Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'Hindu'

Neolithic Death & Paleolithic Life

September 14th, 2011 · 6 Comments · Axial Age, Hunter-Gatherers, Neolithic

It is well known that the modern world religions which trace their origins to the Axial Age are centrally concerned with death. Some might call this concern an obsession. Of these world religions, only Hinduism does not have Axial roots. This is not to say that “Hinduism” (which is neither singular nor unified) was unaffected [...]

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Cloned Neanderthal Religion

June 24th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Cognition, Hunter-Gatherers, Shamanism

Over at the Guardian, Andrew Brown asks if we should clone Neanderthals (assuming it could be done). For me, the easy answer is no.

Brown then asks a series of nonsensical questions which imply that because Neanderthal brains were different from human brains (Neanderthals in fact had bigger brains than humans; the difference is in shape), [...]

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Gandhi’s Dualism and Homer’s Soul

June 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Philosophy

No stranger to the angst arising from the meta-and-physical dichotomy of sacred/profane, the inimitable Christopher Hitchens recently evaluated similar sorts of tensions in the life of India’s hagiographic hero. Whilst reviewing Joseph Lelyveld’s new book, Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India, Hitchens pours cold pragmatic water on the man and his myths.
Despite [...]

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He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

March 26th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Axial Age, Economy

By now you surely have heard about Colton Burpo (he is a real kid from Nebraska, not a character from an Upton Sinclair novel). When Colton was 3 years old, he allegedly went to the Christian heaven during an appendectomy. Young Colton “miraculously” lived to tell about it, and now at age 11, he and [...]

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Volcano Spirit Not Appeased

October 29th, 2010 · No Comments · Magic, Ritual, Shamanism

Mount Merapi in Indonesia sadly claimed its spiritual “keeper” on Tuesday.  As The Australian reports: “The body of Mbah Maridjan, one of Indonesia’s most admired mystics, was found yesterday morning in his house in ash-blasted Umbulharjo village, prostrated as if in prayer, according to searchers. Maridjan, 83, was entrusted with interpreting and placating Mount [...]

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A Certain Kind of Islam and the Heinous Oppression of Women

July 31st, 2010 · 2 Comments · Classifications, Methodology, Morality, Power

Not long ago, I discussed an article on Islam by Cynthia Boaz.  In her article, Boaz attempted to correct several misconceptions regarding Islam and presented us with a progressive, liberal, and tolerant interpretation of Islam.  While there are Muslims outside of the US who interpret Islam in the way Boaz does, there are also Muslims [...]

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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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Near Death Experiences: Portal to Another Realm?

July 16th, 2010 · 8 Comments · Cognition, Emotions, Evolutionary Byproduct

There are many who believe that near death experiences (“NDE”) provide evidence of the existence of a spirit-soul and that those who have these close encounters with death have glimpsed another realm.  Over at Brain Blogger, Jennifer Gibson discusses some recent studies of NDEs in a post titled “Light at the End of the Tunnel [...]

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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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Religious Reinforcement for Social Stratification

June 29th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Archaeology, Daily Devolutions, Economy, Power, Ritual

In a recent report at Discovery News, Zahra Hirji discusses some exciting Aztec archaeological finds:
Aztec archaeologists can almost taste the jack pot. None of the empire’s royal burial sites have ever been found, but researchers participating in the Templo Mayor excavation project in downtown Mexico City think an emperor’s tomb is just around the corner.
In [...]

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