Religions in the Modern World

Description

Comprehensive in its coverage, this completely revised and updated second edition of Religions in the Modern World considers the history and modern practices of the world’s main religious traditions. It analyses trends in the manifestation of religion in the modern world, from secularization to the rise of new spiritualities, and is at the cutting edge of developments in the study of religion.

This second edition includes:

• New chapters on Religion and Violence, Paganism, Religion and Popular Culture, Spirituality, Secularism and Secularization
• Discussion of the strength of the Christian Right
• Post 9/11 and 7/7 developments in Religion and Politics
• Case studies and anecdotes, text extracts, chapter menus and end-of-chapter summaries, glossaries and annotated further reading sections
• A wide variety of photographs, figures, tables and maps
• a companion website at www.routledge.com/9780415458917

Religions in the Modern World is the ideal textbook for those coming to the study of religion for the first time, as well as for those who wish to keep up-to-date with the latest perspectives in the field. Fully international in coverage, it is accessibly written by practising and specialist teachers.

Reviews

'This is a remarkably comprehensive guide to the study of religion in the contemporary world. It provides clear explanations of key terms and useful accounts of major religious traditions—such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam—as well as newly commissioned chapters on contemporary practices that fall beyond the boundaries of religious institutions—such as Spirituality, Popular Culture, and Secularism. A wonderful book that is perfect for classroom use.'- Thomas A. Tweed, author of Crossing and Dwelling: A Theory of Religion

'Religion has entered a global era, and this book convincingly shows how today's religious traditions confront modernity and the transnational forces that shape our times. A fine group of scholars portray each tradition in its modern transformations, and a series of thematic essays relate contemporary faith to the large issues of global politics, secularization and social change. This is truly an introduction to religion that fits the multiple modernities of our global world.' - Mark Juergensmeyer, American Academy of Religion

'The second edition of this widely used textbook reflects on recent changes in the domain of religion the world over and by taking these developments seriously, provides an excellent pedagogical tool for tackling in the classroom various new forms of religion, religious belief, behavior and commitment.'- Veikko Anttonen, University of Turku, Finland

Contents

Introduction: The Modern Contexts of Religion 1. How to Study Religion (Kim Knott) 2. Hinduism (David Smith) 3. Buddhism (Cathy Cantwell and Hiroko Kawanami) 4. Sikhism (Christopher Shackle) 5. Chinese Religions (Stephan Feuchtwang) 6. Japanese Religions (Robert Kisala) 7. Judaism (Seth Kunin) 8. Christianity (Linda Woodhead) 9. Islam (David Waines) 10. Religion in Africa (Charles Gore) 11. Native American Religions (Kenneth Mello) 12. Spirituality (Giselle Vincett and Linda Woodhead) 13. New Age Religion (Wouter J. Hanegraaff) 14. Paganism (Graham Harvey) 15. New Religious Movements (Douglas Cowan) 16. Religion and Globalization (David Lehmann) 17. Religion and Politics (Jeffrey Haynes) 18. Religion and Violence (Charles Selengut) 19. Religion and Gender (Linda Woodhead) 20. Religion and Popular Culture (Christopher Partridge) 21. Secularism and Secularization (Grace Davie and Linda Woodhead)

Author Bio

Linda Woodhead, Hiroko Kawanami and Christopher Partridge are all members of the Religious Studies department at Lancaster University.

Related Subjects

1. New Religious Movements
2. Religion in Context
3. World Religions