Religious Diversity Today [3 volumes]: Experiencing Religion in the Contemporary World

by Jean-Guy A. Goulet, Liam D. Murphy, Anastasia Panagakos

Overview

This insightful three-volume set examines faith through the social and cultural perspective of anthropology, sociology, and religious studies, shedding light on the role of religion in the human experience.

Why is human suffering and the existence of evil part of the human experience? How does religious doctrine establish one's identity? In what ways does religion interact with and shape the social order? This thought-provoking work ponders these questions and explores the concept of religion from various perspectives: as a tool for self and community-based spiritual awareness, as a set of practices that translates faith into interaction with others, and as a cornerstone of society for those who seek to harness—or hinder—its influence.

Written in accessible and inviting language, each volume focuses on a particular dimension of religion. The first book examines religious experience in the modern world and explores suffering in religious faiths, the second volume centers around ritual and pilgrimage, and the last book analyzes the controversial relationship between religion and societies. The content features such thought-provoking topics as death and green burials, sexuality and sex trade, and how and why evil manifests in the human experience.

• Features original essays on religious experience across a wide spectrum of social, cultural, and political environments
• Considers the social performance and effects of ritual
• Includes content based on fieldwork in North America, South America, Europe, China, the Philippines, South Africa, Morocco, and Lebanon
• Reveals how the culture of professional sports compares to traditional religious cultures
• Connects religion with the cultural interpretations of body images and politics

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440833311
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Pages:	910
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 3.00(d)

About the Author

Jean-Guy A. Goulet, PhD, is professor of conflict studies at Saint Paul University.

Liam D. Murphy, PhD, is professor of anthropology at California State University, Sacramento.

Anastasia Panagakos, PhD, is professor of anthropology at Cosumnes River College.

Editorial Reviews

"This wide-ranging collection is accessible to undergraduates and illustrates how theoretical frameworks help one better understand the vast range and variety of spiritual expression. . . . [S]tudents of religion will find this a useful and interesting collection. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels; general readers." - Choice

From the Publisher

04/15/2016
These three volumes display a fascinating survey and cross-section of the diversity of religious expression within our global community. The aim is to "enrich our self-understanding, individually and collectively, in an ongoing history of religious diversification, opposition, and cooperation." Indeed, the 37 chapters enrich readers' understanding and focus on three general themes: suffering and misfortune, ritual and pilgrimage, and religion transforming societies and social lives. The contributors skillfully seek to "avoid writing or thinking of faith communities as homogenous bodies. Rather, we recognize within them the multiple voices that challenge our orthodoxies, call for reform, and reach out for alliances with believers from other religions, to confront what they see as evil in their societies and the world at large." Many of the essays are written from an anthropological perspective and describe rituals, beliefs, and challenges within mainstream religion, folk religion, and even nonreligion. Some are disturbing, such as one that examines the link between Pentecostal Prosperity Gospel in Benin and human trafficking. Other pieces enlighten and entertain, including those that discuss the role of dance in religious groups that have experienced diaspora, marathon running as ritual, mantra healing in China, and European soccer as religion. The editors have brought together diverse religious perspectives and themes, with each volume editor authoring an introductory essay to set the chapters within a global context. VERDICT All readers curious about the variety of religious experiences within our modern world will find this work satisfying. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI

Library Journal