The Joy of Religion
eBook - PDF

The Joy of Religion

Exploring the Nature of Pleasure in Spiritual Life

  1. 266 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Joy of Religion

Exploring the Nature of Pleasure in Spiritual Life

About this book

All religions describe spiritual experience as pleasant, and the goal of the religious pursuit as profoundly joyful. But many religions also condemn sensory pleasures and the desire for objects of pleasure. In this book, Ariel Glucklich resolves this apparent contradiction by showing how religious practices that instill self-control and discipline transform one type of pleasure into the pleasures of mastery and play. Using historical data and psychological analysis, he details how the rituals, mystical practices, moral teachings, and sacred texts of the world's religions act as psychological instruments that induce well-being. Glucklich also shows that in promoting joy and pleasure, religion also strengthens social bonds and enhances an individual's pursuit of meaning.

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Information

Year
2020
eBook ISBN
9781108664585

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright information
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction: Religion, Pleasure, and Evolution
  8. Chapter 1 The Variety and Mystery of Religious Pleasure
  9. Chapter 2 The Nature and Cultivation of Complex Pleasure
  10. Chapter 3 The Discovery of Mastery Pleasure
  11. Chapter 4 Philo's Mastery, Plotinus's Play, and the Mystic's Joy
  12. Chapter 5 Pleasure, Play, and Magical Thinking
  13. Chapter 6 Church-Sect Theory and Pleasure
  14. Chapter 7 Narratives and Rituals of Pleasure
  15. Chapter 8 A Scholar's Shabbat in Central Virginia
  16. Conclusion: What about Joy?
  17. Bibliography
  18. Index

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Yes, you can access The Joy of Religion by Ariel Glucklich in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Religion. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.