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Copyright, iv
Preface, xv
Part I. The Study of Religion, 1
1. What Is Religion?, 3
Key Words and Names, 3
Overview, 3
Defining Religion, 4
Why Are Humans Religious?, 9
Why Study Religion?, 11
Notes, 14
Review Questions, 14
Suggestions for Further Reading, 14
2. Ways of Studying Religion, 15
Key Words and Names, 15
Overview, 15
The Ways Religion is Studied, 16
Religion and Theology, 16
Literary Criticism, 17
Historiography, 20
Anthropology, 21
Sociology, 22
Philosophy, 23
Phenomenology, 25
Interpreting and Explaining Religion, 26
The Perspective of the Student—Commitment and Objectivity, 28
Notes, 32
Review Questions, 32
Suggestions for Further Reading, 33
Part II. Universal Forms of Religious Experience and Expression, 35
3. The Sacred and the Holy, 37
Key Words and Names, 37
Overview, 37
The Concept of Sacred Power, 38
The Ambivalence of Sacred Power, 38
The Holy as Mysterium Tremendum and Fascinans, 39
Sacred Space and Sacred Time, 42
Sacred Space, 43
The Buddhist Stupa and Pagoda as Sacred Space, 45
Mount Zion as Sacred Space, 46
Sacred Time, 49
Notes, 51
Review Questions, 51
Suggestions for Further Reading, 51
4. Sacred Symbol, Myth, and Doctrine, 53
Key Words and Names, 53
Overview, 53
Symbolic Communication, 54
Religious Symbols, 56
Metaphor, Parable, and Story, 59
Religious Myth, 63
Functionalist Theory of Myth, 65
A Psychotherapeutic Theory of Myth, 66
A Phenomenological Interpretation of Myth, 67
Models and Doctrines, 68
Notes, 71
Review Questions, 72
Suggestions for Further Reading, 72
5. Sacred Ritual, 74
Key Words and Names, 74
Overview, 74
Ritual Action, 75
Types of Sacred Ritual, 77
Life-Cycle Rites, 77
Life-Crisis Rites: A Healing Ritual, 84
Calendar or Seasonal Rituals, 86
Ritual and Sacrifice, 89
Rituals as Sacraments, 92
Notes, 94
Review Questions, 94
Suggestions for Further Reading, 95
6. Sacred Scripture, 96
Key Words and Names, 96
Overview, 96
Using the Term Scripture, 98
The Pervasive Role of Sacred Scripture, 98
Some Distinctive Features of Sacred Scripture, 101
The Authority and Canonicity of Scripture, 104
The Uses of Scripture, 107
The Interpretation of Scripture, 112
Buddhist Interpretation, 113
Christian Biblical Interpretation, 117
Liberation Theology and Interpretation of the Bible, 120
Notes, 121
Review Questions, 122
Suggestions for Further Reading, 122
7. Society and the Sacred: The Social Formations and Transformations of Religion, 124
Key Words and Names, 124
Overview, 124
The Reciprocal Relationship Between Religion and Society, 125
Types of Religious Communities, 127
Natural Religious Communities, 127
The Secret Society, 129
Voluntary Religious Communities, 130
Founded Religions, 131
Protest and Change in Voluntary Religious Communities, 133
Reform from within the Church-Type Community, 133
Separation from the Church-Type Community, 135
The Sect, 136
The Cult and the New Age Religious Movements, 139
Scientology, 142
Wicca—Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, 144
Notes, 147
Review Questions, 148
Suggestions for Further Reading, 148
Part III. Universal Components of a Religious Worldview, 151
8. Deity: Concepts of the Divine and Ultimate Reality, 153
Key Words and Names, 153
Overview, 153
Polytheism and the Worship of Nature, 154
Sky Gods, 155
Mother Goddesses, 157
Dualism, 163
Chinese Yin-Yang, 164
Dualism of Cosmic Struggle, 165
Pantheism and Monism, 167
Monotheism, 171
Panentheism, 178
Notes, 180
Review Questions, 180
Suggestions for Further Reading, 181
9. Cosmogony: Origins of the Natural and Social Order, 183
Key Words and Names, 183
Overview, 183
The Practical Basis of Cosmogony, 184
Emergence or Procreation from a Primal Substance or Being, 186
The Sexual Union of a Primal Male and Female, 187
Creation by Conflict and the Ordering of Chaos, 189
Creation by a Divine Craftsman, 193
Creation by Decree or from Nothing, 195
The Rejection of Cosmogonic Speculation, 198
Cosmogony Today, 201
The Anthropic Principle, 203
Creation Science, 204
Intelligent Design (ID), 205
Notes, 208
Review Questions, 209
Suggestions for Further Reading, 210
10. Views of the Human Problem, 211
Key Words and Names, 211
Overview, 211
Modern Views of Our Human Plight, 212
Stoicism, 214
Christianity, 217
Theravada Buddhism, 223
Confucianism, 227
Notes, 232
Review Questions, 233
Suggestions for Further Reading, 233
11. Theodicy: Encountering Evil, 235
Key Words and Names, 235
Overview, 235
The Persistent Demand for Theodicy, 237
Theodicy of “Mystical Participation”, 238
A Future, This-Worldly Theodicy, 239
Other-Worldly Theodicy, 242
Dualism, 243
The Karma-Samsara Theodicy, 244
Monotheistic Theodicies, 247
I. Suffering as Recompense for Sin, 247
II. Suffering as a Test and as a Necessary Condition of “Soul-Making”, 248
III. A Theodicy of Submission: The Mystery of God’s Sovereignty, 250
IV. A Theodicy of Protest, 252
The Free Will Defence, 254
Process Theodicy, 255
Notes, 256
Review Questions, 257
Suggestions for Further Reading, 258
12. Ethics: Foundations of Moral Action, 259
Key Words and Names, 259
Overview, 259
Philosophical Ethics, 261
The Sources and Norms of Moral Authority, 263
Cosmic or Natural Law, 263
Moral Exemplars and Prophets, 267
An Ethics of Divine Command, 274
The Example of Abortion, 276
Notes, 283
Review Questions, 284
Suggestions for Further Reading, 284
13. Soteriology: Ways and Goals of Salvation and Liberation, 287
Key Words and Names, 287
Ways of Salvation and Liberation, 288
Overview, 288
The Way of Grace Through Faith, 289
Martin Luther, 289
Mahayana Amida Buddhism in Japan, 292
The Way of Devotion, 294
The Way of Action and Obligation, 297
Hinduism, 298
Islam, 300
Judaism, 304
The Way of Meditation and Philosophical Insight, 307
The Yoga Techniques of Patañjali, 307
Theravada Buddhism, 309
Goals of Salvation and Liberation, 311
Overview, 311
Psychic Wholeness and a Restored Social Order, 312
A Messianic, or Utopian, Age, 316
Ancient Israel’s Messianic Hope, 317
Resurrection, Immortality, and Eternal Life, 321
Immortality in Ancient Egypt and Greece, 322
Postbiblical Judaism and Christianity: Resurrection of the Body, Heaven and Hell, Eternal Life, 324
Samadhi, Nirvana, and Sunyata, 329
Hindu Samadhi, 329
Buddhist Nirvana and Sunyata, 330
Notes, 333
Review Questions, 334
Suggestions for Further Reading, 335
Part IV. The Sacred and the Secular in Modernity, 339
14. Secularization—New Religious Revitalization Movements—Contemporary Religious Fundamentalism, 341
Key Words and Names, 341
Overview, 341
Secularization, Pluralism, and Revitalization Movements, 342
The Reactions of Religious Fundamentalisms Today, 344
The Characteristics of Contemporary Religious Fundamentalism, 345
American Protestant Fundamentalism, 346
Contemporary Islamic Fundamentalism, 350
Notes, 357
Review Questions, 358
Suggestions for Further Reading, 358
15. Contemporary Challenges to Traditional Religion: The Status and the Roles of Women—Relations Between Religion and the State, 361
Key Words and Names, 361
Overview, 362
The Status and Roles of Women, 362
Hinduism, 362
Buddhism, 363
Modern Christianity, 365
Islam, 369
Relations Between Religion and the State, 373
Some Types of Relationships Between Religion and the State, 374
Theocracy, 374
The State Church, 376
The Concept of the “Two Kingdoms”, 377
The Roman Catholic Position, 378
The Case for Separatism: The Free Churches, 381
Separatism and the Modern Secular State, 382
The “Culture Wars” in the United States: Discord over Relations Between Church and State, 386
Notes, 393
Review Questions, 395
Suggestions for Further Reading, 396
Glossary, 399
Index, 411

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