Religion: A Humanist Interpretation

ISBN-13: 9780415128964 / Angielski / Twarda / 1995 / 254 str.

Raymond Firth;Raymond Firth

Opis

This text treats religion as a human art, capable of great intellectual and artistic achievements, but also of complex manipulation to serve human interests. Religion may also be used as a symbol or cloak for violence, with political of economic aims. The study is comparative, drawing material from a range of religions and giving the results of much anthropological research. The book explores notions of the divine, both as a single person and in a multiplicity of gods. It considers ideas and practices of communication with the supernatural, as in spirit possession, the roles of religious leaders, the function of prayer, offering and sacrifice. Thoughts on the relation between religion and politics include a critque of Karl Marx's idea of religion as spiritual aroma

Religion: A Humanist Interpretation represents a lifetime's work on the anthropology of religion from a rather unusual personal viewpoint. Raymond Firth treats religion as a human art, capable of great intellectual and artistic achievements, but also of complex manipulation to serve the human interests of those who believe in it and operate it. His study is comparative, drawing material from a range of religions around the world. Its findings are a challenge to established beliefs.
This anthropological approach to the study of religion covers themes ranging from; religious belief and personal adjustment; gods and God; offering and sacrifice;religion and politics; Malay magic and spirit mediumship; truth and paradox in religion.

Spis treści

Chapter 1 An anthropological approach to the study of religion; Chapter 2 Religious belief and personal adjustment; Chapter 3 Spiritual aroma?; Chapter 4 Gods and God; Chapter 5 Offering and sacrifice; Chapter 6 Ritual and drama in malay spirit mediumship; Chapter 7 Faith and scepticism in kelantan village magic; Chapter 8 Paradox in religious systems; Chapter 9 The truth of religion?;

O autorze

Professor Sir Raymond Firth was a pupil and colleague of Malinowski at the London School of Economics and is internationally regarded as one of this century's great anthropologists. His books include Human Types (1938), Malay Fishermen (1946), Symbols Public and Private (1973) and range from We, the Tikopia (1936) to Tikopia Songs (1991).