Product Description
From foremost authorities in the field, this comprehensive volume synthesizes the breadth of current knowledge on the psychological processes underlying spirituality, religious behavior, and religious experience. Presented are cutting-edge theories, conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and empirical findings emerging from all psychological subdisciplines. Coverage includes the neural and cognitive bases of religiousness; social, personality, and developmental issue… More >>
Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
Three Days From the World of Ro and Mo
Social Work And Divinity
Religion and Spirituality
The Lyrics of My Heart: Original Muses
Bring on the Rain: The Trials and
#1 by Mark Waldman on June 13, 2010 - 5:34 pm
The research in this book essential for understanding the complexity of religious beliefs and practices. For years, I have objected to the ways that many fine authors have portrayed religious activity in America; if writers like Dawkins, Harris, and others had accessed this book, they might find that not only are most religious practices benign, but they would also discover that America is far more secular than many people suspect. For example, in the child development chapters, I discovered that teens are far more skeptical of their parent’s religion than I would have thought. I was also intrigued to discover that some young children, even when raised in anti-religious families, still maintained their belief in God. There are even some independent youngsters who will stand by their belief in the reality of the Easter Bunny, even when presented with evidence to the contrary!
The chapters on fundamentalism are particularly important because the researchers detail how authoritarian ideologies govern small communities of people. This raises the question: is religion the culprit when violence erupts, or authoritarianism (a socio-political ideology that lies at the root of genocidal acts of hatred)?
If you want to speak knowledgeably about the religious landscape of America, this is the book you must own. Don’t trust public-opinion polls; they only show you 10% of the picture.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by William C. Bailey on June 13, 2010 - 7:35 pm
Paloutzian and Park have gathered an excellent group of scholars to make contributions to this book. The articles in the field review the research conducted in this field from before Starbuck (1899) and James (1902) to 2004. Each article not only reviews the literature but makes major contributions to the issue it discusses such as Paloutzian’s article on conversion and Alemeyer and Hunsberger on fundamentalism and authoritarian.
Many of the articles have practical applications for both secular and religious counselors. Oman and Thoresen article on spiritual and health strongly suggests that these two issues are deeply related. I strongly recommend any one conduction research on the psychology needs to own this important work.
Rating: 5 / 5