Handbook of Hyper-real Religions

Handbook of Hyper-real Religions
Author: Adam Possamai
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2012-03-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004218815

‘Hyper-real religions’ are innovative religions and spirituality that mix elements of religious tradition with popular culture. Through various case studies, this book studies the on and off-line religious/spiritual consumption of these narratives through a social scientific approach.

Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality

Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality
Author: Carole M. Cusack
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2016-11-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317135490

The twentieth century was a period of rapid change for religion. Secularisation resulted in a dramatic fall in church attendance in the West, and the 1950s and 1960s saw the introduction of new religions including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the Church of Scientology, and the Children of God. New religions were regarded with suspicion by society in general and Religious Studies scholars alike until the 1990s, when the emergence of a second generation of 'new new' religions – based on popular cultural forms including films, novels, computer games and comic books – and highly individualistic spiritualities confirmed the utter transformation of the religio-spiritual landscape. Indeed, Scientology and ISKCON appeared almost traditional and conservative when compared to the radically de-institutionalised, eclectic, parodic, fun-loving and experimental fiction-based, invented and hyper-real religions. In this book, scholarly treatments of cutting-edge religious and spiritual trends are brought into conversation with contributions by representatives of Dudeism, the Church of All Worlds, the Temple of the Jedi Order and Tolkien spirituality groups. This book will simultaneously entertain, shock, challenge and delight scholars of religious studies, as well as those with a wider interest in new religious movements.

Handbook of Leaving Religion

Handbook of Leaving Religion
Author: Daniel Enstedt
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-10-17
Genre: Apostasy
ISBN: 9789004330924

The Handbook of Leaving Religion introduces a neglected field of research with the aim to outline previous and contemporary research, and suggest how the topic of leaving religion should be studied in the future. The handbook consists of three sections: 1) Major debates about leaving religion; 2) Case studies and empirical insights; and 3) Theoretical and methodological approaches. Section one provides the reader with an introduction to key terms, historical developments, major controversies and significant cases. Section two includes case studies that illustrate various processes of leaving religion from different perspectives, and each chapter provides new empirical insights. Section three discusses, presents and encourages new approaches to the study of leaving religion.

Religious Change and Indigenous Peoples

Religious Change and Indigenous Peoples
Author: Helena Onnudottir
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317067037

Exploring religious and spiritual changes which have been taking place among Indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand, this book focuses on important changes in religious affiliation in census data over the last 15 years. Drawing on both local social and political debates, while contextualising the discussion in wider global debates about changing religious identities, especially the growth of Islam, the authors present a critical analysis of the persistent images and discourses on Aboriginal religions and spirituality. This book takes a comparative approach to other Indigenous and minority groups to explore contemporary changes in religious affiliation which have raised questions about resistance to modernity, challenges to the nation state and/or rejection of Christianity or Islam. Helena Onnudottir, Adam Posssamai and Bryan Turner offer a critical analysis to on-going public, political and sociological debates about religious conversion (especially to Islam) and changing religious affiliations (including an increase in the number of people who claim 'no religion') among Indigenous populations. This book also offers a major contribution to the growing debate about conversion to Islam among Australian Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific peoples.

The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion

The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion
Author: Michael Stausberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 881
Release: 2016-11-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0191045896

The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion provides a comprehensive overview of the academic study of religion. Written by an international team of leading scholars, its fifty-one chapters are divided thematically into seven sections. The first section addresses five major conceptual aspects of research on religion. Part two surveys eleven main frameworks of analysis, interpretation, and explanation of religion. Reflecting recent turns in the humanities and social sciences, part three considers eight forms of the expression of religion. Part four provides a discussion of the ways societies and religions, or religious organizations, are shaped by different forms of allocation of resources. Other chapters in this section consider law, the media, nature, medicine, politics, science, sports, and tourism. Part five reviews important developments, distinctions, and arguments for each of the selected topics. The study of religion addresses religion as a historical phenomenon and part six looks at seven historical processes. Religion is studied in various ways by many disciplines, and this Handbook shows that the study of religion is an academic discipline in its own right. The disciplinary profile of this volume is reflected in part seven, which considers the history of the discipline and its relevance. Each chapter in the Handbook references at least two different religions to provide fresh and innovative perspectives on key issues in the field. This authoritative collection will advance the state of the discipline and is an invaluable reference for students and scholars.

The Paranormal and Popular Culture

The Paranormal and Popular Culture
Author: Darryl Caterine
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2019-02-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1351731815

Interest in preternatural and supernatural themes has revitalized the Gothic tale, renewed explorations of psychic powers and given rise to a host of social and religious movements based upon claims of the fantastical. And yet, in spite of this widespread enthusiasm, the academic world has been slow to study this development. This volume rectifies this gap in current scholarship by serving as an interdisciplinary overview of the relationship of the paranormal to the artefacts of mass media (e.g. novels, comic books, and films) as well as the cultural practices they inspire. After an introduction analyzing the paranormal’s relationship to religion and entertainment, the book presents essays exploring its spiritual significance in a postmodern society; its (post)modern representation in literature and film; and its embodiment in a number of contemporary cultural practices. Contributors from a number of discplines and cultural contexts address issues such as the shamanistic aspects of Batman and lesbianism in vampire mythology. Covering many aspects of the paranormal and its effect on popular culture, this book is an important statement in the field. As such, it will be of utmost interest to scholars of religious studies as well as media, communication, and cultural studies.

Religion and Popular Culture

Religion and Popular Culture
Author: Adam Possamai
Publisher: Peter Lang
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2005
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9789052012728

This book views itself as the 'hyper-real testament' of new religious phenomena by addressing the theories, among many others of Baudrillard, Jameson and Lipovetsky, and by exploring the use of fictions such as those from Harry Potter, The Matrix, Star Trek, Buffy and Lord of the Rings.

All You Want to Know But Didn't Think You Could Ask

All You Want to Know But Didn't Think You Could Ask
Author: Jessica Lyn Tinklenberg deVega
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2012
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1418549177

Everything teens and young adults need to know about world religions and philosophies in one convenient book As our global world becomes smaller, we encounter more religions and popular beliefs than we ever have before. This book from a high school religion teacher and a professor of religion clarifies the founding, history, practices, and beliefs of forty groups. Each chapter puts the group in context and explains how the religion is similar to or different from Christianity. No other book covers such a wide range of topics from Islam, Shamanism, and Mormonism, to atheism, vampirism, and astrology. Features include: Charts and tables for easy comparison of different religious beliefs and practices Coverage of world religions, new religions, and religions in popular culture Overviews of the founding, history, and typical followers of each religion Written for classroom or individual study

Invented Religions

Invented Religions
Author: Professor Carole M Cusack
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2013-06-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1409481034

Utilizing contemporary scholarship on secularization, individualism, and consumer capitalism, this book explores religious movements founded in the West which are intentionally fictional: Discordianism, the Church of All Worlds, the Church of the SubGenius, and Jediism. Their continued appeal and success, principally in America but gaining wider audience through the 1980s and 1990s, is chiefly as a result of underground publishing and the internet. This book deals with immensely popular subject matter: Jediism developed from George Lucas' Star Wars films; the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, founded by 26-year-old student Bobby Henderson in 2005 as a protest against the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools; Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius which retain strong followings and participation rates among college students. The Church of All Worlds' focus on Gaia theology and environmental issues makes it a popular focus of attention. The continued success of these groups of Invented Religions provide a unique opportunity to explore the nature of late/post-modern religious forms, including the use of fiction as part of a bricolage for spirituality, identity-formation, and personal orientation.

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion
Author: Malcolm Jeeves
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2009-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1599473550

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion is the second title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series. In this volume, Malcolm Jeeves and Warren S. Brown provide an overview of the relationship between neuroscience, psychology, and religion that is academically sophisticated, yet accessible to the general reader. The authors introduce key terms; thoroughly chart the histories of both neuroscience and psychology, with a particular focus on how these disciplines have interfaced religion through the ages; and explore contemporary approaches to both fields, reviewing how current science/religion controversies are playing out today. Throughout, they cover issues like consciousness, morality, concepts of the soul, and theories of mind. Their examination of topics like brain imaging research, evolutionary psychology, and primate studies show how recent advances in these areas can blend harmoniously with religious belief, since they offer much to our understanding of humanity's place in the world. Jeeves and Brown conclude their comprehensive and inclusive survey by providing an interdisciplinary model for shaping the ongoing dialogue. Sure to be of interest to both academics and curious intellectuals, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion addresses important age-old questions and demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can provide a much more nuanced range of potential answers to those questions.