Religion as a human capacity: A Festschrift in Honor of E. Thomas Lawson (Numen Book Series Studies in the History of Religions Volume XCIX)

Prepared in honor of E. Thomas Lawson, the essays in Religion as a Human Capacity represent diverse points of view in the study of religion today. Part I, “Theoretical Studies,” offers a broad range of cognitivist theoretical explorations, while Part II, “Studies in Religious Behavior,” presents cutting-edge applications of cognitive and other contemporary theories to religious data. This volume celebrates Lawson's critical contributions to cognitive studies of religion and the degree to which his ultimate goal of scholarship as a search for truth is matched by those who have been his colleagues and been influenced by him. Religion as a Human Capacity will be of interest to all those concerned with theory and method in the academic study of religion CONTENTS Dedicatory Preface List of Contributors INTRODUCTIONS A Brief Intellectual Biography of E. Thomas Lawson Religion as a Human Capacity PART ONE THEORETICAL STUDIES 1. Out Of Africa: Lessons From a By-product of Evolution 2. Is Religion a Rube Goldberg Device? Or Oh, What a Difference a Theory Makes! 3. Why Do We Need Cognitive Theories of Religion? 4. Can Science Fabricate Meaning? On Ritual, Religion, and the Academic Study of Religion 5. Pathways to Knowledge in Comparative Religion: Clearing Ground for New Conceptual Resources 6. Comparative Religion in the State of Nature 7. Toward a Discourse Between Cognitive and Critical Theoreticians of Religion: Open Dialectic Between the Religious and the Secular 8. Dispatches from the “Religion” Wars PART TWO STUDIES IN RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOR 9. Exploring Theories of Religious Violence: Nigeria’s “Maitatsine” Phenomenon 10. What Does Jerusalem Have to Do with Amecameca? A Case Study of Colonial Mexican Sacred Space 11. Different Vibes: Rethinking Religion, Yet Again 12. Ritual Competence and Mithraic Ritual 13. Bringing Data to Mind: Empirical Claims of Lawson and McCauley’s Theory of Religious Ritual 14. Communities, Ritual Violence, and Cognition: On Hopi Indian Initiations 15. On Credulity 16. What is the “Bible”? (Analysis of a Text Concept) 17. Luck Beliefs: A Case of Theological Incorrectness 18. Cognition and Credence Bibliography Index of Names A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Index of Subjects A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z "Prepared in honor of E. Thomas Lawson, the essays in Religion as a Human Capacity represent diverse points of view in the study of religion today. This volume celebrates Lawson's critical contributions to cognitive studies of religion and the degree to which his ultimate goal of scholarship as a search for truth is matched by those who have been his colleagues and been influenced by him. Religion as a Human Capacity will be of interest to all those concerned with theory and method in the academic study of religion."--BOOK JACKET Prepared in honour of E. Thomas Lawson, the essays in this volume represent diverse points of view in the study of religion. It offers a broad range of cognitivist theoretical explorations, and presents applications of cognitive and other contemporary theories to religious data Edited By Timothy Light And Brian C. Wilson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [421]-443) And Indexes.