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Introducing Religion: Religious Studies for the Twenty-First Century book cover

6th Edition

Introducing Religion Religious Studies for the Twenty-First Century

By Robert S. Ellwood, Patrick Horn Copyright 2025
    364 Pages 53 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    364 Pages 53 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Introducing Religion examines the different ways of looking at religion in the twenty-first century. Providing a broad overview to the discipline of religious studies, this new edition continues to introduce students to engaging and contemporary topics such as:

    ·       sociology of religion,

    ·       psychology of religion,

    ·       history of religion,

    ·       religion and art,

    ·       religious ethics,

    ·       popular religion,

    ·       religion and violence.

    Thoroughly updated throughout, this sixth edition includes new coverage of current debates and hot topics in the field, such as concerns about "essentialism" in religion, the importance of categorization, and the role of psychology in religious experience. This textbook is fundamental reading for students approaching this subject area for the first time.

    Preface

    1. How to Study Religion

    2. History of Religion on Planet Earth

    3. Myth: Our Lives, and the World’s, Are Stories

    4. Why Evil? 

    5. Doorways to Other Worlds: Symbol, Rite, and Religion

    6. Oases of the Mind: The Psychology of Religion

    7. Inner Adventure: Walking the Path, and Monks Who Hated God

    8. Faith Through Form: Religion and Art

    9. Ghost Marriages and Country Music: Popular Religion

    10. Infinite Information, Worlds Without End: The Internet, Religion, and Virtual Realities

    11. Travelling Together: The Sociology of Religion

    12. Truth Messages: The Conceptual Expression of Religion

    13. How Shall We Live? Religion and Ethics

    14. Horror and Glory: Religion Confronting War

    15. Worlds to Come: Religious Eschatology and the Afterlife

    Journey's End

    Appendix: Studying Religion

    Glossary

    Index

    Biography

    Robert S. Ellwood is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion at the University of Southern California, USA. He is the author of over twenty-five books, including Many Peoples, Many Faiths, The Fifties Spiritual Marketplace, The Sixties Spiritual Awakening, and Islands of the Dawn.

    Patrick Horn is Lecturer in Religion at Hope International University and a past President of the American Society for the Philosophy of Religion.

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