The plight of Western religion : the eclipse of the other-worldly / Paul Gifford.
2020
BL60
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Online Access
Details
Title
The plight of Western religion : the eclipse of the other-worldly / Paul Gifford.
Author
Gifford, Paul, 1944- author.
ISBN
9780190099602 (electronic book)
Published
London : Hurst & Company, 2020.
Language
English
Description
1 online resource.
Call Number
BL60
Dewey Decimal Classification
306.6
Summary
'Religion' can be used to mean all kinds of things, but a substantive definition - based on the premise of superhuman powers - can clarify much. It allows us to attempt to differentiate religion from culture, ethnicity, morality and politics. This definition of religion necessarily implies a perception of reality. Until recent centuries in the West, and in most cultures still, the ordinary, natural and immediate way of understanding and experiencing reality was in terms of otherworldly or spiritual forces. However, a cognitive shift has taken place through the rise of science and its subsequent technological application. This new consciousness has not disproved the existence of spiritual forces, but has led to the marginalization of the other-worldly, which even Western churches seem to accept.
Note
'Religion' can be used to mean all kinds of things, but a substantive definition - based on the premise of superhuman powers - can clarify much. It allows us to attempt to differentiate religion from culture, ethnicity, morality and politics. This definition of religion necessarily implies a perception of reality. Until recent centuries in the West, and in most cultures still, the ordinary, natural and immediate way of understanding and experiencing reality was in terms of otherworldly or spiritual forces. However, a cognitive shift has taken place through the rise of science and its subsequent technological application. This new consciousness has not disproved the existence of spiritual forces, but has led to the marginalization of the other-worldly, which even Western churches seem to accept.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Audience
Specialized.
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on January 23, 2020).
Series
Oxford scholarship online.
Available in Other Form
Print version: 9780190095871
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