You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
The current generation of young adults, at least in the Western world, has shown a marked tendency toward a preference for describing themselves as “spiritual” as contrasted to “religious.” This book seeks to examine the possible meanings and consequences associated with this contrast in terms of the similarities and differences that affect those who use these terms with respect to the everyday practices that they themselves employ or believe should follow from being self-defined as “religious” or “spiritual” – or not. The several chapters in this volume take up the religious-spiritual contrast specifically through investigations into practice: In what ways do people who cl...
Religious pluralism is increasing due to progressively more culturally interactive societies and an escalating exchange of migrants. Nevertheless, as this book shows, the situation in Italy is characterized by several distinct features. Statistically, the level of religiosity is noticeably higher than in other European countries, and the majority of the population declares itself Catholic. Within the Catholic world, however, there are distinct differences in the ways and forms of believing, ranging from the convinced and active faithful to the "occasional" believer, or the development of new forms of "Catholic." Catholic sentiment endures although many believers may not agree with the ethica...
Forty years of Damanhur story, told by those who experienced them in person. The story of the day of a Damanhurian, to understand how you live, you think, it grows into what is now the largest secular spiritual community in Italy.
The theme of conversion constitutes a privileged point to study the framework linking an individual to the sociocultural contexts in which he or she is included. Changes in personal biographies and sociocultural change are interwoven when we speak of conversion: values, speech, norms, behaviors, beliefs, lifestyles, interests--everything is open to potential debate when an individual "converts." Conversion is especially developed here through a connection with the dynamics of pluralism, which appears to be the most peculiar cultural characteristic of our era: what does it mean to speak of "conversion" in a time in which it seems that the presumption of only one "true" truth no longer exists, while instead many different truths live together, each with its own judgment criteria.
This volume points to methodological innovations in social research and their potential for social scientific studies of religion. Computerization has opened for both quantitative and qualitative systematic analyses of complex materials, and the epistemological discourse after Positivism has opened for reconsidering the foundation of empirical social research. Furthermore religion is changing, and sociology of religion therefore widens its scope by including non-institutional forms of religion. This refocusing calls for new methodological considerations. As the range of available methods expands, it becomes more pressing to consider whether and how methods can be combined, such as quantitative and qualitative methods. Studying religion as a complex social phenomenon calls for a variety of methods, but an integration of the empirical findings points back to the epistemological issue.
Sociologies of Religion: National Traditions presents fourteen histories of the sociological study of religion in a diverse set of nations. Each of the histories is newly written by author who are uniquely situated to tell narrate the story of the field in their countries. They give us the stories behind major personages, theoretical traditions, seminal works, research institutes, and professional associations. The histories trace the various ways the field was established in different academic and religious contexts and the trajectories it took in emerging as a scientific specialty.
This volume consists of a collection of twelve empirical studies addressing theoretical and practical issues relating to pilgrimage and tourism activities, particularly assessing the ways in which religious expressions have changed as a result of the technological and social changes of late modernity that affect human behavior in a more general sense.
In the late 1980s, the New Age movement became the focus of both media attention and widespread ridicule as some of the more outlandish aspects of the movement, such as channeling and the use of crystals for healing, briefly piqued the public’s curiosity. While the movement was at its height, scholars of religion generally sneered at what was perceived to be a daffy, shallow craze, and ignored it as a subject of serious study. Professor James R. Lewis was among the first to examine this growing religious phenomenon scientifically. In previous books, he has investigated the New Age as the most visible manifestation of a significant spiritual subculture, the roots of which reach back to Theo...
A journal of Mormon thought.
The Temple of Mankind at Damanhur is the home of a fascinating spiritual and artistic community. Hidden inside a mountain in the Italian Alps, it is renowned for its exceptional artistry and breathtaking mix of marble, mosaic, and stained glass. It is one of the most extraordinary buildings on Earth, and equally extraordinary is the story of how it was built, and became the center for a utopian community of like-minded people.