ABSTRACT

To what extent is religion inherently textual? What might the term 'textual' mean in relation to religious faith and practice? These are the two key questions addressed by the eleven thought-provoking essays collected in this volume. Accounts of the content and structure of sacred texts are commonplace. The rather more adventurous aim of this book is to disclose (within the context of religion) the various ways in which meaning can be read of more or less obviously sacred writing and from discourses such as the body, the built and natural environment, drama and ritual.

chapter 1|16 pages

Reading Religion in Text and Context: An Introduction

ByPeter Collins, Elisabeth Arweck

chapter 3|16 pages

The Left Behind Series as Sacred Text?

ByMalcolm Gold

chapter 4|15 pages

Secularization: Human Rights and Sacred Texts

ByPaul Chambers

chapter 6|20 pages

Text and Context in Sikkim, India

ByVibha Arora

chapter 9|20 pages

Reading Religious Architecture

ByPeter Collins

chapter 10|12 pages

Textuality and Embodiment among Charismatic Christians

BySimon Coleman