The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism

The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism

Author: Kenneth E. Vail III

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-04-04

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 0128172053

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The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism presents in-depth analysis of the core issues in existential psychology, their connections to religion and spirituality (e.g., religious concepts, beliefs, identities, and practices), and their diverse outcomes (e.g., psychological, social, cultural, and health). Leading scholars from around the world cover research exploring how fundamental existential issues are both cause and consequence of religion and spirituality, informed by research data spanning multiple levels of analysis, such as: evolution; cognition and neuroscience; emotion and motivation; personality and individual differences; social and cultural forces; physical and mental health; among many others. The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism explores known contours and emerging frontiers, addressing the big question of why religious belief remains such a central feature of the human experience. Discusses both abstract concepts of mortality and concrete near-death experiences Covers the struggles and triumphs associated with freedom, self-regulation, and authenticity Examines the roles of social exclusion, experiential isolation, attachment, and the construction of social identity Considers the problems of uncertainty, the effort to discern truth and reality, and the challenge to find meaning in life Discusses how the mind developed to handle existential topics, how the brain and mind implement the relevant processes, and the many variations and individual differences that alter those processes Delves into the psychological functions of religion and science; the influence on pro- and antisocial behavior, politics, and public policy; and looks at the role of spiritual concerns in understanding the human body and maintaining physical health


Eclipse of God

Eclipse of God

Author: Martin Buber

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2015-10-27

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0691165300

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Biblical in origin, the expression "eclipse of God" refers to the Jewish concept of hester panim, the act of God concealing his face as a way of punishing his disobedient subjects. Though this idea is deeply troubling for many people, in this book Martin Buber uses the expression hopefully—for a hiding God is also a God who can be found. First published in 1952, Eclipse of God is a collection of nine essays concerning the relationship between religion and philosophy. The book features Buber's critique of the thematically interconnected—yet diverse—perspectives of Soren Kierkegaard, Hermann Cohen, C.G. Jung, Martin Heidegger, and other prominent modern thinkers. Buber deconstructs their philosophical conceptions of God and explains why religion needs philosophy to interpret what is authentic in spiritual encounters. He elucidates the religious implications of the I-Thou, or dialogical relationship, and explains how the exclusive focus on scientific knowledge in the modern world blocks the possibility of a personal relationship with God. Featuring a new introduction by Leora Batnitzky, Eclipse of God offers a glimpse into the mind of one of the modern world’s greatest Jewish thinkers.


The Spiritual Life

The Spiritual Life

Author: George Albert Coe

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2015-06-13

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 9781330290941

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Excerpt from The Spiritual Life: Studies in the Science of Religion The studies here presented have been undertaken in response to a conviction that, in the interest of both science and religion, a new intellectual attitude is necessary with respect to the facts of the spiritual life. The religious processes taking place around us and within us must be observed with all the precision that modern psychological methods and tools render possible. For, whatever else religion may or may not be, it is at least a mass of ascertainable states of consciousness; and in the absence of information to the contrary we must presume that such states can be analyzed and described, and that their relations to one another and to the recognized laws of the mental and bodily life can be to some extent determined. What is needed is an examination of the facts as such, without reference to their possible bearing upon theology or philosophy. Until this work is done there will remain an important gap in the scientific knowledge of man. For, clearly, it is the humanity that now is that gives us our problems concerning mans origin and development, and that necessarily controls and tests our hypotheses. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Religion and the Rebel

Religion and the Rebel

Author: Colin Wilson

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09-13

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 9780993323041

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Religion and the Rebel, Colin Wilson's second volume from his internationally acclaimed Outsider Cycle, is a casebook about and for rebels. With inspirational wisdom and engaging clarity, Wilson shows us that the purpose of religion, of our personal relationship with the sacred and the all-pervading mystery of existence, is to expand our consciousness and intensify our sense of life. Wilson heroically claims that the power to create meaning resides in our mental and spiritual discipline. Examining the lives and works of Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Rilke, Shaw, Pascal, Swedenborg, Rimbaud and Scott Fitzgerald, among others, Wilson explores the main existential questions and shows how these remarkable writers, scientists, philosophers and poets faced their need for transcendence. Like many of us, they were driven by a need to become more than men. Religion and the Rebel is an outstanding and enjoyable book that combines philosophical analysis, historical interest, and religious insight.


Religion and the Meaning of Life

Religion and the Meaning of Life

Author: Clifford Williams

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-04-09

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 1108421563

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Explores life's meaning through the lens of belief in God and lived realities including boredom, denial of death, and suicide.


Existential Reasons for Belief in God

Existential Reasons for Belief in God

Author: Clifford Williams

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-03-18

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1725264692

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Lived faith involves doctrines, evidences and rational coherence—but it includes much more. Philosopher Clifford Williams puts forth an argument as to why certain needs, desires and emotions have a legitimate place in drawing people into faith in God. Addressing the strongest objections to these types of grounds for faith, he shows how the personal and experiential aspects of belief play an important part in coming to faith and in remaining a believing person.


The Religion of Existence

The Religion of Existence

Author: Noreen Khawaja

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-12-02

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 022640465X

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“Keen insight…reveals existentialism as one more chapter in Christianity’s history.”—Journal of the American Academy of Religion The Religion of Existence reopens an old debate on an important question: What was existentialism? At the heart of existentialism, Noreen Khawaja argues, is a story about secular thought experimenting with the traditions of European Christianity. This book explores how a distinctly Protestant asceticism formed the basis for the chief existentialist ideal, personal authenticity, which is reflected in approaches ranging from Kierkegaard’s religious theory of the self to Heidegger’s phenomenology of everyday life to Sartre’s global mission of atheistic humanism. Through these three philosophers, she argues, we observe how ascetic norms have shaped one of the twentieth century’s most powerful ways of thinking about identity and difference—the idea that the true self is not simply given but something that each of us is responsible for producing. Engaging with many central figures in modern European thought, this book is of value to philosophers and historians of European philosophy, scholars of modern Christianity, and those working on problems at the intersection of religion and modernity.