The secular quest for meaning in life : Denton papers in implicit religion
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Bibliographic Information
The secular quest for meaning in life : Denton papers in implicit religion
Edwin Mellen Press, c2002
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This collection of twenty papers originally contributed to the annual Denton Conferences in Implicit Religion bespeaks, through the range and quality of its contents, the achievement of its editor in gaining currency for the concept of "implicit religion" in a project spanning three decades. As Dr. Bailey immediatly concedes, the concept of implicit religion has been criticized for lacking analytical specificity, transgressing appropriate boundaries and promoting an empirically over-inclusive understanding of religion and spirituality. This volume of Denton Papers in Implicit Religion makes absorbing reading and is a vital exploration of the idea of implicit religion and its relation to various themes in society. Edward Bailey, who edits this work, is to be congratulated on his energy in promoting the concept and for stimulating conferences and research for the last quarter of a century and more.
In the late 1960's he was beginning to sketch out his plans for research on implicit religion at much the same time as we at Lancaster University were helping to reshape religious education towards a like concept within an overall framework of comparative studies and as an adjunct to 'explicit' religion. In American sociology the idea of civil religion became fashionable. These currents flowed together in various ways: and these Denton Papers manifest the fruitfulness of the notion of implicit religion. Between the various sections within the whole collection there is interwoven a helpful commentary by Edward Bailey. Some papers have a conceptual dimension, such as those in Part I. Part II fastens on empirical approaches to the various themes. It applies the notion of implicit religion to such matters as War Memorials and football. There is an epilogue about the future. Middlesex University is entrenching the idea by creating a Chair in Implicit Religion. In this globalised world, the excitation of national and minority feelings is often stimulated by large external and threatening forces.
It is especially important for research in implicit religion to help us further to understand how nationalist values can be understood - often combining with explicitly religious beliefs and practices, and sometimes expressing themselves independently.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Ninian Smart i Preface iii Acknowledgements v Introduction The Notion of Implicit Religion: what it means, and does not mean Edward Bailey, Visiting Professor in Implicit Religion, Middlesex University 1 Part I The Conceptual Position of Implicit Religion 1 The Secular Practice as Implicit Religion Martin Goodridge, School of Business & Social Studies, Bradford 15 2 The Metaphysics of Secular Institutions Peter McCaffery, Department of Sociology, University of Aberdeen 35 3 The Sacred as Surrogate: notes on implicit a-religion N J Demerath III, Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts 55 Commentary 67 4 Ethnic Jokes: implicit religious values and implicit religious identity Christie Davies, Department of Sociology, University of Reading 71 5 Diffused Religion: theory and practice Roberto Cipriani, Department of Sociology, University of Rome 87 6 Charisma Today Meerten ter Borg, Department of Theology, University of Leiden 105 Commentary 119 7 The Experience of Transcendence in Contemporary Culture Alistair Kee, Department of Religious Studies, University of Glasgow 121 8 Epiphany and Apocalypse in the Post Modern David Lyon, Department of Sociology, Queen's University, Kingston 137 9 On the Possibility of Naturalistic Religions Vasilios N Makrides, Department of Education, University of Thessaly 149 Commentary 175 10 The Centrality of the Concept of Implicit Religion for Religious Studies John Badertscher, University of Winnipeg 177 11 The Priority of the Holy: some remarks on the distinction between the sacred and the holy Wilhelm Dupre, University of Nijmegen 201 12 Implicit Religion: ineffability Paul Heelas, Department of Religious Studies, Lancaster University 215 Commentary 233 Part II Some Empirical Applications of the Concept of Implicit Religion 13 Implicit Religion: the hospice experience Derek Murray, St Colomba's Hospice, Edinburgh 237 14 Lapidary Texts: Europe's War Memorials - a liturgy for heroes Jon Davies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne 251 15 Religion in the Capital City Area of Finland Tapio Lampinen, Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki 259 16 Anti-Satanism as a Social Movement William H Swatos Jr, Association for Sociology of Religion, Florida 269 Commentary 291
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