Religion, Supernaturalism and the Paranormal
eBook - ePub

Religion, Supernaturalism and the Paranormal

An Anthropological Critique

  1. 518 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Religion, Supernaturalism and the Paranormal

An Anthropological Critique

About this book

"Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal, and Pseudoscience" provides a comprehensive rejoinder to the challenges posed to science, scientific anthropology, evolutionary theory and rationality by the advocates of supernatural, paranormal, and pseudoscientific perspectives and modes of thought associated with the current rise of irrationalism, antiintellectualism, and emboldened religious fundamentalism and violence. Drawing upon H. Sidky's scientific anthropological background and ethnographic field research of supernatural and paranormal beliefs and practices in several cultures over three decades, the book answers several important questions: Why do humans have a proclivity for the supernatural and paranormal thinking? Why has humanity remained shackled to sets of ideas inherited from a violent past that have no basis in reality and which bestow an illusionary solace, promote bloodshed, endless cruelties and fervent hatreds, and have come at a high cost? Why have ancient superstitions been held as sacred, inviolate truths while other aspects of the archaic belief systems of which they were a part have long been discarded? Why have not humans outgrown religion and paranormal beliefs?

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Yes, you can access Religion, Supernaturalism and the Paranormal by Homayun Sidky in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Cultural & Social Anthropology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
Anthem Press
Year
2019
Print ISBN
9781785271625
eBook ISBN
9781785271649
Edition
1
Topic
Social Sciences
Subtopic
Cultural & Social Anthropology
Index
Social Sciences

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. CONTENTS
  7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  8. INTRODUCTION
  9. Chapter One THE PROBLEM WITH RELIGION: PRELIMINARY ISSUES
  10. Chapter Two THE UNREAL REAL: THE SUPERNATURAL, RELIGION, AND THE PARANORMAL
  11. Chapter Three CAN SCIENCE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT RELIGION AND THE SUPERNATURAL?
  12. Chapter Four GHOSTLY RAPPINGS, THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL, AND THE RELIGIOUS NATURE OF THE PARANORMAL
  13. Chapter Five GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS IN THE FIELD: ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE PARANORMAL OR PARANORMAL ANTHROPOLOGY?
  14. Chapter Six WHY WE THINK THE WORLD IS HAUNTED
  15. Chapter Seven COGNITIVE BIASES AND WHY PEOPLE THINK EERIE THOUGHTS
  16. Chapter Eight MIRACLES AS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S ACTIONS IN THE WORLD
  17. Chapter Nine WHEN GOD TALKS TO PEOPLE: ARE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE EVIDENCE OF GOD?
  18. Chapter Ten BOOKS AUTHORED BY GOD? SACRED TEXTS AS EVIDENCE OF THE SUPERNATURAL
  19. Chapter Eleven GOD’S FINGERPRINTS IN THE NATURAL WORLD: INTELLIGENT DESIGN, IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY, AND COSMIC FINE-TUNING
  20. Chapter Twelve THE MIRACLES OF THE BIBLE: THE QUINTESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONS OF PARANORMAL BELIEFS IN WESTERN CULTURE
  21. Chapter Thirteen JESUS THE MIRACLE WORKER, MAGICIAN, AND SORCERER
  22. Chapter Fourteen JESUS’S EMPTY TOMB, MISSING BODY, AND RETURN FROM THE DEAD: SOURCES FOR THE PARANORMAL TALE
  23. Chapter Fifteen THE POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
  24. Chapter Sixteen COPING WITH FAILED PROPHESY: A SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
  25. Chapter Seventeen CONCLUSIONS: WHY RELIGIOUS AND PARANORMAL BELIEFS PERSIST AND THEIR DANGERS
  26. REFERENCES
  27. INDEX