Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion

0/5 ( ratings)

Why has religion persisted across the course of human history? Secularists have predicted the end of faith for a long time, but religions continue to attract followers. Meanwhile, scholars of religion have expanded their field to such an extent that we lack a basic framework for making sense of the chaos of religious phenomena. To remedy this state of affairs, Martin Riesebrodt here undertakes a task that is at once simple and to define, understand, and explain religion as a universal concept. Instead of propounding abstract theories, Riesebrodt concentrates on the concrete realities of worship, examining religious holidays, conversion stories, prophetic visions, and life-cycle events. In analyzing these practices, his scope is appropriately broad, taking into consideration traditions in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, and Shinto. Ultimately, Riesebrodt argues, all religions promise to avert misfortune, help their followers manage crises, and bring both temporary blessings and eternal salvation. And, as The Promise of Salvation makes clear through abundant empirical evidence, religion will not disappear as long as these promises continue to help people cope with life.

Language: English

Pages: 248

Format: Paperback

Release: February 15, 2010

ISBN 13: 9780226006932

The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion

0/5 ( ratings)

Why has religion persisted across the course of human history? Secularists have predicted the end of faith for a long time, but religions continue to attract followers. Meanwhile, scholars of religion have expanded their field to such an extent that we lack a basic framework for making sense of the chaos of religious phenomena. To remedy this state of affairs, Martin Riesebrodt here undertakes a task that is at once simple and to define, understand, and explain religion as a universal concept. Instead of propounding abstract theories, Riesebrodt concentrates on the concrete realities of worship, examining religious holidays, conversion stories, prophetic visions, and life-cycle events. In analyzing these practices, his scope is appropriately broad, taking into consideration traditions in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, and Shinto. Ultimately, Riesebrodt argues, all religions promise to avert misfortune, help their followers manage crises, and bring both temporary blessings and eternal salvation. And, as The Promise of Salvation makes clear through abundant empirical evidence, religion will not disappear as long as these promises continue to help people cope with life.

Language: English

Pages: 248

Format: Paperback

Release: February 15, 2010

ISBN 13: 9780226006932

More books from Steven Rendall

Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to Kill Hitler, by Its Last Member

3.4/5 ( ratings)

Summertime All the Cats Are Bored

3.6/5 ( ratings)

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy

3.9/5 ( ratings)

Cannibal Island: Death in a Siberian Gulag

3.5/5 ( ratings)

Reason and Rationality

3.4/5 ( ratings)

The Cemetery of Swallows

3.9/5 ( ratings)

Manhunts: A Philosophical History

4.2/5 ( ratings)

Dump This Book While You Still Can!

3.8/5 ( ratings)

A Short History of German Philosophy

3.6/5 ( ratings)

Lethe: The Art and Critique of Forgetting

The Illusion of Cultural Identity

3.3/5 ( ratings)

Eric Rohmer: A Biography

4.2/5 ( ratings)

In the Land of a Thousand Gods: A History of Asia Minor in the Ancient World

4.3/5 ( ratings)

Life Counts: Cataloguing Life on Earth

2.8/5 ( ratings)

Iran: A Short History. Monika Gronke

2.8/5 ( ratings)

Jacob, Menahem, and Mimoun: A Family Epic

3.6/5 ( ratings)

To Write on Tamara?

4.2/5 ( ratings)

Prophets of the Past: Interpreters of Jewish History

Rate this book!

Write a review?