Rethinking Religion

Contemporary discourses on religion generally center either on its ideological dimensions or on its practical implications, though there is always an implicit tension between these two. This book bridges the gap and explores this complex phenomenon in the context of the rising popularity of rationalist outlook in social life, and of the 'secularization and de-divinization' perspective in sociological and philosophical literatures. In order to provide a complete and comprehensive analysis of religion, this book focuses on: traditional religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam * the classical theories of Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber * the Enlightenment critique of religion * tribal religion and folk religion u religion and globalization. Scholars from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Iran, and India have contributed to this volume and the melange of diverse viewpoints has enriched the quality of the book. This book will undoubtedly prove useful to scholars and students of sociology, anthropology, philosophy, history, and religion studies.