At the origins of the major religious traditions one typically finds a seminal figure. Names such as Jesus; Muhammad; Confucius; and Moses are well known; yet their status as "founders" has not gone uncontested. Does Paul deserve the credit for founding Christianity? Is Laozi the father of Daoism; or should that title belong to Zhuangzi? What is at stake; if anything; in debates about the historical Buddha? What assumptions are implicit in the claim that Hinduism is a religion without a founder? The essays in Varieties of Religious Invention do not attempt to settle these perennial arguments. Rather; they consider the subtexts of such debates as an exercise in comparative religion: Who engages in them? To whom do they matter; and when? To what extent are origins thought to define the essence of a religion? When is development in a religious tradition perceived as deviation from its roots? In what ways do arguments about founders serve as proxies for broader cultural; theological; political; or ideological questions? What do they reveal about the ways in which the past is remembered and authority negotiated? Surveying the landscape shaped by these questions within each tradition; the authors provide insights and novel perspectives about the individual religions; and about the study of world religions more generally.
#98287 in Books 2013-11-29 2013-11-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .50 x 9.20l; .95 #File Name: 0199316368352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Sorry I wasted my moneyBy Janie IversonI found this book to be very limited for anyone who has read anything at all about comparative mythology. Although the author uses long and sometimes not very relevant quotes for his chapters; which are; I assume; meant to illustrate the concepts; he barely scratches the surface in discussing the meaning of his topics; e.g.; the Great Mother; the Hero's Journey; the Trickster; etc. Other books I've read on comparative mythology have summarized the myths allowing the lion's share of the book to deal with an analysis of these themes. If I wanted to look at the myths in detail I could read them for myself; although another complaint is that his bibliography is incomplete. So that if someone wanted to find the original sources this book can only partially help the reader with that. He also includes some things that I would not include in a book on mythology; i.e.; scientific theory. I don't know if the author is trying to be clever by implying that what is believed today is myth tomorrow; but disproving scientific theory does not make it mythology.If you; the potential reader have no previous experience with mythology; this may be a book to introduce you to some of the important themes. But I would advise you to skip it and read something by a better scholar like Joseph Campbell or Mircea Eliade who is quoted a great deal in this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy DuniVReally enjoyed this book for my Mythology class. It tells and explains the world myths very well.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. goodBy Danibunbuncame in on time and a good read. I needed this book for my culture and mythology class in Uni. The bookstore ran out of the books; so I ordered from here.
