Through the use of thought-provoking case studies, summaries, and review questions, this introductory level text shows students how to engage in the academic, objective study of religion and helps instructors address some of the typical problems they encounter when introducing students to the study of religion. Kessler guides students through an unbiased and varied study of religious beliefs and practices such as sacred power, myths and rituals, religious art, the problem of evil, and the relationship between religion and morality. The text also addresses issues of gender and religious institutionalization.
PrefaceChapter 1: Thinking about Being a Student of Religion1.1 Insider's and Outsider's Perspectives1.2 Qualities Worth Having1.3 Why Study Religion?Review QuestionsExplorationsSuggestions for Further ReadingInternet ResourcesChapter 2: On Defining and Studying Religion2.1 Marks of a Good Definition2.2 Two Definitions2.3 Is Secular Humanism a Religion?2.4 A Simple Map of the Field2.5 Goals and Methods2.6 Fieldwork2.7 ControversyReview QuestionsExplorationsSuggestions for Further ReadingInternet ResourcesChapter 3: Sacred Power3.1 Two Case Studies3.2 Comparison3.3 Forms of Sacred Power3.4 Agnosticism and AtheismReview QuestionsResearch Case: GaneshaQuestions on the Case of GaneshaSuggestions for Further ReadingInternet ResourcesChapter 4: Myth as Sacred Story4.1 Two Case Studies4.2 Comparison4.3 Types and Functions4.4 Theories of Myth4.5 Myth and ScienceReview QuestionsResearch Case: The Primal ManQuestions on the Case of the Primal ManSuggestions for Further ReadingInternet ResourcesChapter 5: Ritual as Sacred Action5.1 Two Case Studies5.2 Comparison5.3 Types and Functions5.4 Sacrifice and Violence5.5 Magic, Performatives, and Ritual5.6 Myth and RitualReview Questiol3+
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