Gods in the global village : the world's religions in sociological perspective / Lester R. Kurtz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kurtz, Lester R., author.

Series:

Sage knowledge.

Sociology for a new century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and sociology.

Religious pluralism.

Religions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (402 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

Fourth edition.

Other Title:

World's religions in sociological perspective

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : SAGE Publications, [2015]

Language Note:

Text in English.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

In a world plagued by religious conflict, how can the various religious and secular traditions coexist peacefully on the planet? And, what role does sociology play in helping us understand the state of religious life in a globalizing world? In the Fourth Edition of Gods in the Global Village, author Lester Kurtz continues to address these questions. This text is an engaging, thought-provoking examination of the relationships among the major faith traditions that inform the thinking and ethical standards of most people in the emerging global social order. Thoroughly updated to reflect recent events, the book discusses the role of religion in our daily lives and global politics, and the ways in which religion is both an agent of, and barrier to, social change.

Contents:

1 Religious Life in the Global Village 1

Religion and the Globalization of Social Life 4

Religion and the Sociological Tradition 6

Tools of the Trade 9

Three Pillars of Analysis: Beliefs, Rituals, and Institutions 23

Major Themes in the Sociology of Religion 42

2 A Sociological Tour: Turning East 45

Types of Religious Traditions 46

Hinduism, or Sanatana Dharma 53

Buddhism 69

Sikhism 75

Religious Life in China and East Asia 76

3 The Tour: Western Religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 87

Prolegomena: The Ancient Greeks 87

Judaism 93

Christianity 101

Islam 110

Kinship Network Continuities in Judaism and Islam 116

The Social Construction of Religious Traditions 119

The Elementary Forms of Religious Life 125

4 Indigenous Religions / Bonnie L. Mitchell-Green Mitchell-Green, Bonnie L., Lester R. Kurtz Kurtz, Lester R. 129

Indigenous Beliefs 133

Indigenous Rituals 141

Indigenous Institutions 147

Indigenous Environmentalism 148

5 The Religious Ethos 151

Constructing a Religious Ethos 151

Religion and Identity Construction 155

Religion and Stratification 165

Religious Taboo Lines and Ethical Systems 171

Religion and Sexuality 188

Religion and Politics 198

The Ethos of the Global Village 208

6 Modernism and Multiculturalism 211

From Local to Cosmopolitan 212

The Challenge of Modernism 214

Historical Outcomes of the Modernist Crisis 221

The Modernist Crisis and the 21st Century 227

The Crisis of Multiculturalism 229

7 Religious Movements for a New Century 251

Civil Religion and Nationalism 251

Religious Syncretism and Alternative Religious Movements 259

New Forms of Religiosity 274

Women's Movements 276

Religious Environmental Movements 284

Constructing and Reconstructing Religious Life 289

8 Religion and Social Conflict / Lester R. Kurtz Kurtz, Lester R., Mariam M. Kurtz Kurtz, Mariam M. 290

A Theory of Religious Conflict 292

Religion and the Problem of Violence 294

Religious Contributions to Nonviolence 302

Islam and Nonviolence 314

Chaos or Community? 325.

Notes:

Part of the SAGE Knowledge collection.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-361) and index.

Description based on MARC record for print version.

Other Format:

Print version :

ISBN:

9781483399119

OCLC:

918558090

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.