Sammenlignende religionsvidenskab

This book provides a comprehensive understanding of various world religions and their relationships with Christianity. It explores Christianity's contact with different faiths, the influences of these faiths on Christianity, and the controversies and challenges that arise. Maurice offers a balanced and thought-provoking study of religion that is useful for scholars and general readers alike.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book examines the economic history of ancient South Asia by situating the Malwa region of Central India within Afro-Eurasian trade networks to illuminate the role of traders in the political, religious and economic processes connected with the Indo-Sasanian trade in the period of five centuries, circa CE 300-700.The book challenges the long-held centrality of the Roman factor in the South Asian economy by locating the Indo-Sasanian interactions in long distance economic networks with trade as a central feature. It considers the role and influence of traders as an understudied group affecting the contribution of the Indian economy to the world system. Amidst rapidly changing political landscapes, traders of Indian and Sasanian origins are studied as conscious political beings, who formed ties with varieties of polities and religious communities to secure their commercial interests. In addition, their commercial interactions with their Sogdian (Central Asia) and Aksumite (East Africa) counterparts are analyzed. The book also considers the nature of trade routes and the specific connections between mercantile and religious networks, including patterns of construction of religious shrines and temples along trade routes. Integrating epigraphic, numismatic, literary and archaeological evidence, this book moves away from a marginal treatment of the Indo-Sasanian trade in Indian history, and demonstrates how regional economic history must address a plurality of causes, actors, and processes in its assessment of the regional economy. The book will be of interest to students and academics of Indian economic history, as well as the ancient economies of South Asia more broadly.

This Handbook on Discipleship explains why a guru is needed, what a true guru is, and how to follow the guru. It also clears up many common misunderstandings on the subject that are prevalent in current spiritual thinking. These lessons offer a rare opportunity to learn about discipleship from a lifelong disciple of a fully realized Master. Swami Kriyananda has been a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda for over sixty years. For all of the extraordinary accomplishments of Swami Kriyananda's life¿-¿over one hundred books, over four hundred pieces of music, successful spiritual communities all over the world, and more¿-¿he gives full credit to Yogananda and to what he has gained as his disciple.

The Way integrates religion and science and reconciles Eastern and Western worldviews, confirming with the mystics and the scientists that everyone is related, and everything is connected.This book recognizes the perennial philosophy that underlies many spiritual traditions. Reading The Way is like having a cup of coffee with Bart Ehrman, Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Albert Einstein.The book has a "theory of everything" feel to it. Like a TED talk, it is deeply personal with broadly universal themes.THE WAY is a SILVER WINNER in the 2024 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS.The Western worldview is based on separation. In the Bible, everything is separated-light and dark, land and water, animals and people. In church, people are separated too-clergy and laity, men and women, straight people and LGBTQ people.The Eastern worldview is based on Oneness. The mystics and the scientists see the world this way too. Any perceived sense of separation between ourselves and others is illusory. In the East, God is "a part of us," not "apart from us."The first half of the book deconstructs an old belief system based on dualistic Christian theology. The deconstruction is interesting, not angry or judgmental.The second half reconstructs a modern belief system based on nondual Eastern religions, the mystics, and the scientists. The reconstruction is thought-provoking, not preachy or speculative.Can we encounter God or the Universe without accepting human doctrines that no longer make sense in light of modern science?Can we learn about God or the Universe from other spiritual teachers, such as Buddha, Krishna, or Lao Tzu-much as we learn from Jesus?Can we think about God or the Universe as the "ground of being," rather than as a being-much as many of the mystics think about God?Can we practice a meaningful spirituality that is truly transformational, more experiential, more open-hearted and more open-minded?The Way is reporting, rather than apologetics, memoir, or polemic. Open-minded seekers, including religious people, spiritual but not religious people, and humanists will appreciate the questions that the author addresses clearly and fairly.The book includes suggested study questions, and it works well in book clubs."If you read only one book to guide your deconstruction and reconstruction process, this would be the one to read."-Jim Palmer, Founder of The Center for Non-Religious Spirituality

Israel and the Nations: The Bible, The Rabbis, and Jewish-Gentile Relations explores the theological and legal (halakhic) aspects of Jewish thought relating to non-Jews. It analyzes biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and contemporary Jewish writings about gentiles and their religions. The book will interest both Jewish laypersons familiar with Jewish tradition as well as scholars of theology and interfaith relations

Published in the Series Encyclopedia of Indian Religions, this volume is devoted to Christianity in India, where it has had a long presence, going back to the time of the apostles of Jesus Christ. Divided into two parts, this volume focuses on the history, origin, organizations and local engagements, belief system, worship practices, Rites, Rituals, Christian life, Contributions, Spirituality and a few of the main doctrinal items. The Second Part covers the doctrinal and theological arena. It examines the earlier phase of the history of Christianity starting with the traditional belief of the arrival of St. Thomas in AD 52, moving to the periods of its association with the Chaldean church, the Portuguese, the Dutch, English and so on. This volume highlights the missionary activities of persons like St. Francis Xavier, the creative contributions made to the inter-religious dialogue by such people as Roberto de Nobili (1577-1656) and Swami Abhishiktananda (1910-1973), the linguistic and educational contributions of some of the pioneers like the German Jesuit Johanne Ernst Hanxleden (known as Arnos Padiri) (1681-1732), Herman Gundert (1814-1893), St. Elias Kuriakos Chavara (1805-1871), and, a fortiori, the enormous contributions in the healthcare area throughout the country. Caring for and serving the socio-economically marginalized ones, the peripheralized people formed an integral part of the Christian activity In India, as it is done even today. This is highlighted very much in the volume. It, further, explores the contact India had with European Christianity, showing that European Christianity proved to have wider influence in the Norther part of India, unlike Indiäs early episodic encounters with Palestinian and Persian forms of Christianity, which had deep influence in the Southern part of India. The volume also highlights the inner struggle among the followers resulting even in its division originating at the Synod of Diamper in 1599 manifesting, by and large, the Church-state ¿love and hate¿ relationships. In fine, in spite of the drawbacks of putting the herculean task of two thousand years of history in eight hundred pages or so, this volume gives a rather comprehensive view of Christianity in India especially to those who are unfamiliar with its life and dynamics in the Indian context. The wide range of photographs, especially of the churches revealing the architectural beauty and multiplicity along with the ensample of art and paintings and pilgrimage centers adds to the enrichment of the volume.

This comprehensive collection brings out the rich and deep philosophical resources of the Zhuangzi. It covers textual, linguistic, hermeneutical, ethical, social/political and philosophical issues, with the latter including epistemological, metaphysical, phenomenological and cross-cultural (Chinese and Western) aspects. The volume starts out with the textual history of the Zhuangzi, and then examines how language is used in the text. It explores this unique characteristic of the Zhuangzi, in terms of its metaphorical forms, its use of humour in deriding and parodying the Confucians, and paradoxically making Confucius the spokesman for Zhuangzi's own point of view. The volume discusses questions such as: Why does Zhuangzi use language in this way, and how does it work? Why does he not use straightforward propositional language? Why is language said to be inadequate to capture the "e;dao"e; and what is the nature of this dao? The volume puts Zhuangzi in the philosophical context of his times, and discusses how he relates to other philosophers such as Laozi, Xunzi, and the Logicians.

Das Anliegen der vorliegenden Untersuchung ist es, mit der Theorie der multiplen Differenzierung einen soziologischen Blick auf Religion und die besonderen Übersetzungsverhältnisse am Beispiel der organisations- und milieuspezifischen Lage der Aleviten in der Türkei zu werfen. Dabei werden die spezifischen Anerkennungs-, Aushandlungs- und Transformationsprozesse der alevitischen Glaubensgemeinschaft betrachtet. Elif Y¿ld¿zl¿ arbeitet die Spannungen im Kontext von Religion in der modernen Gesellschaft und die Paradoxien zwischen verschiedenen (religiösen) Formen und der Funktion der sozialen Integration heraus. Dafür ist die Konzeptualisierung der Differenzierung u. a. zwischen (alevitischer) Organisation und (alevitischem) Milieu notwendig. Somit trägt diese Arbeit mit einer aufwendigen theoretisch-empirischen Analyse zur (religions-) soziologischen Erforschung verschiedener Integrationsformen der Aleviten bei als Beispiel für die Ausdifferenzierung einer neuen religiösen Milieutypologie.

There has been much talk and discussion in these last days about what all religions have in common and whether this common ground can be exploited to make a single religion. Indeed, there have been conferences to discuss how this can be achieved to bring Christianity under a single umbrella. However, in order to do this, everything must be removed from Christianity that is offensive to other religions. Therefore, it is more important than ever to reiterate what is unique to our Christian beliefs and, above all else, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour.There is no other name in heaven by which we may be saved from the coming anger of God. We have received the Spirit of God so that we may know what God has freely given to us. Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to all those who have not entered the Kingdom of God.In this book, I have outlined and discussed the uniqueness of Christ and expounded on God's purposes for His Kingdom on the earth in the last days of this age and on His Kingdom in the world to come. I have also shown who we are in Christ and have reminded us that we are God's treasured possession and all that means. We are all on a journey with God, and I trust that this book will aid you in finding your place on that journey. I hope this book will be a great blessing to all who read it.