Author: Michael Parenti
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616143053
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
A noted author and activist brings his critical acumen and rhetorical skills to bear in this polemic against the dark side of religion. Unlike some popular works by stridently outspoken atheists, this is not a blanket condemnation of all believers. Rather the author's focus is the heartless exploitation of faithful followers by those in power, as well as sectarian intolerance, the violence against heretics and nonbelievers, and the reactionary political and economic collusion that has often prevailed between the upper echelons of church and state. Parenti notes the deleterious effects of past theocracies and the threat to our freedoms posed by present-day fundamentalists and theocratic reactionaries. He discusses how socially conscious and egalitarian minded liberal religionists have often been isolated and marginalized by their more conservative (and better financed) coreligionists. Finally, he documents the growing strength of secular freethinkers who are doing battle against the intolerant theocratic usurpers in public life. Historically anchored yet sharply focused on the contemporary scene, this eloquent indictment of religion’s dangers will be welcomed by committed secular laypersons and progressive religionists alike.
Author: Michael Parenti
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 296
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Book Description
A noted author and activist brings his critical acumen and rhetorical skills to bear in this polemic against the dark side of religion. Unlike some popular works by stridently outspoken atheists, this is not a blanket condemnation of all believers. Rather the author's focus is the heartless exploitation of faithful followers by those in power, as well as sectarian intolerance, the violence against heretics and nonbelievers, and the reactionary political and economic collusion that has often prevailed between the upper echelons of church and state. Parenti notes the deleterious effects of past theocracies and the threat to our freedoms posed by present-day fundamentalists and theocratic reactionaries. He discusses how socially conscious and egalitarian minded liberal religionists have often been isolated and marginalized by their more conservative (and better financed) coreligionists. Finally, he documents the growing strength of secular freethinkers who are doing battle against the intolerant theocratic usurpers in public life. Historically anchored yet sharply focused on the contemporary scene, this eloquent indictment of religion's dangers will be welcomed by committed secular laypersons and progressive religionists alike.
Author: Karel van der Toorn
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802824912
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1006
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Book Description
The Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (DDD) is the single major reference work on the gods, angels, demons, spirits, and semidivine heroes whose names occur in the biblical books. Book jacket.
Author: Michael S. Heiser
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781683592891
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
2020 Center for Biblical Studies Finalist for Biblical Theology The truth about demons is far stranger--and even more fascinating--than what's commonly believed. Are demons real? Are they red creatures with goatees holding pitchforks and sitting on people's shoulders while whispering bad things? Did a third of the angels really rebel with Satan? Are demons and "principalities and powers" just terms for the same entities, or are they different members of the kingdom of darkness? Is the world a chaotic mess because of what happened in Eden, or is there more to the story of evil? What people believed about evil spiritual forces in ancient biblical times is often very different than what people have been led to believe about them today. And this ancient worldview is missing from most attempts to treat the topic. In Demons, Michael Heiser debunks popular presuppositions about the very real powers of darkness. Rather than traditions, stories, speculations, or myths, Demons is grounded in what ancient people of both the Old and New Testament eras believed about evil spiritual forces and in what the Bible actually says. You'll come away with a sound, biblical understanding of demons, supernatural rebellion, evil spirits, and spiritual warfare.
Author: Victor Knowles
Publisher: College PressPub Company
ISBN: 9780899006758
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 401
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Book Description
Author: Bruce Lincoln
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226035166
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258
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Book Description
Bruce Lincoln is one of the most prominent advocates within religious studies for an uncompromisingly critical approach to the phenomenon of religion—historians of religions, he believes, should resist the preferred narratives and self-understanding of religions themselves, especially when their stories are endowed with sacred origins and authority. In Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars, Lincoln assembles a collection of essays that both illustrates and reveals the benefits of his methodology, making a case for a critical religious studies that starts with skepticism but is neither cynical nor crude. The book begins with Lincoln’s “Theses on Method” and ends with “The (Un)discipline of Religious Studies,” in which he unsparingly considers the failings of uncritical and nonhistorical approaches to the study of religions. In between, Lincoln presents new examinations of problems in ancient religions and relates these cases to larger comparative themes. While bringing to light important features of the formation of pantheons and the constructions of demons, chaos, and the dead, Lincoln demonstrates that historians of religions should take religious things—inspired scriptures, sacred centers, salvific rites, communities graced by divine favor—as the theories of interested humans that shape perception, community, and experiences. As he shows, it is for their terrestrial influence, and not their sacred origins, that religious phenomena merit consideration by the historian. Tackling many questions central to religious study, Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars will be a touchstone for the history of religions in the twenty-first century.
Author: Wayne Barlowe
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9781429911139
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
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Book Description
The powerful Lord Sargatanas, Brigadier-general in Beelzebub's host, is restless. For millennia Sargatanas has ruled dutifully over an Infernal metropolis, but he has never forgotten what he lost in the Fall. He is sickened by what he has done and what he has become. Now, with a small event—a confrontation with a damned soul—he makes a decision that will reverberate through every being in Hell. Sargatanas decides to attempt the impossible, to rebel, to win his way Home and bring with him anyone who chooses to follow...be they demon or soul. He will stake everything on fighting all the abominable forces of Hell arrayed against him, when the prize is nothing less than redemption. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Author: Lester Sumrall
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 1603748008
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176
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Book Description
From the Scriptures, Lester Sumrall shows that we can wage war on the devil and that we can win through the power given to us by Jesus Christ! In this book, you will learn how to: Obtain overcoming faith Use the weapon of prayer Access the Holy Spirit’s power against Satan Be set free of demonic oppression Have complete freedom from disease Sumrall’s encouragement for the church today is that the children of God have already won. Christ is on our side, and we have might weapons to use in the battle. With this knowledge, you will find that you are more than a conqueror.
Author: Derek Prince
Publisher: Chosen Books
ISBN: 1493423037
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
What are demons? How do demons gain entry into people's lives? Do Christians need deliverance from demons? In this practical, comprehensive handbook on deliverance, author and Bible expositor Derek Prince addresses the fears and misconceptions often associated with the subject of demons. By sharing his own struggles with unseen forces, he encourages believers to become equipped to take action against these evil beings. He exposes their characteristics, activities, and entry points, and offers solid, down-to-earth advice on how to receive and minister deliverance--and how to remain free.
Author: R. K. Narayan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226568253
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 252
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Book Description
Following in the footsteps of the storytellers of his native India, R. K. Narayan has produced his own versions of tales taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabarata. Carefully selecting those stories which include the strongest characters, and omitting the theological or social commentary that would have drawn out the telling, Narayan informs these fascinating myths with his urbane humor and graceful style. "Mr. Narayan gives vitality and an original viewpoint to the most ancient of legends, lacing them with his own blend of satire, pertinent explanation and thoughtful commentary."—Santha Rama Rau, New York Times "Narayan's narrative style is swift, firm, graceful, and lucid . . . thoroughly knowledgeable, skillful, entertaining. One could hardly hope for more."—Rosanne Klass, Times Literary Supplement
