Religion: A Beginner’s Guide (Oneworld Beginner’s Guides)

Cover......Page 1
Series......Page 3
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Perspectives......Page 10
There’s more to life than meets the eye......Page 13
Mundane matters......Page 17
Religion......Page 20
The origins of religion......Page 23
The age of nationalism and internationalism......Page 30
Criticisms of the secular quest for the origins of religion......Page 33
The end of the quest for the origins of religion......Page 38
The place of religion in society......Page 40
Religions: a modern invention?......Page 46
Religion as systems......Page 48
Empathy for the religious other?......Page 51
The perennial philosophy......Page 54
How to recognise a religion......Page 56
2 – Is anyone or something there?......Page 60
Polytheism......Page 62
Monotheism......Page 71
The one and the many......Page 78
Tribal or universal?......Page 82
Does it really matter whether anyone or anything is there?......Page 91
3 – How the transcendent sees us and we see the transcendent......Page 94
Art and aesthetics......Page 97
Holy places......Page 104
Holy word......Page 109
Holy people......Page 117
The mystical path......Page 121
Festivals and festivities......Page 127
Worship......Page 130
Spirituality......Page 138
4 – The good life......Page 140
Life beyond?......Page 141
The way through dusty death......Page 154
The moving finger?......Page 165
A universal rule?......Page 168
What sort of god is god?......Page 170
5 – Religion in the new millennium......Page 172
Idealisation of the past......Page 175
Reconstructions of religion......Page 178
Diasporas......Page 183
The search for justice......Page 187
The question of truth......Page 192
Faith in the future of religion......Page 195
Bibliography......Page 198
Index......Page 204