Download or read book A Sinister Belief written by Phillip D. Skitt Jr. and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2016-12-22 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follow Sawyer Cobb and his family as he recounts the terrifying events that took place during the summer of 2012. Fear is grasped and nerves are tested when someone or something begins to terrorize the Cobb family in their home located in Simpsonville, South Carolina. With the help of his lifelong friend, pastor, and an expert in the paranormal, Sawyer begins to hypothesize what is tormenting his family. I urge you to read this book with an open mind. The events that took place could possibly lead to a revelation that leaves even the top skeptics skeptical.
Download or read book Lure of the Sinister written by Gareth Medway and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2001-04 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A frequent writer on comparative religion and the history of occultism, Medway begins by exploring what a Satanist is and why people worship Satan, then looks at such topics as the history of Satan and the Pact, Satanic crime, hell on earth, sex slaves of Lucifer, and the relationship between paranoia and conspiracy. He explains that as a Pagan he does not believe in Satan, but neither does he believe in Christianity but knows Christians are real. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Going Clear written by Lawrence Wright and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower comes “an utterly necessary story” (The Wall Street Journal) that pulls back the curtain on the church of Scientology: one of the most secretive organizations at work today. • The Basis for the HBO Documentary. Scientology presents itself as a scientific approach to spiritual enlightenment, but its practices have long been shrouded in mystery. Now Lawrence Wright—armed with his investigative talents, years of archival research, and more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists—uncovers the inner workings of the church. We meet founder L. Ron Hubbard, the highly imaginative but mentally troubled science-fiction writer, and his tough, driven successor, David Miscavige. We go inside their specialized cosmology and language. We learn about the church’s legal attacks on the IRS, its vindictive treatment of critics, and its phenomenal wealth. We see the church court celebrities such as Tom Cruise while consigning its clergy to hard labor under billion-year contracts. Through it all, Wright asks what fundamentally comprises a religion, and if Scientology in fact merits this Constitutionally-protected label.
Download or read book The Sinister Way written by Richard von Glahn and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2004-04-20 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation A survey of Chinese religion from 1000 BC to the beginning of the 20th century, as well as a study of the ambiguitues of divine power in Chinese religion.
Download or read book The Tragedy of Almightiness written by Sybe Schaap and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tragedy of Almightiness encircles the theme of human yearning for omnipotence, as expressed in religion and various ideologies. The central question revolves around the matter of what--in pursuing such an extreme power of the will--man seeks to achieve. While exploring the question, a thought-provoking link is made between religion and atheism; between the Biblical longing for God's promise and the Marxist appeal for man to realize that same promise. Omnipotence must vouch for the fulfilling of the promise, for justice and for man's dream of redemption. However that is not where it ends. The longing for salvation turns out to have a dangerous reverse side to it because it encourages a turning away from the actual world and the all-pervading evil. Omnipotence also facilitates the avenging of such evil. History has shown what this kind of yearning can lead to. The book demonstrates how modernity translates Biblical longings into ideologically justified revengefulness. The description of this process leads to a plea for renewed ethical purpose in life. It is a challenge that also extends to religion. Hence the reason that it is necessary to depart from the idea of omnipotence.
Download or read book The Sinister Way written by Richard von Glahn and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2004-04-20 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most striking feature of Wutong, the preeminent God of Wealth in late imperial China, was the deity's diabolical character. Wutong was perceived not as a heroic figure or paragon of noble qualities but rather as an embodiment of humanity's basest vices, greed and lust, a maleficent demon who preyed on the weak and vulnerable. In The Sinister Way, Richard von Glahn examines the emergence and evolution of the Wutong cult within the larger framework of the historical development of Chinese popular or vernacular religion—as opposed to institutional religions such as Buddhism or Daoism. Von Glahn's study, spanning three millennia, gives due recognition to the morally ambivalent and demonic aspects of divine power within the common Chinese religious culture.
Download or read book The Mosaic of Christian Belief written by Roger E. Olson and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this second edition of Roger E. Olson's classic work, he thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced into the molds of false either-or alternatives.
Download or read book Possession written by Traugott K. Oesterreich and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Download or read book A Hebrew View of Evil written by William Frederick Lofthouse and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Roots of Haiti s Vodou Christian Faith written by R. Murray Thomas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-06-19 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the development of Haiti's combined Vodou-Christian religion from 1500 to the present and explains how this combination of distinct faiths coalesces in a coherent belief system. What are the historical reasons for the popularity of two contradictory worldviews in Haiti, Vodou and Catholicism? What elements of Vodou and Catholicism are alike, and how are they drastically different? What is the connection between indigenous African religions and Vodou? And why has religion in Haiti evidenced an accelerating rate of change in recent decades? Roots of Haiti's Vodou-Christian Faith: African and Catholic Origins answers these questions and more in its examination of the highly unique and often-misunderstood religious practices in Haiti. Reaching back half a millennium to the European conquest of the island of Haiti, author R. Murray Thomas inspects the origins and nature of these two competing and complementary religious traditions: the traditional African faiths brought by the slaves who were imported to Haiti to labor in the fields and mines, and the Catholicism promoted—often violently—by Spanish and French colonial authorities. Following a historical background, the subsequent chapters focus on the organization of Haitian religion, spirits, creation belief, causes and ceremonies, maxims and tales, symbols and sacred objects, sacred sites, religious societies, and the future of the Vodou-Christian faith.
Download or read book Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics written by James Hastings and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 1838 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Arguing from Cognitive Science of Religion written by Hans Van Eyghen and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-02 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book considers whether recent theories from Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) undermine the epistemic status of religious belief. After introducing the key theories in the growing area of CSR, Hans Van Eyghen explores some of the epistemic questions surrounding CSR, including: Is CSR incompatible with the truth of religious belief? How might CSR show that religious belief is unreliably formed? And, finally, does CSR undermine the justification of religious belief by religious experiences? In addressing these questions, he demonstrates how CSR does not undermine the epistemic bases for religious belief. This book offers a clear and concise overview of the current state of cognitive science of religion and will be of particular interest to scholars working in philosophy and epistemology of religion.
Download or read book Introducing Religion written by Robert S. Ellwood and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-08-22 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introducing Religion examines the different ways of looking at religion in the twenty-first century. Providing a broad overview to the discipline of religious studies, this new edition continues to introduce students to engaging and contemporary topics such as: sociology of religion psychology of religion history of religion religion and art religious ethics popular religion religion and violence Thoroughly updated throughout, this sixth edition includes new coverage of current debates and hot topics in the field, such as concerns about "essentialism" in religion, the importance of categorization, and the role of psychology in religious experience. This textbook is fundamental reading for students approaching this subject area for the first time.
Download or read book Heavenly Hosts and Dark Forces Angels and Demons in Religion written by Adelia C. Minett and published by Book Lovers HQ. This book was released on 2024-08-27 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Angels and demons, the eternal symbols of good and evil, have intrigued humanity for ages. Heavenly Hosts and Dark Forces: Angels and Demons in Religion is a comprehensive guide that delves into the intricate and profound roles these spiritual beings play across a spectrum of faiths. From the Abrahamic traditions to Eastern religions, Indigenous beliefs, and modern spiritual practices, this book offers a detailed exploration of how angels and demons are depicted in sacred texts, religious rituals, and popular culture, enlightening readers about their profound significance. Whether viewed as celestial protectors or malevolent adversaries, angels and demons continue to captivate the human imagination. Through historical analysis, theological insights, and cultural perspectives, Heavenly Hosts and Dark Forces reveal the timeless influence of these beings on human spirituality and moral thought. The book also examines their ongoing relevance in contemporary society, where angels and demons remain potent symbols in literature, film, and art. What you will find in this book: The origins and evolution of angels and demons across various religious traditions An exploration of angels in Abrahamic faiths, including their roles as messengers, protectors, and warriors Insights into demonic figures, from ancient mythology to modern interpretations A look at how Eastern religions perceive angels and demons, focusing on spiritual balance and karma An examination of Indigenous beliefs, where spiritual beings are deeply connected to nature and community The impact of angels and demons on human psychology and moral development How these beings are represented in popular culture, from movies to video games A discussion on the continuing relevance of angels and demons in modern spirituality Heavenly Hosts and Dark Forces invites readers on a journey through the sacred and the sinister, offering a rich and nuanced exploration of the spiritual forces that have shaped—and continue to shape—our understanding of the divine. By providing a comprehensive understanding of the portrayal and significance of angels and demons in various religious traditions, the book significantly contributes to our understanding of the divine and its impact on human spirituality and moral thought.
Download or read book Essays on Religion and Human Rights written by David Little and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays addresses human rights in relation to the historical settings in which its language was drafted and adopted.
Download or read book Religion at Work in Globalised Traditions written by Anders Kaliff and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do traditions disappear? How is the disappearance of tradition also a vehicle for social change and re-inventions of practices and new traditions? Using case studies from one Sukuma area along the southern shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, global processes of how religions work in practice are analysed by focusing on rainmaking, witchcraft and Christianity. Traditionally, Sukuma society was culturally and cosmologically structured around the chief, the ancestors and rainmaking. Everything was dependent upon the rain. Rainmaking as a ritual practice has disappeared and ancestral propitiations are declining, while, at the same time, Christianity is spreading and witchcraft and witch killings are increasing. Although Christianity as a religion may provide answers and hopes for life after death, the religion provides few solutions in the here and now when it comes to poverty and suffering; problems and challenges that have to be solved. Witchcraft, on the other hand, does, or is believed to do so – and the increase in witchcraft is analysed in relation to the impacts of more than a century of globalisation from the missionaries and colonizers onwards. With the declining ancestral tradition, witchcraft and Christianity as religious practices supplement each other in the ways they are believed to work in providing answers, solutions or divine interferences in different realms; this world and the Otherworld. Offering an approach going beyond structural functionalism on different premises, the book’s focus on religion at work will facilitate new understandings of how to study religion as it is perceived and believed in practice.
Download or read book Conspiracy Theories and the People who Believe Them written by Joseph E. Uscinski and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conspiracy theories are inevitable in complex human societies. And while they have always been with us, their ubiquity in our political discourse is nearly unprecedented. Their salience has increased for a variety of reasons including the increasing access to information among ordinary people, a pervasive sense of powerlessness among those same people, and a widespread distrust of elites. Working in combination, these factors and many other factors are now propelling conspiracy theories into our public sphere on a vast scale. In recent years, scholars have begun to study this genuinely important phenomenon in a concerted way. In Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them, Joseph E. Uscinski has gathered forty top researchers on the topic to provide both the foundational tools and the evidence to better understand conspiracy theories in the United States and around the world. Each chapter is informed by three core questions: Why do so many people believe in conspiracy theories? What are the effects of such theories when they take hold in the public? What can or should be done about the phenomenon? Combining systematic analysis and cutting-edge empirical research, this volume will help us better understand an extremely important, yet relatively neglected, phenomenon.
