The Puzzle of Religion

The Puzzle of Religion PDF

Author: Douglas Hufschmid

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2019-07-25

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 9781794109117

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It's fairly easy to see the ways in which science has advanced over the years, forming truths and laws that many people accept worldwide. Yet most religions resist change, and, in turn, most religions remain backward and divisive. Is there potential for better human unity if we demystify the puzzle of religion as we have demystified other puzzles? Douglas Hufschmid explores these topics and more in The Puzzle of Religion. With astute investigations into contemporary religious beliefs, Hufschmid seeks to unravel the ways in which religion must compete with other aspects of modern life, such as science, the Internet, and Hollywood. The Puzzle of Religion dives deep into the fascinating contradiction between scientific advancement and religious stagnation.The better we can understand our desire for advances within science, the better we can understand why the world's religions lack similar advances. Is it possible to develop a worldwide consensus on religion? For every human to hold the same set of truths-as is the case with science? As The Puzzle of Religion unveils, this consensus could be the missing piece in unity. It could be the last piece in the puzzle for world peace.

The Puzzle of Christianity

The Puzzle of Christianity PDF

Author: Peter Vardy

Publisher: HarperCollins UK

Published: 2016-09-08

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 000820425X

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An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and ‘A’-Level Religious Studies specifications.

The Puzzle of Life and the Missing Peace

The Puzzle of Life and the Missing Peace PDF

Author: Oliver Morgen

Publisher:

Published: 2011-12-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781426901546

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Everyone seems to have beliefs about religion. Most religious beliefs were given to us as children, by those who also were instructed when they were children. Christians received their doctrine from Counsels hundreds of years ago, who told us what to believe - forever. Everything changes and therefore advances; everything but our beliefs, for if they were to change it would mean they never were true. This book goes back to reinterpret Bible passages from the point of symbol, rather than a literal acceptance of the words presented. In symbol and metaphor, the truth of what was presented to us becomes clear. The Bible stories became a puzzle to solve. Beliefs have done little for mankind. We are in search of the truth that will set us free.

The Role of Religion in History

The Role of Religion in History PDF

Author: George Walsh

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-09-08

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1351474855

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This comprehensive survey of religion and its profound effects on history provides a historical context for in-depth analysis of theological, social, and political themes in which religion plays a major role. George Walsh first traces the rise and impact of primitive religions. He looks at Indian traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and analyzes the Semitic tradition of Judaism and Christianity and the evolving conception of a personal God. He discusses the history and chief doctrines of Islam as well, with its fundamental respect for desert tribal values and its emphasis on both the authority of God and the brotherhood of believers. Walsh then compares Judaism and Christianity. He sees Judaism as marked by a profound ambivalence between the values of tribal, nomadic desert life and the values of urban civilization, individualism, and collectivism. Judaism is "this-worldly," but the Christian worldview is "other-wordly." Walsh closes with a timely discussion of the ethical, political, and economic teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, focusing specifically on their differing attitudes toward sex, reproduction, and marriage; their basic views of mind and body; and man's relation to God.

Religion and Reality

Religion and Reality PDF

Author: Darren Iammarino

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-08-28

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 1620322447

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This book argues for the reality of multiple religious ultimates rather than just one. This entails that all the religions are not the same; they describe different religious objects, and they each provide unique forms of salvation. The immediate advantage of this approach is that it explains how all religions are equally valid without glossing over the real differences that define them. Put differently, each religion has correctly identified a piece of the puzzle that makes up Ultimate Reality. There is, however, a limit to the plurality, and thus five distinct religious ultimates are identified: the Forms, God, A World, Creativity, and the Receptacle. One or two of these five ultimates are found within all of the world's religions, as evidenced by religious scriptures and religious experiences. Based upon these five religious ultimates, this book puts forth a novel philosophical and religious system: cosmosyntheism, a word emphasizing the likelihood that in the beginning, there was more than just God. Quite possibly, there may have been five ultimates, each sacred in its own way, none of which could have existed without the reality of the others.

The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion

The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion PDF

Author: Stephen W. Boston

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2003-03-08

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1462065589

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Science teaches evolution. Genesis describes creation. Christianity, Judaism, and Sufism teach resurrection. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism teach reincarnation. The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion resolves these paradoxes. Chester and Lydia meet in a debate. One wins. One loses. Neither are ever the same. Lydia discovers a secret from her past that destroyed her family. She tries to ignore it, but her nightmares won't let her. Chester's greed for gold and revenge lead him to ancient knowledge which the powers of darkness fight to suppress. When the information last came to light, thousands died. Somehow, Chester must safely reveal it to the world. "This is the most inspirational story I have ever read! Honest!" Clint Hoadley re: www.reluctant-messenger.com

The Puzzle of God

The Puzzle of God PDF

Author: Peter Vardy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-11

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1317455029

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The Puzzle of God takes a distinctive approach to the complex issues surrounding what it means to claim that God exists. It examines the different ideas of God in common use today, and applies these to the central areas of belief, such as eternal life, prayer, miracles, and talk of God's love, omnipotence and omniscience.

Making Sense of the Sacred

Making Sense of the Sacred PDF

Author: James L. Rowell

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2021-05-18

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1506468098

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What is the overarching meaning of the world's religions? Textbooks relay what the religions believe and leave it at that. But the more puzzling questions--Which of them is true? How do all viewpoints fit together or challenge one another?--are left unaddressed. Like an unfinished puzzle, the myriad religions present themselves to us as countless pieces, but their relationship to each other and ultimate importance escape us. Can the religions of the world really agree on anything or fit into a common narrative or singular image? This work argues that despite the disagreements and contradictions among world religions, a universal message can be found by studying them with care. It offers a comprehensive examination of religions and their meaning, uniquely bound by the hope and affirmation that in some way they are universally connected. It affirms a universalism by wisdom, which contends that a moral and spiritual wisdom can be found in many of the world's religions. Understood and interpreted properly, religions can help all people lead good and meaningful lives.

The Attraction of Religion

The Attraction of Religion PDF

Author: D. Jason Slone

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-02-26

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1472529685

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Religion is an evolutionary puzzle. It involves beliefs in counterfactual worlds and engagement in costly rituals. Yet religion is widespread across all human cultures and eras. This begs the question, why are so many people attracted to religion? In The Attraction of Religion, essays by leading scholars in evolutionary psychology, anthropology, and religious studies demonstrate how religion may be related to evolutionary adaptations because religious commitments involve fitness-enhancing behaviours that promote reproduction, kinship, and social solidarity. Could it be that religion is wide-spread, at least in the modern world, because it helps to facilitate cooperative breeding? International contributors explore the philosophical and theoretical arguments for and against the use of costly signalling, sexual selection, and related theories to explain religion, and empirical findings that support or disconfirm such claims. The first book-length treatment that focuses specifically on costly signalling, sexual selection, and related evolutionary theories to explain religion, The Attraction of Religion will be an important contribution to the field and will be of interest to researchers in the fields of evolutionary psychology, religion and science, the psychology of religion, and anthropology of religion.