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Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality - by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Publisher: Riverhead Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/14/2009
ISBN-13: 9781594488771
ISBN-10: 1594488770

In this book, NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty explores the world of religious experience and the scientists who study it. While interviewing people who have undergone transformative spiritual experiences, Hagerty also considers current scientific ideas that humans are genetically predisposed or neurologically hardwired to believe in a higher power and to experience its presence. In her quest, Hargerty dons a Canadian university's "God helmet," which purports to stimulate areas of the brain tied to religious experience, and even attends a peyote ceremony. For a neuroscientist's perspective on the science of religion, try How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg.

Table of Contents NPR Religion beat Books @ HPL on your brain and religion

On Kindness - by Adam Phillips and Barbara Taylor

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/26/2009
ISBN-13: 9780374226503
ISBN-10: 0374226504

Kindness is one of humankind's greatest virtues--yet it has also become a "forbidden pleasure," according to psychoanalyst Adam Phillips and historian Barbara Taylor. In this spirited apologia, Phillips and Taylor conduct a philosophical defense of kindness, focusing on its historical, psychological, and religious significance from the Classical age to the present. Kindness, the authors maintain, is not a luxury but a necessity--essential not only to our personal happiness but also to our collective welfare. For a new perspective on an ancient virtue, pick up this concise yet profound book.

Table of Contents

In Hanuman's Hands: A Memoir - by Cheeni Rao

Publisher: HarperOne
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780060736620
ISBN-10: 0060736623

A descendant of Brahmin priests and the son of a hardworking immigrant doctor, Cheeni Rao grew up in a divided world, caught between the Hindu values of his traditional Indian family and the secular emphasis of his American surroundings. While attending an elite New England college, Rao began dealing drugs, for which he was expelled, before descending into crack addiction. But when Rao hit bottom, he had a vision of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman and received a revelation--that his family was cursed as a result of losing faith in the gods. Once Rao started to view his addiction as a modern-day version of the ancient epic The Ramayana, he was able to kick his habit and rebuild his life.

First Chapter

The Evolution of God - by Robert Wright

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/08/2009
ISBN-13: 9780316734912
ISBN-10: 0316734918

Robert Wright, author of The Moral Animal, once again explores the intersection of science and spirituality. In this thoroughly researched account, Wright traces one strand of religion--the Judeo-Christian-Muslim tradition--from polytheism to henotheism (the worship of one god while accepting the existence of others) to monotheism, demonstrating that the process represents a form of evolution. Utilizing approaches ranging from textual analysis to game theory, Wright also contends that if we can take a non-zero-sum approach to other religions and recognize that all faiths are interdependent, we can achieve greater tolerance and acceptance.

Table of Contents

The Origins of Religion

Religion Timeline Index People, Periods, Places and Events in a chronological context. You can search and browse the Timeline Index in many ways:

Find your subjects by inserting keywords.
Insert dates to find items from a specific year or period.

The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions - by Karen Armstrong

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
ISBN-13: 9780385721240
ISBN-10: 0385721242

This book by former Catholic nun and comparative religion writer Karen Armstrong (A History of God) presents a comprehensive chronicle of the "Axial Age" (c. 900 to 200 BCE), a period in which major developments in religion and philosophy occurred simultaneously among cultures that had no contact with one another. Examining the history of religion in India, China, Greece, and Israel, Armstrong points out the commonalities of faiths as seemingly diverse as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Booklist calls The Great Transformation an "utterly enthralling reading experience."

First Chapter Table of Contents Audiobooks

In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion - by Scott Atran

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2002
ISBN-13: 9780195149302
ISBN-10: 0195149300

This ambitious, interdisciplinary book seeks to explain the origins of religion using our knowledge of the evolution of cognition. A cognitive anthropologist and psychologist, Scott Atran argues that religion is a by-product of human evolution just as the cognitive intervention, cultural selection, and historical survival of religion is an accommodation of certain existential and moral elements that have evolved in the human condition.

Peter, Paul, & Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend - by Bart D. Ehrman

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2008
ISBN-13: 9780195343502
ISBN-10: 0195343506

In this study of the "origins" of three of the best known but least understood figures in Christianity, religion scholar Bart D. Ehrman endeavors to separate truth from legend as he explores the historical accounts and legends surrounding the disciple Simon Peter, the apostle Paul, and Mary Magdalene--who is mentioned a scant 13 times in the New Testament. Yet, as Ehrman acknowledges, determining what is fact and what is myth is impossible: Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene are as much early Christians' creations as they are historical figures. It's better, he maintains, to look at all the available texts--whether historical, canonical, or apocryphal--and read them as reflections of Christian beliefs and values.
Curious about the Gospel of Mary?

Table of Contents

God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism - by Jonathan Kirsch

Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2005
ISBN-13: 9780142196335
ISBN-10: 0142196339

In this "brilliant and controversial" book (Booklist), author Jonathan Kirsch depicts the struggle between the competing ideologies of polytheism and monotheism in the ancient world, beginning with the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten's attempts to establish a monotheistic state religion in Egypt and ending with the present-day "war on terror." Kirsch explores how the core principle of monontheism (that there is only one god) has led to a lack of acceptance of other faiths, resulting in religious extremism such as holy wars, crusades, and inquisitions. [The Grand Inquisitor's manual : a history of terror in the name of God.] In contrast, he argues, the defining attributes of classical paganism were liberty and diversity--virtues that have suffered, paradoxically, from many religions' desire for dominance.

First Chapter

Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief - by Rodney Stark

Publisher: HarperOne
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
ISBN-13: 9780061173899
ISBN-10: 0061173894

According to social historian Rodney Stark, author of The Rise of Christianity, religions evolve over time, adapting to changing social contexts as well as to the way human beings interpret God's role in their lives. Beginning with the beliefs of prehistoric peoples, Stark traces the rise of major world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Arguing that competition among different belief systems makes religion stronger, Stark maintains that there is a kind of natural selection at work, with only the most relevant and adaptable faiths surviving. Readers fascinated by world religions "will recognize this as an essential sourcebook," says Booklist.

First Chapter Table of Contents

Focus on: Religion and Pop Culture

Playing with God: Religion and Modern Sport - by William J. Baker

Publisher: Harvard University Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
ISBN-13: 9780674024212
ISBN-10: 0674024214

Despite the fact that athletic competitions were part of religious ritual in many indigenous North American cultures--the sport we now call lacrosse was invented and played by numerous tribes--sports and religion haven't always played nicely together. In this book, sports historian William J. Baker notes that the Puritans disapproved of athletic games, a view that prevailed until, fueled by the 19th century's "muscular Christianity" movement, sports came to be seen in a new light: as a wholesome pastime that did not contradict spiritual practice but rather complemented it. These days, faith is a bigger part of American athletics than ever, with players thanking God for touchdowns, goals, and home runs. If you've ever prayed for your favorite team to win, this is the book for you.

Table of Contents

Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith - by Timothy K. Beal

Publisher: Beacon Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2005
ISBN-13: 9780807010624
ISBN-10: 0807010626

Forget Disneyland. In 2002, religion professor Timothy K. Beal took his family on a road trip to 10 of the U.S.'s biggest religion-themed attractions. Stops along the way included Kentucky's Golgotha Fun Park (including Biblical mini-golf!); God's Ark of Safety, a Maryland-based, life-sized replica of Noah's Ark; and Virginia's Holy Land, USA, a "nature sanctuary" and 1:100 scale model of ancient Israel and Palestine. From the World's Largest Ten Commandments (located in North Carolina but visible from the sky) to the "Jerusalem in Miniature" that is Alabama's Ave Maria Grotto, this book may inspire you to seek out these monuments to a living faith.

First Chapter Table of Contents

The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Bigger and Possibly Even Better! Edition with a New Afterword Exploring South Park, Family Guy, and Other Animated TV Shows - by Mark I. Pinsky

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
ISBN-13: 9780664231606
ISBN-10: 0664231608

As Simpsons creator Matt Groening once pointed out, "Not only do the Simpsons go to church every Sunday and pray; they actually speak to God from time to time." And according to author Mark Pinsky, unlike many television shows where religion is rarely mentioned, The Simpsons routinely tackles spiritual themes, exploring profound concepts through exaggerated comic situations. In addition to representing religious diversity, from Lisa's conversion to Buddhism to Kwik-E-Mart proprietor Apu's devout Hinduism to Krusty the Klown's Jewish roots, the show also examines how characters view their place in the universe and in relation to higher powers.

Table of Contents

American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon - by Stephen R. Prothero

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780374178901
ISBN-10: 0374178909

What would Jesus do? Well, it depends on which Jesus you're talking about. There's the secular philosopher-Jesus created by Thomas Jefferson, who literally cut and pasted passages from the Bible to downplay Christ's virgin birth. There's the gentle, feminine Jesus of the 19th century and the manly savior of the early 20th. And of course there's the Jesus of contemporary popular culture, who appears everywhere from bumper stickers to t-shirts. In this book, religion professor Stephen R. Prothero explores changing cultural interpretations of Jesus, a figure who has become more central in the public imagination even as people have become less aware of Christian theology and doctrine. If you enjoy this book, you may also want to read Stephen J. Nichols' Jesus Made in America.

Table of Contents

Another Roadside Attraction - by Tom Robbins

Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1990
ISBN-13: 9780553349481
ISBN-10: 0553349481

Fiction: Amanda, earth mother and John Paul Ziller run "Captain Kendrick's Memorial Hot Dog Wildlife Preserve," serving hot dogs and juice and featuring a flea circus and rare snakes , all steeped in magic. Plucky Purcell joins a militant Catholic brotherhood and journeys into the heart of the Vatican. He brings a corpse to the Ziller's zoo that has shattering implications for the origins of Christianity. Caution: sexual content.

First Chapter Interview in Shambhala Sun

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In This Issue

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The Origins of Religion
Focus on: Religion and Pop Culture
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Events and Links of Interest

Mahatma Gandhi Week

Houston Public Library is hosting The Gandi Darshan (A Glimpse of Gandi) Exhibition prepared by the National Gandi Museum Rajghat, New Delhi. Displayed on the 3rd floor of the Jesse Jones Building, Central Branch, 500 McKinney.

Visit the Mahatma Gandhi Library for details on Gandhi Week 2009

1000 Lights For Peace

Miller Outdoor Theatre Oct. 7: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. As the grand finale to Mahatma Gandhi Week, the program will feature a multi-cultural, international dance and music show by children and conclude with a candle lighting for peace.

God on your Brain

God Experiments reported by Discover Magazine: Five researchers take science where it's never gone before.

The God Helmet and Michael Persinger YouTube video

The Center for the Study of Science and Religion of The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Mission: To reconsider the large question -- is the natural normative? -- from both scientific and religious perspectives at once, and to examine the social, medical and political implications of our current inability to reach a single answer, (CSSR) was founded in the summer of 1999 …. It is an interdisciplinary, inter-school, collaborative forum for the examination of issues lying at the boundary of the scientific and religious ways of comprehending the world and our place in it.

BibleGateway Searchable text of many versions and translations of the Bible.

Beliefnet is the largest spiritual web site. We are independent and not affiliated with any spiritual organization or movement.

Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialog, collaboration and service.

The Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) is an award-winning, community-based non-profit organization serving the innercity Houston community… a coalition of 42 churches united in service. The mission of the Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) is to serve the poor, hungry, disabled, and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic or cultural differences.

Internet Sacred Texts Archive

The African American Pulpit

Religion & Ethics in the Media

NPR Religion Beat

Religion News Service , RNS' first priority is to provide intelligent, objective coverage of all religions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Asian religions and private spirituality. RNS also provides commentary from a diverse array of all points of the political and theological spectrum

BBC Religion & Ethics

The Ethicist Columnist Randy Cohen Tackles NPR Listeners' Ethical Dilemmas. Available as a Podcast.

Everyday Ethics Provocative weekly debate with William Crawley on moral, religious and ethical issues. BBC Podcast

The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance attempts to serve the people of the United States and Canada [by]: Disseminating accurate religious information; Exposing religious fraud, hatred and misinformation; Promoting religious tolerance.

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs The Carnegie Council is the leading voice promoting ethical leadership on issues of war, peace, religion in politics, and global social justice.

Personal Reflections on NPR's This I Believe.

Thought provoking Web sites:

Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace is a Christian commentary on faith, politics and culture. It seeks to build a movement of spirituality and social change. RSS feed from God’s Politics Blog.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) The united voice of the organized Jewish community stated purpose is to protect, preserve and promote a just American society, one that is democratic and pluralistic, one that furthers harmonious interreligious, inter ethnic interracial and other intergroup relations.

The Fiqh Council of North America evolved from the Fiqh Committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The Council continues to be an affiliate of ISNA, advising and educating its members and officials on matters related to the application of ShariÌah in their individual and collective lives in the North American environment.

Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.

ADL World of Difference Institute is a leading provider of anti-bias education and diversity training programs and resources. The Institute seeks to help participants: recognize bias and the harm it inflicts on individuals and society; explore the value of diversity; improve intergroup relations; and combat racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.