
Returning to Religion
Why a Secular Age is Haunted by Faith
Jonathan Benthall(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 30. September 2008
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-84511-718-4 (ISBN)
Description
How can one explain the resurgence of religion, even in a western context of rationality, postmodernity and scientific endeavour? The persistence of religious expression has compelled even diehard secularists, or proponents of the 'secularization thesis', to rethink their positions. Jonathan Benthall explains precisely why societies are not bound to embrace western liberal rationality as an evolutionary inevitability. He shows that the opposite is true: that where a secular society represses the religious imagination, the human predisposition to religion will in the end break out in surprising, apparently secular, modes and outlets.Concentrating on what he calls 'para-religion', a kind of secular spirituality that manifests itself within movements and organisations who consider themselves motivated by wholly rational considerations, Benthall uncovers a paradox: despite themselves, they are haunted by the shadow of irrationality. Arguing that humanitarianism, environmentalism, the animal rights movement, popular archaeology and anthropology all have 'religiod' aspects, his startling conclusion is that religion, rather than coming 'back', in fact never went away.
A human universal, the 'religious inclination' underlies the fabric of who we are, and is essential for the healthy functioning of any society.
A human universal, the 'religious inclination' underlies the fabric of who we are, and is essential for the healthy functioning of any society.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
513 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84511-718-4 (9781845117184)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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E-Book
09/2008
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€144.99
Available for download
Person
Jonathan Benthall is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, University College London. A former Director of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and Founding Editor of Anthropology Today, his previous books are Disasters, Relief and the Media (1993) and The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the Muslim World (2003), both published by I.B.Tauris.