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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Author: Brian Davies Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Opus ISBN: 0192892355 Format: Paperback Pages: 272 List Price: £1.00 |
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Editorial Reviews Review "An excellent revision of an already superb overview of both classical and contemporary issues. Incisive, lucid, and provocative."--Robert Segal, Tulane University "Excellent, thorough introductory text. Well organized, written, with excellent bibliography. Perfect to structure a course around."--Andrew Pessin, Kenyon College "An excellent survey of the state of the field for the beginning student."--D.L. Adams, Concordia College "A superbly written, clear presentation of the vast array of issues which arise in the philosophy of religion. It is worthy for both introductory classes and as a synoptic text at the beginning of upper level classes."--Donald G. Schley, University of Colorado "Excellent format, clearly written....Good text to stiumlate discussion for beginning students."--Russ Bush, Southeastern Seminary, NC Product Description This new, completely revised and updated edition places particular emphasis on matters which have recently become philosophically controversial. Brian Davies provides a critical examination of the fundamental questions of religion and the ways in which these questions have been treated by such thinkers as Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Leibnitz, Hume, Kant, Karl Barth, and Wittgenstein. Must a belief in God be based on argument or evidence in order to be a rational belief? Can one invoke the Free-Will Defense if one believes in God as maker and sustainer of the universe? Is it correct to think of God as a moral agent subject to duties and obligations? What is the significance of Darwin for the Argument from Design? How can one recognize God as an object of one's experience? The author debates these questions and more, sometimes proposing provocative answers of his own, more often leaving readers to decide for themselves. Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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Global Philosophy of Religion: A Short Introduction Author: Joseph Runzo Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Oneworld, Oxford ISBN: 185168235X Format: Paperback Pages: 288 List Price: £12.99 |
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Editorial Reviews From Library Journal Oneworld's strong presence in today's religious book market includes a series of short histories and introductions to religions and religious questions, to which these two recent volumes are welcome additions. An authority on Hinduism and comparative religion, Coward (Univ. of Victoria) here revises his 1985 survey of the great religions' approaches to pluralism by updating chapters, adding the Baha'i faith, and revising his conclusions. He examines the response of six religions to pluralism and the future of religious dialog. The only criticism of this work is that it oversimplifies complexities and, in the Baha'i case, may not have understood the underlying worldview that permits both respectful dialog and the search for converts. Runzo (Chapman Univ. & Cambridge Univ.), who is widely published on religious pluralism, reviews the major arguments and issues in religious philosophy from a global perspective. He covers the various approaches that religions take toward each other and toward arguments for and against God's existence, theodicy, life after death, science, morality, and love. Helpful text boxes present the main philosophical arguments. Both authors succeed admirably in conveying to the student and educated lay reader the philosophical and practical issues raised by the interconnected world in which many religions coexist. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries of all sizes. William P. Collins, Library of Congress Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review 'This is an extremely useful and reliable introduction to the philosophy of religion... it will be invaluable for schools and introductory college courses.' Professor Keith Ward, University of Oxford 'Runzo is abundantly successful in showing the importance (and the limits) of argument in matters of religion. I don't know another book that does this with as much success over such a range of materials.' - Paul J. Griffiths, University of Chicago Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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Holy Bible Author: Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: Format: Pages: 0 List Price: £25.00 |
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Humanity, Our Place in the Universe: The Central Beliefs of the World?s Religions Author: Colin Drake Editor/Commentator: Publisher: ISBN: Format: Pages: 0 List Price: £10.00 |
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Scripture in the World Religions: A Short Introduction Author: Harold Coward Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Oneworld, Oxford ISBN: 1851682449 Format: Paperback Pages: 256 List Price: £10.99 |
Synopsis:
Editorial Reviews Product Description A unique and engaging way of studying world religions...[a] lucid and sensitive presentation of the power of the word, spoken and written. --Paul Knitter About the Author Harold Coward is the Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria. Author and Editor of nearly forty books, he is well-kown expert in the fields of Hinduism, philosophy and comparative religion and a Fellow of the Roya Society of Canada. Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason Author: Sam Harris Editor/Commentator: Publisher: W. W. Norton ISBN: 978-0-393-32765-6 Format: Paperback Pages: 352 List Price: £8.00 |
Synopsis:
Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message. Interestingly, Harris is not just focused on debunking religious faith, though he makes his compelling arguments with verve and intellectual clarity. The End of Faith is also a bit of a philosophical Swiss Army knife. Once he has presented his arguments on why, in an age of Weapons of Mass Destruction, belief is now a hazard of great proportions, he focuses on proposing alternate approaches to the mysteries of life. Harris recognizes the truth of the human condition, that we fear death, and we often crave "something more" we cannot easily define, and which is not met by accumulating more material possessions. But by attempting to provide the cure for the ills it defines, the book bites off a bit more than it can comfortably chew in its modest page count (however the rich Bibliography provides more than enough background for an intrigued reader to follow up for months on any particular strand of the author' musings.) Harris' heart is not as much in the latter chapters, though, but in presenting his main premise. Simply stated, any belief system that speaks with assurance about the hereafter has the potential to place far less value on the here and now. And thus the corollary -- when death is simply a door translating us from one existence to another, it loses its sting and finality. Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in their own hands. If thoughts along the same line haunt you, this is your book.--Ed Dobeas --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly In this sometimes simplistic and misguided book, Harris calls for the end of religious faith in the modern world. Not only does such faith lack a rational base, he argues, but even the urge for religious toleration allows a too-easy acceptance of the motives of religious fundamentalists. Religious faith, according to Harris, requires its adherents to cling irrationally to mythic stories of ideal paradisiacal worlds (heaven and hell) that provide alternatives to their own everyday worlds. Moreover, innumerable acts of violence, he argues, can be attributed to a religious faith that clings uncritically to one set of dogmas or another. Very simply, religion is a form of terrorism for Harris. Predictably, he argues that a rational and scientific view--one that relies on the power of empirical evidence to support knowledge and understanding--should replace religious faith. We no longer need gods to make laws for us when we can sensibly make them for ourselves. But Harris overstates his case by misunderstanding religious faith, as when he makes the audaciously naïve statement that "mysticism is a rational enterprise; religion is not." As William James ably demonstrated, mysticism is far from a rational enterprise, while religion might often require rationality in order to function properly. On balance, Harris's book generalizes so much about both religion and reason that it is ineffectual. Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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The Ocean of Wisdom: The Most Comprehensive Compendium of Wordly and Spiritual Wisdom This Century Author: Editor/Commentator: Comp. Alan Jacobs Publisher: O Books ISBN: 190504707X Format: Paperback Pages: 600 List Price: £17.99 |
Synopsis:
Editorial Reviews Product Description The first major anthology of this size and scope since 1935. Divided into 54 sections, ranging fro Action to Zen, it draws on all faiths and traditions. About the Author Few individuals have as wide an acquaintance with the world's traditions and scriptures as Alan Jacobs. He is Chairperson of the Ramana Maharshi Foundation (UK), editor of Poetry of the Spirit, and has translated The Bhagavad Gita (O Books), The Principal Upanishads (O Books) and The Wisdom of Marcus Aurelius (O Books). Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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The Varieties of Religious Experience Author: William James Editor/Commentator: Intro. Reinhold Niebuhr Publisher: Touchstone ISBN: 0743257871 Format: Paperback Pages: 416 List Price: £8.00 |
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Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review "I am neither a theologian, nor a scholar learned in the history of religions, nor an anthropologist. Psychology is the only branch of learning in which I am particularly versed. To the psychologist the religious propensities of man must be at least as interesting as any other of the facts pertaining to his mental constitution. It would seem, therefore, as a psychologist, the natural thing for me would be to invite you to a descriptive survey of those religious propensities." When William James went to the University of Edinburgh in 1901 to deliver a series of lectures on "natural religion," he defined religion as "the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine." Considering religion, then, not as it is defined by--or takes place in--the churches, but as it is felt in everyday life, he undertook a project that, upon completion, stands not only as one of the most important texts on psychology ever written, not only as a vitally serious contemplation of spirituality, but for many critics one of the best works of nonfiction written in the 20th century. Reading The Varieties of Religious Experience, it is easy to see why. Applying his analytic clarity to religious accounts from a variety of sources, James elaborates a pluralistic framework in which "the divine can mean no single quality, it must mean a group of qualities, by being champions of which in alternation, different men may all find worthy missions." It's an intellectual call for serious religious tolerance--indeed, respect--the vitality of which has not diminished through the subsequent decades. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. Review 'The centenary edition of Varieties can serve as a useful introduction to James's thinking about religion.' - Reviews in Religion and Theology --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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The World's Religions Author: Ninian Smart Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0521429064 Format: Paperback Pages: 576 List Price: £5.00 |
Synopsis:
Editorial Reviews From Library Journal Smart (emeritus, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) is one of the few public religious intellectuals who can be compared to the late Joseph Campbell. In this second edition of his study of world religions, he has expanded his discussion of the multifaceted dimensions of religious thought. This edition retains the same structure found in the earlier one: Part 1 charts the historical development of religions in the ancient worlds, while Part 2 follows how they changed after the Renaissance, the settling of the Americas, and other cultural shifts. In this version, he adds the effects of the breakup of the Soviet Union, the expansion of Islam, the spread of African American religious experiences, and the changes brought about by the introduction of female priests. It would be a mistake to assign this book as a primary textbook for a world religions class; Smart is primarily a historian, and the emphasis here is on world religions in terms of world history and constantly developing systems of faith, belief, and theology. Recommended for all libraries.?Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Review 'Based on massive scholarship and much travel, written with deceptive smoothness and ease, lavishly illustrated, the book is beautiful in every sense. It crowns the literary career of its author.' Church Times 'The author discourses with great lucidity on every topic from animism to Zen ... as an attractive and eminently readable introduction to the extraordinary diversity of the world's religions this book can have few equals.' The Month Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
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Theo's Odyssey Author: Catherine Clement Editor/Commentator: Publisher: Flamingo ISBN: 0006551351 Format: Paperback Pages: 592 List Price: £1.50 |
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Editorial Reviews Review 'A wonderful book that both adults and adolescents like Theo will find richly rewarding.' Le Populaire 'With its fluent and alert prose, this encyclopaedic novel will entrance any smart reader keen to extend their spiritual understanding.' Madame Figaro 'Clement has written her great book of questions. The reader needs to dive into it as they would plunge into crystal-clear waters: it will open their heart and refresh their spirit.' Magazine Litteraire Product Description Does for spirituality what Sophie's World did for philosophy. * Theo is fourteen, very clever, reads a lot, loves computer games and the Greek myths. But then, suddenly, he falls ill. His rich aunt Martha decides that they must roam the world to find a cure for his malaise. * What follows is a tour of the world's religions and religious sites, with the sceptical, quizzical Theo being shown the varieties and depths of faith that exist in other places, other cultures. * All this is handled with real style, pace, wit and clarity. The book is a thoroughly enjoyable introduction to why and how people believe in their God -- even Dave Allen would have liked it. Buy from Amazon US Buy from Amazon UK |
| Page last updated: 27-Mar-2013 | ||
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