Sign-In
Cart
A Mimetic Theory of Religion and the Sacred
Paperback
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 222
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.47 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Three topics that we are advised to avoid at polite dinner parties are politics, sex, and religion. Obviously, the purpose of these tacit prohibitions is to prevent conflict, because the guests may have very entrenched opinions about such matters. This is always the purpose of taboos, and the rule is to avoid anything that can stir conflict and lead to violence.
Religion is one of those things, as history will testify, and yet its mission has traditionally been one of managing violence. It has done so by channeling it toward an individual or group arbitrarily designated to absorb it. Long ago-and still in some areas-blood sacrifice was the means by which this was done, and we find references to this practice all throughout ancient literature as well as historical and ethnographic studies. Through many stages of cultural evolution, we now have other means of managing violence, often closely resembling their ancestors in form but not in the amount of needless suffering they produce. The theatre is but one example, as we will explain.
This book takes you on a fascinating journey through the history of religion and the sacred as they encounter anti-sacrificial cultural currents and either adapt or react to them. We will attempt to tease out the implications of what has been observed and learned. The matters discussed here involve very large social forces that have changed the course of history and will continue to do so.
Also in
Gifts & Stationery General
Go-To Notebook with Mohawk Paper, Midnight Blue Blank: (Blank Notebooks, Simple Notebook, Blue Notebook)
Chronicle Books
Other
This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World
Andrea Di Robilant
Paperback
Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping: Protect, Enjoy, Harvest
Anderson, Stuart
Anderson, Cedar
Hardcover
The Official Pumpkin Spice Café Cookbook: 60 Delicious Dream Harbor Recipes
Gilmore, Laurie
Thomas, Heather
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Snoopy (Officially Licensed Peanuts Product)
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Brain Games
Paperback
The Investor's Odyssey: Resisting the Sirens and Playing the Long Game
Mayer, Christopher W.
Hardcover
Bear Hugs Notecards: (Cute Notecards, Notecards for Friends, Artistic Notecards with Envelopes)
Chronicle Books
Other
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Flowers & Nature Stained Glass (28 Images to Sticker)
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
New Seasons
Paperback
Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study
Henshall, Kenneth G.
Takagaki, Tetsuo
Paperback
3-Color Botanical Cyanotype Kit: Beginner-Friendly Solar Printing Kit for DIY Nature Art
Rafferty, Sarah Bourne
Hardcover
Once Upon a Cookbook: A Treasury of Recipes Inspired by Timeless Children's Books
Taylor, Bryton
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number - Vintage: Animals (28 Images to Sticker)
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Gilded Gardens (24 Images to Sticker): Includes 2 Foil Sticker Sheets to Complete Each Image!
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Be Calm (28 Images to Sticker)
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
After Dinner Amusements: Truth or Dare for Couples: 50 Questions and Challenges
Chronicle Books
Other
The Three Books of Enoch, Plus the Enoch Portions of the Book of Jasher
Ben Elisha, Ishmael
Paperback
Book Club Bar: Literary-Inspired Drink Recipes for Your Next Great Read
Neary, Erin
Esten, Nat
Hardcover
Tesla & The Cabbage Patch Kids: Exploring the lost Empire of Tartaria and the Reset of 1776
Anderson, Guy Peter
Paperback
Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing: I Survived Threshing Stickers - Sticker Set of 4
Out of Print
Paperback
The World of Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None a 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle: Illustrated by Ruby Ash
Agatha Christie Ltd, Agatha Christie
Other
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Cozy Capybaras: Includes a Foil Sticker Sheet to Complete Each Image!
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Brain Games
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Enchanted Wonders (36 Images to Sticker): Includes Foil Stickers!
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Faith Sprout The 66 Roots Journey: Understand Every Book of the Bible Without Getting Lost
Ross, John
Paperback
Brain Games - Search and Sticker: Animals (for Kids Ages 3-6)
Little Grasshopper Books
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - 3-In-1: Word Search, Sudoku, Crosswords
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback