by
Lewis, James R.
Call Number
200.904 22
Publication Date
2003
Summary
James R. Lewis has written the first book to deal explicitly with the issue of how emerging religions legitimate themselves. He contends that a new religion has at least four different, though overlapping, areas where legitimacy is a concern: making converts, maintaining followers, shaping public opinion, and appeasing government authorities. The legitimacy that new religions seek in the public realm is primarily that of social acceptance. Mainstream society's acknowledgement of a religion as legitimate means recognizing its status as a genuine religion and thus recognizing its right to exist. Through a series of wide-ranging case studies Lewis explores the diversification of legitimation strategies of new religions as well as the tactics that their critics use to de-legitimate such groups. Cases include the Movement for Spiritual Inner Awareness, Native American prophet religions, spiritualism, the Church of Christ-Scientist, Scientology, Church of Satan, Heaven's Gate, Unitarianism, Hindu reform movements, and Soka Gakkai, a new Buddhist sect. Since many of the issues raised with respect to newer religions can be extended to the legitimation strategies deployed by established religions, this book sheds an intriguing new light on classic questions about the origin of all religions.
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0.0778
by
Pyysiäinen, Ilkka.
Call Number
200.19 22
Publication Date
2003
Summary
Modern findings in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology provide insights to the processes which make religious beliefs and behaviours efficient attractors in and across cultural settings. This text discusses how certain kinds of counter-intuitive ideas are selected for religious use.
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0.0687
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3.
by
Ostow, Mortimer.
Call Number
201.6150195 22
Publication Date
2007
Summary
Preeminent psychoanalyst Mortimer Ostow believes that early childhood emotional attachments form the cognitive underpinnings of spiritual experience and religious motivation. His hypothesis, which is verifiable, relies on psychological and neurobiological evidence but is respectful of the human need for spiritual value. Ostow begins by classifying the three parts of the spiritual experience: awe, Spirituality proper, and mysticism. After he pinpoints the psychological origins of these feelings in infancy, he discusses the foundations of religious sentiment and practice and the br.
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0.0648
by
Webb, Eugene, 1938-
Call Number
200.19 22
Publication Date
2009
Summary
"Looking at a broad spectrum of religions, Webb examines the relation between religion and modernity and explores what psychological analysis reveals about the relationship between stages of psychological development and ways of being religious that range from closed-minded to open-minded tolerance"--Provided by publisher.
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0.0615
5.
by
Jeeves, Malcolm A., 1926-
Call Number
201.615 22
Publication Date
2009
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0.0600
by
Turner, Denys, 1942-
Call Number
248.220902 20
Publication Date
1995
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by
Dallet, Janet.
Call Number
150.1954 20
Publication Date
1991
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0.0600
by
Buckley, David.
Call Number
200.19 22
Publication Date
2008
Summary
Where the Waters Meet offers the reader a new way of viewing an old subject. So often psychology and counselling therapies have been, and still are, seen as competitors, or even enemies, vying for supremacy as the true religion. This book invites us to take a fresh look at these two fields, each with their own experience and dogma, and view them in a different light. We are introduced to complementarity, an approach through which vital common factors begin to break through the barriers of convention and jargon. "Where the Waters Meet" is written from deeply held convictions about faith and abo.
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0.0586
by
Jeeves, Malcolm A., 1926-
Call Number
261.515 22
Publication Date
2006 1997
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0.0573
by
McCauley, Robert N.
Call Number
291.38019 21
Publication Date
2002
Summary
Bringing Ritual to Mind explores the psychological foundations of religious rituals. Religious rituals exploit either high performance frequency or extraordinary emotional stimulation (but not both) to enhance recollection. McCauley and Lawson use a wide range of evidence to argue that the explanation lies in participants' cognitive representations of ritual form.
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0.0561
by
Rue, Loyal D.
Call Number
200.19 22
Publication Date
2005
Summary
Annotation Thousands of religious traditions have appeared over the course of human history but only a relative few have survived. Since some speak of a myriad of gods, others speak of only one, and some recognize no gods at all, we can conclude that belief in a supernatural being is not the only thing that holds a faith tradition together. Volumes have been written attempting to prove the existence or non-existence of supernatural being(s). So, if religion is not about God, then what on earth is it about? In this provocative book, Loyal Rue contends that religion, very basically, is about us. Successful religions are narrative (myth) traditions that influence human nature so that we might think, feel, and act in ways that are good for us, both individually and collectively. Through the use of images, symbols, and rituals, religion promotes reproductive fitness and survival through the facilitation of harmonious social relations. Rue builds his argument by first assembling a theory of human nature, drawn from recent developments in cognitive science and evolutionary theory. He shows how cognitive and emotional systems work together and how they are conditioned by cultural influences, including religion. He then surveys the major religious traditions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism-to show how each one, in its own way, has guided human behavior to advance the twin goals of personal fulfillment and social coherence. As all religions are increasingly faced with a crisis of intellectual plausibility and moral relevance, they are being rendered incapable of shaping behavior in ways that might prevent unsustainable patterns of human population and consumption. Rue warns that when religions outlive their adaptive utility, they become positive threats to human survival. Despite its bold and ambitious goals, this book is hostile to neither the idea of God nor religious life. Written respectfully throughout, Religion Is Not about God will appeal to a broad audience interested in issues of faith and science. Annotation In the course of human history, thousands of religious traditions have appeared, each with distinctive patterns of meaning. Some speak of a myriad of gods, others speak of only one, while some recognize no gods at all. Volumes have been written attempting to prove the existence or non-existence of supernatural being(s). But, if religion is not about God, then what on earth is it about? In this provocative book, Loyal Rue contends that religion, very basically, is about us. More specifically, it is a series of strategies that aims to influence human nature so that we might think, feel, and act in ways that are good for us, both individually and collectively. Employing images, symbols, and rituals, religion's main goals are to promote reproductive fitness and survival through the facilitation of harmonious social relations. Rue builds his argument by first assembling a theory of human nature, drawn from recent developments in cognitive science and evolutionary theory. He shows how cognitive and emotional systems work together and how they are conditioned by cultural influences, including religion. He then surveys the major religious traditions--Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism--to show how each, in its own way, has guided human behavior to advance the twin goals of personal fulfillment and social coherence. Rue also considers the prospects for religious traditions in the light of contemporary challenges. As all religions are increasingly faced with a dual crisis of intellectual plausibility and moral relevance, they are being rendered less capable of shaping behavior in ways that are usefully adaptive. Rue warns that when religions outlive their adaptive utility, theybecome positive threats to human survival. Despite its bold and ambitious goals, this book is hostile to neither the idea of God nor religious life in general. Rue acknowledges that both can coexist with the idea of religion. Annotation If religion is not about God, then what on earth is it about? Loyal Rue contends that religion is a series of strategies that aims to influence human nature so that we might think, feel, and act in ways that are good for us, both individually and collectively.
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0.0539
by
Proudfoot, Wayne, 1939-
Call Number
204.2 22
Publication Date
2004
Summary
The ""science of religion"" is an important element in the interpretation of William James's work and in the methodology of the study of religion. An authority on pragmatism and the philosophy of religion, Wayne Proudfoot and a stellar group of contributors from a variety of disciplines including religion, philosophy, psychology, and history, bring innovative perspectives to James's work.
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Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0520