Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'Edward Said'

German Angst & Christian Martyrs

January 13th, 2011 · No Comments · Axial Age, Economy, Power

In a series of just published articles not so subtly titled Murderers and Martyrs: The Difficult Struggle of Christians in the Orient, the German newsmagazine Spiegel details the sorry plight of Christians in Egypt and Pakistan.  Although the facts and reporting are unfortunately accurate, this is sure to ratchet up the already considerable levels of [...]

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Triumph of the Texts: Religion as Word

July 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Archaeology, Axial Age, Classifications, Definitions, History, Hunter-Gatherers, Methodology, Shamanism

Nearly 5,500 years ago or about 3,500 BCE, the Sumerians began writing about supernatural matters; in a sense, this marks the origin of what most people today understand as “religion.”  This relatively modern and provincially Western understanding of religion is on full display in Paul Raushenbush’s article introducing HuffPo Religion’s new series on religious texts [...]

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Is “Hinduism” Science Friendly?

July 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age, Classifications, Definitions, Globalization, History, New Religions, Power

In yesterday’s post, I discussed Philip Goldberg’s contention that “Eastern religions” (i.e., Hinduism and Buddhism) are science friendly.  To support his argument, Goldberg relies on a very specific — and Westernized — understanding of these traditions.  Yesterday’s post was devoted to the Western construction and consumption of Buddhism; today’s post will cover the highly problematic [...]

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