Religious Studies: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides)

319 Pages·2010·2.01 MB·English

by  Carl Olson

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.
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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