Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Psychology of Religion

If the psychology of religion is to encompass all religions worldwide, then dialogue between researchers having different cultural perspectives is indispensable. The challenge is to neither present one's view as apologetic, nor to discard the perspectives of others as apologetic, but to respect them as the basis of their perception and conceptualization of the world. The authors attempt this challenge.

The collective belief in Armageddon has become more powerful and widespread in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Edward Edinger looks at the chaos predicted by the Book of Revelation and relates it to current trends including global violence, AIDS, and apocalyptic cults.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2003

Film as Religion argues that popular films perform a religious function in our culture. Like more formal religious institutions, films can provide us with ways to view the world and values to confront it. Lyden contends that approaches which interpret films only ideologically or theologically miss the mark in understanding their appeal to viewers. He develops an alternative method which shows how films can be understood as representing a -religious- worldview in their own right.

Lyden surveys the state of the study of...

"Listed in Today's Books, Book Register as a " Must Read" title.

This book is really a manual that every therapist should have, if he or she does not already have the knowledge and insight contained within its pages. ...Infinitely enjoyable"--PsycCRITIQUES

Religious upbringing influences people in ways that are difficult or impossible to describe; this book provides a "window on their world." The Psychologies of Religion examines the thinking, personality, and development processes as well as specific clinical concerns of clients who are members of particular...

Major work is distinguished by an intensity of inspiration and an overwhelming sense of personal vision. This merging of inspiration and vision permits the creation of a classic oeuvre whose creator is deemed to be a 'master of his craft, ' or perhaps better, 'a seminal mind.' Such is the work of the historian of religious, Mirceas Eliade. In his lifelong quest to understand the presence of the Sacred throughout human history, Eliade has been fascinated by two central themes: Creation and Time.

In this comprehensive study of psychology, theology, and religious experience the author asserts that psychology and religion can faithfully complement one another, even when the psychology in question is primarily grounded in Freudian analysis.

Bemusedly observing many kinds of religious expression from an erudite, skeptical distance, psychology professor and attorney Edmund D. Cohen thought himself advanced beyond such illusions. But a decade ago, when he found himself among the militant "born-again" Christians, he fell under the influence of powerful factors against which his extensive academic knowledge about religions and all his intellectual arguments were no defense. The "born-again's" religious experience seemed so real and salutary to Cohen that, for several years, he was a dedicated "born-again" believer.

Eventually,...

Drawing on images of the Grail legend and myths of Sophia--she who is called the Soul of the World--Sardello develops approaches to intelligence of the heart, the world significance of grieving, the transformative power of radical receptivity, re-enlivening the senses, the creative power of dreaming, and a new basis for relationships.

Based on a synthesis of C.G. Jung's writings on the nature of soul, James Hillman on the work of soul making, and Rudolf Steiner on the formation of a spiritual culture, Love and the World establishes a ground of hope for the new millennium,...

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From the FOREWORD by Dan G. Blazer, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center

""Occasionally, a writer on psychology and biblical faith comes along who can work 'from the center.' J. Christopher Garrison is such a writer. Let me explain what I mean by working from the center. No person who is thoroughly committed to his or her religious faith can really put that faith aside and work with scientific objectivity in blending the essence of that faith with the subject matter of empirical science. Even if someone could, I doubt that the project would be of...

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From the FOREWORD by Dan G. Blazer, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center

""Occasionally, a writer on psychology and biblical faith comes along who can work 'from the center.' J. Christopher Garrison is such a writer. Let me explain what I mean by working from the center. No person who is thoroughly committed to his or her religious faith can really put that faith aside and work with scientific objectivity in blending the essence of that faith with the subject matter of empirical science. Even if someone could, I doubt that the project would be of...

Matching pivotal theorists and theories of religion alongside cutting-edge criticism from a team of leading contemporary scholars, this vibrant collection enables students to gain a balanced understanding of the diverse methods, theories, and theorists involved in the historical and methodological development of the study of religion. It can be used alongside Ivan Strenski's textbook, Thinking about Religion: An Historical Introduction to Theories of Religion, to offer a complete resource for introductory students of religious studies.

• Creates a...

Judaism openly recognizes, as an integral part of human nature, the enigmatic relationship between yetzer, or physical desire, and yetzirah, or spiritual creativity. Creativity and Sexuality, written as a fi ctional dialogue, clearly delineates the psychic interdependence of these two drives, as well as the integration of the concepts as they are defi ned by both Jewish mysticism and modern psychology.

The Cost of Certainty explores a fundamental ambiguity in mainstream Christian teaching: although the church claims that God s love is unconditional, he only accepts those who believe in Jesus Christ and have repented of their sins. This gospel of conditional love breeds anxiety and polarization. Young shows how this demeans the true message of the gospels. He argues for the recovery of a spirituality of uncertainty and unconditional love as a basis for a renewal of contemporary Christian faith and practice."

When faced with a crisis, why do some people turn to religion to help them cope, while others turn away? Is religious belief merely a defense or a form of denial? Is religion a help or a hindrance in times of stress. Building a much-needed bridge between two different worlds of thought and practic -- religion and psychology -- this volume sensitively interweaves theory with first-hand accounts, clinical insight and empirical research.

From about 1740 to 1850, evangelical Protestantism became a major cultural force in virtually all areas of America. Emerging from this religious movement was a rich vernacular literature of conversion narratives and spiritual autobiographies writings in which believers described their own salvation in hopes of converting others. In The Self and the Sacred, Rodger M. Payne examines these neglected texts in depth, focusing particularly on what they reveal about notions of selfhood and how those notions were incorporated into Christian orthodoxy.
As Payne explains, conversion narratives...

Evans unfolds the implications and effects of the human desire for wholeness and growth of the self.

In one of the first attempts to bring an integral dimension to sociology, Ken Wilber introduces a system of reliable methods by which to make testable judgments of the authenticity of any religious movement. A Sociable God is a concise work based on Wilber's -spectrum of consciousness- theory, which views individual and cultural development as an evolutionary continuum. Here he focuses primarily on worldviews (archaic, magic, mythic, mental, psychic, subtle, causal, nondual) and evaluates various cultural and religious movements on a scale ranging from egocentric to ethnocentric to...

In Resurrection Psychology, Margaret Alter advances a system of psychology based upon biblical Christianity. Moving away from the notion that therapy must be completely value-neutral, the author suggests how the worlds of psychology and theology can enhance and inform one another. The result is a practical model of human personality observable in Jesus' life and teachings. As a practicing therapist and adjunct professor, Alter combines her extensive experience with years of study to offer a fresh approach to the field of psychology. By examining gospel stories that represent ten major themes...