Alternative belief systems

Since the emergence of religious studies and the social sciences as academic disciplines, the concept of "e;magic"e; has played a major role in defining religion and in mediating the relation of religion to science.

Imagine yourself sitting on the cool damp earth, surrounded by deep night sky and fields full of fireflies, anticipating the ritual of initiation that you are about to undergo.

The Salem witch hunt of 1692 is among the most infamous events in early American history; however, it was not the only such episode to occur in New England that year.

The Mandaeans are a Gnostic sect that arose in the middle east around the same time as Christianity.

In Mystics and Messiahs--the first full account of cults and anti-cult scares in American history--Philip Jenkins shows that, contrary to popular belief, cults were by no means an invention of the 1960s.

From the mass weddings of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church to the ritual suicides at Heaven's Gate, charismatic cults and their devotees have become facts of American life.

Spirituality is in the spotlight.

Spirituality is in the spotlight.

For many of us, the question of whether or not God exists is one of the most perplexing and profound questions of our lives, and numerous philosophers and theologians have debated it for centuries.

For many of us, the question of whether or not God exists is one of the most perplexing and profound questions of our lives, and numerous philosophers and theologians have debated it for centuries.

A significant number of Americans view atheists as immoral elitists, aloof and unconcerned with the common good, and they view science and scientists as responsible.

A significant number of Americans view atheists as immoral elitists, aloof and unconcerned with the common good, and they view science and scientists as responsible.

The number of people claiming no religious affiliation has skyrocketed in recent years, and that growth shows no signs of slowing down.

The number of people claiming no religious affiliation has skyrocketed in recent years, and that growth shows no signs of slowing down.

The first readable and accurate translation of twenty of the most authoritative Hindu documents pertaining to ascetic ideals and the ascetic way of life, this text opens to students a major source for the study of the Hindu ascetical institutions and of the historical changes they underwent during a period of a thousand years or more.

In this pathbreaking study, the historical relationship between nineteenth-century spiritualism and twentieth-century surrealism is the basis for a general examination of conflicting movements in literature, art, philosophy, science, and other areas of social life.

The influential scholar of religion Mircea Eliade envisioned a spiritually destitute modern culture coming into renewed meaning through the recovery of archetypal myths and symbols.

In this penetrating and provocative assessment of the current state of religion and its effects on society at large, Philip J.

The current ecological crisis is a matter of urgent global concern, with solutions being sought on many fronts.

Throughout history, magic has been as widely and passionately practiced as religion.

Goddesses often are labeled as one-dimensional forces of nature or fertility.

Comprising well over a thousand pages of densely written Aramaic, the compilation of texts known as the Zohar represents the collective wisdom of various strands of Jewish mysticism, or kabbalah, up to the thirteenth century.

Teaching Spirits offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions.

In the ancient Greco-Roman world, it was common practice to curse or bind an enemy or rival by writing an incantation on a tablet and dedicating it to a god or spirit.

This volume offers a new account of the relationship between literary and secularist scenes of writing in interwar Britain.

This volume offers a new account of the relationship between literary and secularist scenes of writing in interwar Britain.

In a time marked by prominent public clashes between theists and atheists, much less attention has been given to the question of agnosticism, whether in public debate or in academic literature.

In a time marked by prominent public clashes between theists and atheists, much less attention has been given to the question of agnosticism, whether in public debate or in academic literature.

Atheism is often considered to be a negative or pessimistic belief which is characterized by a rejection of values and purpose and a fierce opposition to religion.

Atheism is often considered to be a negative or pessimistic belief which is characterized by a rejection of values and purpose and a fierce opposition to religion.

Theology, Music, and Modernity addresses the question: how can the study of music contribute to a theological reading of modernity?

Theology, Music, and Modernity addresses the question: how can the study of music contribute to a theological reading of modernity?

For 50 years, Margaret Mead told Americans how cultures worked, and Americans listened.

For 50 years, Margaret Mead told Americans how cultures worked, and Americans listened.

Augustine's Early Thought on the Redemptive Function of Divine Judgement considers the relationship between Augustine's account of God's judgment and his theology of grace in his early works.

Augustine's Early Thought on the Redemptive Function of Divine Judgement considers the relationship between Augustine's account of God's judgment and his theology of grace in his early works.

Of those raised Catholic, just 13% still attend Mass weekly, and 37% say they have 'no religion'.

Of those raised Catholic, just 13% still attend Mass weekly, and 37% say they have 'no religion'.

'a brilliant history' The Sunday Times 'makes for riveting reading' The IndependentModern pagan witchcraft is arguably the only fully-formed religion England has given the world, and has now spread across four continents.

'a brilliant history' The Sunday Times 'makes for riveting reading' The IndependentModern pagan witchcraft is arguably the only fully-formed religion England has given the world, and has now spread across four continents.

Until the modern period the integration of church (or other religion) and state (or political life) had been taken for granted.

Until the modern period the integration of church (or other religion) and state (or political life) had been taken for granted.

This book is animated by a shared conviction that philosophy of religion needs to change: thirteen new essays suggest why and how.

Imagining the Witch explores emotions, gender, and selfhood through the lens of witch-trials in early modern Germany.

Imagining the Witch explores emotions, gender, and selfhood through the lens of witch-trials in early modern Germany.

This is not a book that provides a new integrated theory of religious change in modern societies, but rather one that develops theoretical elements that contribute to the understanding of some contemporary religious developments.

This is not a book that provides a new integrated theory of religious change in modern societies, but rather one that develops theoretical elements that contribute to the understanding of some contemporary religious developments.

This Dictionary of Atheism provides more than 150 definitions of terms related to the subject of atheism, ranging from those of historic importance, including the history of the term atheist itself, to crucial concepts in the contemporary study of atheism, such as agnosticism and scepticism.

Secularization in the Long 1960s: Numerating Religion in Britain provides a major empirical contribution to the literature of secularization.

Secularization in the Long 1960s: Numerating Religion in Britain provides a major empirical contribution to the literature of secularization.