Prey into hunter

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Marc H. Ellis

In this searing work Marc Ellis asks whether Christianity and Judaism are irredeemably scarred by tragic violence, vengeance, repression, and war. Or can genuine, life-giving elements in these traditions renew them and halt the cycle of violence? Is there God beyond violence? Ellis's personal quest for religious integrity in face of evil leads him to probe religious dimensions of both historical and contemporary eruptions of barbarism, to assess the work of prominent reformist theologians, and finally to examine what, in all honesty, we can still affirm about God.

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John C. Wathey

An essential feature of religious experience across many cultures is the intuitive feeling of God's presence. More than any rituals or doctrines, it is this experience that anchors religious faith, yet it has been largely ignored in the scientific literature on religion. Biologist John Wathey takes the reader on a scientific journey to find the sources of religious feeling and the illusion of God's presence. His book delves into the biological origins of this compelling feeling, attributing it to innate neural circuitry that evolved to promote the mother-child bond. Dr. Wathey, a veteran neuroscientist, argues that evolution has programmed the infant brain to expect the presence of a loving being who responds to the child's needs. As the infant grows into adulthood, this innate feeling is eventually transferred to the realm of religion, where it is reactivated through the symbols, imagery, and rituals of worship. The author interprets our various conceptions of God in biological terms as illusory supernormal stimuli that fill an emotional and cognitive vacuum left over from infancy.

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Julia Ching

"In this book, Julia Ching offers a magisterial survey of over four thousand years of Chinese civilisation through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. She investigates the sage-king myth and ideal, and analyses the various skills that have been required as qualifications of leadership. She argues that institutions of kingship were bound up with cultivation of trance states and communication with spirits. Over time, these associations were retained, though sidelined, as the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler, with a messianic appeal for the ruled. As a paradigm, it also became appropriated by private individuals who strove for wisdom without becoming kings. As the Confucian tradition interacted with the Taoist and the Buddhist, the religious character of spiritual and mystical cultivation became more pronounced. But the sage-king idea continued, promoting expectation of benevolent despotism rather than democratisation in Chinese civilisation."--Jacket.

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John F.A. Sawyer, J.M.Y. Simpson

"The Concise Encyclopedia of Language and Religion provides the specialist and the general reader with accurate, up-to-date information on every aspect of the crucial interface between language and religion. Easy access to material in over 300 articles by scholars in many fields is provided both in a clear thematic arrangement, and by means of a comprehensive and detailed general index." "The Concise Encyclopedia of Language and Religion brings together articles and biographical entries drawn from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, all of which have been revised and updated appropriately. These are supplemented by over 110 completely new articles specially written for the present work, and a Glossary of basic concepts and terms in linguistics, making this volume coherent, comprehensive, and accessible to a wide audience."--Jacket.