring how programming decisions inadvertently affect viewer engagements with Islam, Religious Television and Pious Authority in Pakistan looks beyond the revivalist impact of religious media and highlights the prominence of religious talk shows in disrupting expectations about faith.
Religious Terrorism (Elements in Religion and Violence)
by Heather GreggHow can the world's religions, which propagate peace and love, promote violence and the killing of innocent civilians through terrorist acts? This Element aims to provide insights into this puzzle by beginning with a brief overview of debates on terrorism, a discussion on religion and the various resources it provides groups engaging in terrorist acts, four arguments for what causes religious terrorism, brief examples of religious terrorism across faith traditions, and a synopsis of deradicalization programs. This discussion shows that, when combined with certain political and social circumstances, religions provide powerful resources for justifying and motivating terrorist acts against civilians.
Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy: East Meets West
by Frank De Piano Ashe Mukherjee Scott Mitchel Kamilar Lynne M Hagen Elaine Hartsman R. Paul OlsonIntegrate spiritual traditions with psychological healing!In this fascinating volume, clinical practitioners of different religious traditions examine the same clinical case, offering insights, interventions, and explanations of transformation and healing. This practical approach allows them to explore broader issues of personality theory and psychology from the perspectives of various spiritual traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy addresses both the practical issues of doing psychotherapy and the deeper need to relate psychology and theology. After providing a thorough introduction to the spiritual tradition, each author presents a critical psychological theory of personality and psychotherapy grounded in that tradition. The authors address the questions of what it means to be a person, what causes human distress, and how individuals experience healing. Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy offers profound insights into the urgent issues of human suffering and psychological transformation, including: theories of personality structure and human motivation the nature of experience and processes of change the dialectical relation of theology and psychology convergences and difference among the religious psychologiesMarrying theory and practice, spirit and psyche, Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy offers profound insights and effective interventions. Mental health professionals, clergy, and scholars in religion, cross-cultural studies, personality, counseling, and psychotherapy will find this breakthrough book a life-changing experience and an invaluable resource.
Religious Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence (Psychology Revivals)
by Ronald GoldmanFirst published in 1964, Religious Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence describes the capacities of pupils of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds to understand religious truths. How concepts of the Bible, of God, of Jesus, of Prayer and of the Church developed from the early years is seen within the psychological context of maturing thought, and the implications for religious education, which are provocative and far-reaching, are explored. Teachers, clergy and parents will find this book a challenge to reconsider not only how the growing child views what he is taught but also the reasons why he frequently misunderstands religious teaching. By presenting a systematic account of religious thinking from 6 to 17 years, Dr. Goldman adds a new dimension to our insights into child development.
Religious Thought in France in the Nineteenth Century (Routledge Revivals)
by Canon W. SimpsonFirst published in 1935, Religious Thought in France in the Nineteenth Century discusses various religious thoughts prevalent in France during the nineteenth century, along with prominent figures associated with them. The author explores Positivist Religion, Natural Religion, and Older and Newer Protestantism. He then talks about the modernist movement in France through the life and career of distinguished critic Alfred Loisy. The author goes on to examine the future of religion and the influence of Bergson and provides a commentary on the biblical and historical studies among Catholics, Catholic studies of Dogma and the preachers in Paris like Mgr. de Quélen, Jesuit Ravignan, Jesuit Félix, Père Hyacinthe and Monsabré, to name a few. Simpson concludes his book with a discussion on the influence of Church on literary men – Bourget, Huysmans, Faguet, and Brunetière.
Religious Tolerance in the Atlantic World
by Eliane GlaserPlacing topical debates in historical perspective, the essays by leading scholars of history, literature and political science explore issues of difference and diversity, inclusion and exclusion, and faith in relation to a variety of Christian groups, Jews and Muslims in the context of both early modern and contemporary England and America.
Religious Tolerance through Humility: Thinking with Philip Quinn
by David BasingerThe acclaimed scholars contributing to this volume place under scrutiny a fascinating alternative proposal for a pathway to religious tolerance - that serious consideration of religious diversity tends to reveal the weakness of support many have for their religious commitments, and the humility produced tends to result in religious tolerance. The authors illuminate the debate within philosophy about the way beliefs are supported, the controversy between internalism and externalism, and disagreement about how humility and tolerance are related. Critical and supportive views are represented so that the main lines of agreement and disagreement rise to the surface and are mapped out for the first time. The collection honours Philip Quinn who advocated the pathway so rigorously that the special attention given to his views focuses and deepens the critical discussion. Original essays by some of the most respected contemporary intellectuals in this field make this collection especially attractive.
Religious Tourism and Globalization: The Search for Identity and Transformative Experience (CABI Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Series)
by Dr Nour Farra-Haddad Vitor Ambrósio Alison T. Smith Jaffer Idris Dimitrios Mylonopoulos Ricardo Nicolas Progano Silvia Aulet Serrallonga Spyridon Parthenis Dr Dino Bozonelos Polyxeni Moira Caglar Bideci Mujde Bideci Elzbieta Bilska-Wodecka Stephen F. Haller Antonietta Ivona Isilda Leitão Eleanor O’Keeffe Donatella PriviteraIs it possible to identify the positive and negative effects of globalization on religious tourism or to estimate the transformation of the internal and external constructs of pilgrimage by these effects? In order to address these questions, this book highlights the importance of the search for identity and transformative experience during religious tourism. It also looks at how, recently, globalization has played a part in the changes of the concept of personal and social identity and the transformative experience of pilgrimage. The chapters, consisting of carefully selected case studies, analyse possible effects including the adoption of different new rituals, new pilgrims' values, changes of tradition, acceptance of technologic innovations, development of new business models, and other environmental and sociocultural changes. The book provides: · a conceptual framework for understanding the impacts of globalization; · integrated cross-disciplinary approaches; and · an insight into major religious travel practices in the age of identity challenges and worldwide transformations. It will be suitable for researchers and students of religious tourism, pilgrimage, identity tourism, as well as related subjects such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, theology, history and cultural studies.