Brill E-Books

 Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science

Contents

• • Preliminary Material (i-xvi)   (168K)
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    • Contents
    • Contributors
  • Introduction (1-20) by Olav Hammer and James R. Lewis   (173K)
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    • The Problem
    • Warrants
    • The Authority Of Science
    • Science As Legitimator Of Religion
    • Theoretical
    • Buddhism And East Asian Traditions
    • South Asian Traditions
    • Judaism And Islam
    • Christian Tradition
    • Spiritualism And Spiritism
    • New Age And Occult
    • Alternative Archaeologies
    • Theories And Sceptics
  • How Religions Appeal To The Authority Of Science (21-40) by James R. Lewis   (168K)
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    • The Charisma Of Tradition And The Charisma Of Science
    • “Scientific Worldviews”
    • A Preliminary Typology
    • Conclusion
    • Bibliography
  • From Analogies To Narrative Entanglement: Invoking Scientific Authority In Indian New Age Spirituality (41-66) by Kathinka Frøystad   (172K)
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    • 1. The Interface Of Religion And Science In Anthropological Thought
    • 2. New Age Spirituality In India
    • 3. Forms Of Scientific Legitimacy Construction
    • 4. Concluding Remarks
    • References
  • “We Demand Bedrock Knowledge”: Modern Satanism Between Secularized Esotericism And ‘Esotericized’ Secularism (67-114) by Jesper Aagaard Petersen   (228K)
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    • I. Introduction
    • II. Secularized Esotericism And ‘Esotericized’ Secularism
    • III. The Bedrock Knowledge Of The Church Of Satan
    • IV. The Fate Of The Bedrock: Science And Scientism In The Satanic Milieu
    • V. Concluding Discussion
    • References
  • Buddhism As The “Religion Of Science”: From Colonial Ceylon To The Laboratories Of Harvard (115-140) by David L. McMahan   (168K)
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    • Introduction
    • Buddhism And Science 1.0: Colonialism, Christianity, And Occult Science
    • Buddhism And Science 2.0: Physics, Empiricism, And Neuroscience
    • The Promises And Pitfalls Of The Buddhist Engagement With Science
    • Conclusion
    • References
  • Falun Gong And Science: Origins, Pseudoscience, And China’s Scientific Establishment (141-164) by Helen Farley   (157K)
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    • Introduction
    • The Emergence Of Qigong
    • The Birth And Substance Of Falun Gong
    • Science And Falun Gong
    • Conclusion
    • Bibliography
  • Metaphorical And Metonymical Science: Constructing Authority In A Japanese New Religion (165-184) by Christal Whelan   (144K)
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    • Introduction
    • Alternate Histories
    • Mirror Mirror On The Wall: GLA Confronts America
    • Camouflage Or The Secular Front
    • Metonym And Metaphor
    • Structural Dynamics
    • Conclusions
    • References
  • “When Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact”: The Role Of Science, Science Fiction, And Technology In Aum Shinrikyo (185-204) by Martin Repp   (151K)
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    • Introduction
    • Aum Shinrikyo
    • The Introduction Of Science And Technology
    • Attempts To Harmonize Science And Religion In Theory
    • Applying Science And Technology In Religious Practice
    • The Purposes Of Science In Religious Service
    • Science, Science Fiction, And “Science Fact”
    • The Costs Of Scientific Theories And Technical Experiments
    • Some Conclusions
    • Abbreviations
    • Bibliography
  • Vivekananda And The Scientific Legitimation Of Advaita Vedānta (205-248) by C. Mackenzie Brown   (230K)
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    • The Crisis Of Religious Authority In A Colonial Context
    • The Roots Of Vivekananda’s Intellectual Crisis
    • Glimmerings Of A Resolution: Herbert Spencer’s First Principles
    • Spencer Surpassed: The Advaitic Resolution
    • Possible Roots Of The Advaitic Resolution: The Theosophical Solution
    • The Asians At The World’s Parliament Of Religions And The Occidentalist Strategy
    • An Overview Of Vivekananda’s Rhetorical Strategies
    • Conclusion: Vivekananda’s Understanding Of “Science” In His Reconciliation Of Science And Religion
    • References
  • Inverted Orientalism, Vedic Science, And The Modern World: Bhaktivedanta And The International Society For Krishna Consciousness (249-278) by Benjamin E. Zeller   (180K)
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    • Background
    • Easy Journey To Other Planets
    • Swami Bhaktivedanta And Science In The West
    • Life Comes From Life
    • Conclusion
    • Works Cited
  • Madame Blavatsky’s Children: Modern Hindu Encounters With Darwinism (279-344) by Meera Nanda   (294K)
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    • Introduction: Theosophy And Modern Vedic Evolutionism
    • The Western Esoteric Tradition, Hinduism, And Secularization
    • Western Intellectual Crisis And The Discovery Of India
    • Theosophy, Hinduism, And The Cultic Milieu In 19th Century America
    • Theosophy, Hinduism, And The Religion Of Evolution
    • Crisis Of Faith And Scientization Of Hinduism In Fin De Siecle India
    • The Social Context Of Modern Vedic Evolutionism
    • Modern Vedic Evolutionism I: The Beginning
    • Modern Vedic Evolutionism II: Swami Vivekananda
    • Conclusions
    • References
  • The Transcendental Meditation Organization And Its Encounter With Science (345-370) by Cynthia Ann Humes   (187K)
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    • Bibliography
  • The Sikh Scientific Ethic—Worldly And Mystical (371-390) by Richard Cimino   (141K)
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    • Sikh Science Or Scientific Sikhism?
    • Questioning Religious Authority
    • Technology And The Will Of God
    • Autodidacts In Religion And Science
    • Between Mysticism And Pragmatism
    • References
  • The God Experiment: Radhasoami’s Version Of Science And The Rhetoric Of Guru Succession (391-438) by David Christopher Lane   (209K)
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    • Introduction
    • The Ideology Of Enlightenment
    • I. SOAMI BAGH: Orthodox/Objective/Closed System Orthodoxy And Its Social Roots (Science As Rhetorical Strategy: Appealing To Authority To Elevate One’s Own)
    • Geographical Location: Where The Sacred And The Profane Intersect
    • II. MANAVTA MANDIR: Heterodox/Subjective/Counter System Science As Modus Operandi: Popperian Falsifiablity
    • III. BEAS SATSANG: Paradox/Elective/Partially Open System
    • References
  • The Use Of Medicinal Legitimizations In The Construction Of Religious Practice: The Dietary Laws Of Judaism (439-452) by Damián Setton   (142K)
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    • Modernity And The Secularization Of Religious Practice
    • The Revival Of Orthodox Judaism
    • Chabad Lubavitch: The Relation Between Science And Religion
    • The Laws Of Kashrut: Between Science And Religion
    • Asceticism As The Articulator Of Religious And Scientific Discourses
    • Conclusions
    • Bibliography
  • Science Is Just Catching Up: The Kabbalah Centre And The Neo-Enlightenment (453-482) by Hanna Skartveit   (167K)
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    • Beyond The Authority Of Science
    • Science In The Kabbalistic Tradition
    • The Spiritual Alternative: Bridging The Gap Between Faith And Rationality
    • True Knowledge, Certainty, And The World’s Longest Half Metre
    • Science As The Golden Calf—The Intermediary As Creator Of Uncertainty
    • Uncovering Veiled Knowledge Through Science And Experience
    • Entering A New Enlightenment
    • Science Is Just Catching Up
    • Bibliography
  • Islamic Opposition To The Darwinian Theory Of Evolution (483-510) by Martin Riexinger   (204K)
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    • Introduction
    • Creation in the Qurʾān and the Ḥadīth
    • The Reception Of The Theory Of Evolution In The Islamic World
    • Early Refutations Of The Theory Of Evolution
    • The Emergence Of Islamic Creationism In Turkey In The 1970s
    • Main Theses Of Turkish Islamic Creationists
    • The Political Impact Of Islamic Creationism In Turkey
    • The Global Expansion
    • The Opposition Against Creationism In Turkey
    • Developments In Other Regions
    • The Impact Of Islamic Creationism
    • Why Did Islamic Creationism Emerge In Turkey?
    • Authority And Argumentation In Islamic Creationist Discourse
    • References
  • Fighting Science With Science At Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (511-548) by Carie Little Hersh   (2M)
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    • Science Versus Religion?
    • “Fighting Science With Science”
    • Taking The Scientism Out Of Science
    • References Cited
  • Christian Science, New Thought, And Scientific Discourse (549-570) by Jeremy Rapport   (145K)
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    • Introduction
    • Christian Science, New Thought, And Religious Reactions To The Rise Of Materialism
    • The Science Of Healing In Christian Science
    • Unity’s Use Of Scientific Language
    • Conclusion
    • References
  • The Unification Movement: Science, Religion, And Absolute Values (571-588) by Sarah M. Lewis   (151K)
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    • The Unification Movement
    • The International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences
    • Science
    • Unificationist Theology
    • A Korean Movement
    • Outreach
    • Conclusion
    • References
  • Spiritualism And Psychical Research (589-608) by Cathy Gutierrez   (133K)
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    • Introduction
    • Mesmerism And Medicine
    • Machines
    • Consciousness Debates
    • Enter William James
    • Psychical Research
    • The Paranormal Today
    • References
  • Popular Epistemologies And “Spiritual Science” In Early Twentieth-Century Buenos Aires (609-632) by Gustavo Andrés Ludueña   (155K)
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    • Argentinean Spiritisms At The Turn Of The Century
    • Legitimacy And Legitimating Science
    • Participation And Popular Knowledge-Producers
    • Making A Scientific And Spiritual Psychology Of The Self
    • Conclusion
    • Bibliography
  • Parapsychology: Naturalising The Supernatural, Re-Enchanting Science (633-670) by Egil Asprem   (197K)
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    • Introduction
    • Naturalising The Supernatural: Philosophical Issues
    • Paranormal Professionalism: From Psychical Research To Parapsychology
    • References
  • The “Scientific” Presentation And Legitimation Of The Teaching Of Synchronicity In New Age Literature (671-686) by Jochen Scherer   (134K)
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    • Reference List
  • Science As Legitimation For Spirituality: From The Aquarian Conspiracy To Channelling And A Course In Miracles (687-706) by Ruth Bradby   (146K)
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    • Introduction: The New Age Critique Of Science
    • Bloom: Quantifying The New Age
    • The Aquarian Conspiracy And The Appeal To Science
    • Channelling: An Appeal To The Supernatural?
    • A Course In Miracles And The Appeal To Science
    • The Genesis Of A Course In Miracles
    • Legitimation Strategies: Rationalism And Tradition Construction
    • Conclusion: The Power Of Mix And Match
    • Bibliography
  • Modern Western Magic And Altered States Of Consciousness (707-740) by Nevill Drury   (216K)
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    • Magic, Superstition, And The Paranormal
    • Frazer’s Concept Of Magic And The Natural World
    • Magic And Religion
    • Magic And Science
    • O’Keefe’s Challenge To Frazer’s Evolutionary Sequence
    • “High” And “Low” Magic
    • The Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn
    • Magical Symbolism In The Golden Dawn
    • “State-Specific” Sciences And Altered States Of Consciousness
    • Altered States Of Consciousness In The Golden Dawn
    • Building The “Body Of Light”
    • Tarot And Tattva Visualisations
    • Bibliography
  • Legitimizing Belief Through The Authority Of Science: The Case Of The Church Of Scientology (741-762) by Régis Dericquebourg   (147K)
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    • Introduction
    • The Question Of Legitimization In Religion
    • Legitimization, Authentication, Confirmation
    • When Legitimization Fails
    • The Case Of The Church Of Scientology
    • Discussion
    • Conclusion
    • Appendices
    • References
  • New Religions And The Science Of Archaeology: Mormons, The Goddess, And Atlantis (763-796) by Carole M. Cusack   (206K)
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    • Introduction
    • The Science Of Archaeology And The Science Of Religion
    • Archaeology And Pseudoarchaeology
    • The Book Of Mormon And Archaeological Evidence
    • Goddess Spirituality And Neolithic Archaeological Sites
    • Channelled Messages And The Search For The Lost Continent Of Atlantis
    • Conclusion
    • Bibliography
  • Is Dialogue Between Religion And Science Possible? The Case Of Archaeology And The Goddess Movement (797-818) by Kathryn Rountree   (167K)
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    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Çatalhöyük
    • Fieldwork And Discussion
    • References
  • Mormon Archaeology And The Claims Of History (819-844) by Charles W. Nuckolls   (159K)
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    • Cultural Identity And Mormonism
    • Izapa And The Book Of Mormon Lands
    • The Izapa Stone
    • The Story Of The Stone
    • The Stone Today
    • Conclusion
    • References
  • Folklore And Discourse: The Authority Of Scientific Rhetoric, From State Atheism To New Spirituality (845-866) by Ülo Valk   (147K)
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    • Rhetoric Practices Of Scientific Atheism
    • Scientific Rhetoric, Vernacular Beliefs, And New Spirituality
    • Conclusions
    • Acknowledgement
    • References
  • The Phlogiston Theory: A Late Relic Of Pre-Enlightenment Science (867-878) by Christopher McIntosh   (124K)
  • “Oh No, It Isn’t.” Sceptics And The Rhetorical Use Of Science In Religion (879-900) by Asbjørn Dyrendal   (153K)
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    • Sceptics And The Sceptical Movement
    • Three Kinds Of “Scepticism”
    • Historical Background Of The Modern Sceptical Movement
    • Sceptical Rhetorical Modalities: Debunking In Different Colours
    • Concluding Remarks
    • Acknowledgments
    • References
  • General Index (901-918)   (176K)
  • Index Of Names (919-924)   (92K)