RELIGIOUS STUDIES Religious Studies: The Key Concepts is an accessible, A–Z resource, defining and explaining key terms and ideas central to the study of reli- gion. Exploring broad and recurring themes which are applicable in both Eastern and Western religions, cross-cultural examples are provided for each term to give a comprehensive overview of the subject. Subjects covered include: ·  Afterlife ·  World religions ·  Comparative religion ·  Modernity ·  Festivals ·  Pilgrimage ·  Ethics ·  Sacred ·  Gender ·  Theism ·  Monotheism ·  Secularization With cross-referencing and further reading provided throughout, this book provides an inclusive map of the discipline, and is an essential reference for all students, academics and researchers. Carl Olson is Professor of Religious Studies at Allegheny College where he has held the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair and the Teacher-Scholar Professorship of the Humanities. He is currently a permanent fellow of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. Also available from Routledge Islam: The Key Concepts Kecia Ali and Oliver Leaman 978–0–415–39629–4 Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers (Second Edition) Dan Cohn-Sherbok 978–0–415–77141–2 Fifty Key Figures in Islam Roy Jackson 978–0–415–35468–4 Fifty Major Cities of the Bible John Laughlin 978–0–415–22315–7 Fifty Key Christian Thinkers Peter McEnhill and George Newlands 978–0–415–17050–5 RELIGIOUS STUDIES The Key Concepts Carl Olson First published 2011 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk. © 2011 Carl Olson The right of Carl Olson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Olson, Carl. Religious studies: the key concepts / Carl Olson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Religion—Dictionaries. I. Title. BL31.O47 2011 200.3—dc22 2010013586 ISBN10: 0–415–48721–8 (hbk) ISBN10: 0–415–48722–6 (pbk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–48721–4 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–48722–1 (pbk) This book is dedicated to three long-time friends with profound gratitude for helping me find the right path for me, although we all went our own separate ways. Richard Ernie Oehrlein Mike Bailin Edward Deuce Doherty CONTENTS Preface ix List of Key Concepts xi Religion and religious studies: an introduction 1 The KeY CONCePTS 19 Bibliography 265 Index 290 PREFACE The primary purpose of this book is to provide a resource for readers seeking a definition of key concepts in the field of Religious Studies. Each entry is defined, with cross-cultural examples of each concept pro- vided to illustrate a particular notion. Suggestions for further reading are provided at the conclusion of almost every definition and these are tied to a bibliography at the end of the book. The inclusion of a particular concept in this book depends upon its cross-cultural importance. Therefore, concepts with only a Christian rel- evance, for example, are for the most part not included in the book, with purgatory serving as an exception because it complements the entries for heaven and hell in the Christian context and even non-Christian religions, although it is absent in other religions. The structure of the book includes a cross-cultural emphasis because this reflects my personal comparative approach to the study of religion. The entries are arranged alphabetically. This approach and structure affords readers a simple and accessible refer- ence work for use in introductory courses in Religious Studies as supple- mental reading. Not only is each concept defined and examples of it given from, ide- ally, both Eastern and Western religious cultures, but some examples of indigenous religions (African and Native American Indian) are also used to illustrate certain concepts. The fundamental criterion used in deciding whether or not to include a particular concept is its ability to elucidate the field of Religious Studies and the complex nature of religion. The book begins with an introduction to the nature of religion by reviewing the ways in which it has been defined, its origins in ancient culture, and the limitations of its applicability to non-Western cultures. The introduction also includes a brief overview of the field of Religious Studies. The book then goes on to consider and define particular concepts. By necessity, the entries are short in this book because I have attempted to balance breadth with depth of coverage because of the nature and rich- ness of the particular subjects; many of these concepts could have been discussed in book-length works. The suggested readings are intended to point interested readers in the direction of more complete books on a