Religion & Cultural Studies

"This second edition...emphasizes religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture."

"The multi-volume Encyclopedia of Global Religion provides a comprehensive overview of the globalization of religious culture and society around the world in both its historical and contemporary aspects. The encyclopedia includes topics related to the diaspora of cultures and dispersions of peoples; the transitional aspects of religious ideas and practices; the cultural diversity of religious traditions; and the responses of religion--both negative and positive--to multicultural society. The volumes include essays on the contemporary religious society of every country in the world."

"This reference work provides a definitive and intellectually rigorous collection of psychological interpretations of the stories, rituals, motifs, symbols, doctrines, dogmas, and experiences of the world's religious and mythological traditions. A broad range of psychological approaches are used in order to help readers understand the form and content of religious experience as well as offer insight into the meanings of religious symbols and themes."

"Provides background information and analysis on issues related to religion and violence. Covers important individuals, historical events, groups and practices, theories, movements and processes, causes and effects connected to religious-driven violence."

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"The listed groups demonstrate some organizational & doctrinal discontinuity with their environment; there is a clear intention, demonstrated in action, to start a new body based on a new set of beliefs. There must be, & there always is, a clear distinction from established religious groups in terms of a new leadership & new claims to divine truth."

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"Authoritative reference guide to the major characters and themes of mythology from around the world."

"The two-volume set, which includes almost 500 entries, covers a wide range of topics, including African response to the sacred, spirituality, ritual, initiation, taboos and ethics, sacred spaces and objects, and cosmological narratives. It also provides new metaphors, figures of speech, reasoning modes, etymologies, analogies, and cosmogonies."

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Major thematic areas of the encyclopedia include: Magic: the secret lore, Alchemy, Witches and witchcraft, Devils, demons and angels, Foretelling the future, Birds, plants and animals in myth and folklore, Nature, fertility and creation myths, Rites of passage, Symbols and Meanings, The heroʾs quest, Legendary lands and beasts, Western religions, Eastern religions, Ancient myths and legends, Folklore, primitive beliefs and customs, psychology and the paranormal, The soul, Ghosts, vampires and hauntings, Mystics, Unorthodox Christians, Occultists and theosophists.

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The origins of religion, prehistory-0 -- Dawn of the Christian era, 0-550 -- A new faith, 550-1000 -- Age of gods & kings, 1000-1350 -- Renaissance & Reformation, 1350-1575 -- New worlds, new faiths, 1575-1725 -- The Age of Reason, 1725-1850 -- Industry, empire, & religion, 1850-1950 -- Faith in the modern world, 1950-2010

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"Comprehensive coverage of more than 2,300 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada -- from Adventists to Zen Buddhists. Information is presented in two distinct sections, essays and directory listings describing the historical development of religious families and providing factual information about each group within those families. Includes, when available, rubrics for membership figures, educational facilities and periodicals."

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"Presents coverage of more than 2,500 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada, from Adventists to Zen Buddhists. Entries contain essays and directory listings that describe the historical development of religious families and give factual information about each group within those families, including, where available, headquarter location, membership figures, a listing of educational facilities and information on periodicals published by the group."

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"This authoritative four-volume reference work explains the origins, development, adaptation, influence, & interrelations of the many faiths practiced, including major world religions, new religious sects, cults, & religious movements that originated or had an influence in the United States. Topics include: Religion as an influential force in the U.S. -- Methods of worship -- Religion & politics -- Homosexuality & religion -- African American religion -- Arts & architecture -- Church-state issues -- Education -- Environment & ecology -- Ethnicity -- Evangelicals -- Faiths -- Gay & lesbian issues -- Historical overviews -- Immigration -- Media (new & old) -- Megachurches -- Movements & denominations -- New religious movements -- Popular religion & culture -- Race & racism -- Religious thought -- Religious Right -- Rites -- Role of women -- Terrorism & war"

"Among topics of the entries are African Americans in various Christian denominations, Catimbó, maroons, the Nation of Islam, the Orisha religion in Trinidad, Rastafari, Santería, Shrine of the Black Madonna, Umbanda, and Wicca. The essays consider broader areas of African American religion such as literature and religion, preaching and sermonic traditions, healing and health, popular culture, the urban context, education, the psychology of religious behavior, and worship. A chronology is provided, along with appendices containing primary documents and short essays on related topics."

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"Spanning two volumes, Hispanic American Religious Cultures encompasses the full diversity of faiths and spiritual beliefs practiced among Hispanic Americans. It is the first comprehensive work to provide historic contexts for the many religious identities expressed among Hispanic Americans.||The entries of this encyclopedia cover a range of spiritual affiliations, including Christian religious expressions, world faiths, and indigenous practices. Coverage includes historical development, current practices, and key individuals, while additional essays look at issues across various traditions."

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"This encyclopedia examines the issues surrounding religion and American law. The questions are in part historical and in part very modern. The entries cover a wide range of issues, events, and people. Some deal with individuals who had a profound affect on the development of religion and law, such as Roger Williams, James Madison, and a number of Supreme Court justices. Other entries focus on certain faiths and sects, particularly those that have often had confrontations with the American legal system. There are also discussions of various legal theories and historical developments of the law of church and state. The entries focus on the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the way the people of the new nation struggled to define the relationship between church and state. Finally, there are entries of all the major legal decisions that touch on religions and American law."

NOTE: Online access is limited to 5 simultaneous users.
"The encyclopedia is interreligious, interracial, and multicultural and is aimed at a broad general audience. Instead of hundreds of short entries, this encyclopedia features more than 145 longer essays that enable major themes to be developed more fully. The articles focus on institutions, movements, and ideas. The authors weave biographical sketches into their articles to give them a more personal and humanizing quality, and to recognize the women responsible for the gains made over the centuries."