Forced conversion in Christianity, Judaism and Islam : coercion and faith in premodern Iberia and beyond /
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Focusing on the Iberian Peninsula but examining related European and Mediterranean contexts as well, Forced Conversion in Christianity, Judaism and Islam traces how Christians, Jews, and Muslims grappled with the contradictory phenomenon of faith brought about by constraint and compulsion. Forced conversion brought into sharp relief the tensions among the accepted notion of faith as a voluntary act, the desire to maintain "pure" communities, and the universal truth claims of radical monotheism. Offering a comparative view of an important yet insufficiently studied phenomenon in the history of religions, this collection of essays explores the ways in which religion and violence reshaped these three religions and the ways we understand them today.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource. :
9789004416826
Conversion in the age of pluralism /
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The theme of conversion constitutes a privileged point to study the framework linking an individual to the sociocultural contexts in which he or she is included. Changes in personal biographies and sociocultural change are interwoven when we speak of conversion: values, speech, norms, behaviors, beliefs, lifestyles, interests--everything is open to potential debate when an individual \'converts.\' Conversion is especially developed here through a connection with the dynamics of pluralism, which appears to be the most peculiar cultural characteristic of our era: what does it mean to speak of \'conversion\' in a time in which it seems that the presumption of only one \'true\' truth no longer exists, while instead many different truths live together, each with its own judgment criteria.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789047444947 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A new model of religious conversion : beyond network theory and social constructivism /
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Based on the analysis of 52 conversion narratives to various religious groups, A New Model of Religious Conversion utilizes case studies for comparison of converts' backgrounds, network influence, and conversion narratives. The author convincingly illustrates a \'fit\' between the converts' background and the religion they convert to, such as between disorganized family backgrounds and highly structured religions. Conversely, those from highly structured backgrounds often convert to more \'open\' groups. The book also makes it clear that not all conversions are influenced by networks or align themselves with a social constructivist view of a conversion as an \'account.\' Taking converts' trajectories seriously, the author makes a strong case for the application of biographical sociology to the study of conversion and (American) sociology overall.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004266506 :
1542-1279 ;
Handbook of leaving religion /
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The Handbook of Leaving Religion introduces a neglected field of research with the aim to outline previous and contemporary research, and suggest how the topic of leaving religion should be studied in the future. The handbook consists of three sections: 1) Major debates about leaving religion; 2) Case studies and empirical insights; and 3) Theoretical and methodological approaches. Section one provides the reader with an introduction to key terms, historical developments, major controversies and significant cases. Section two includes case studies that illustrate various processes of leaving religion from different perspectives, and each chapter provides new empirical insights. Section three discusses, presents and encourages new approaches to the study of leaving religion.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource. :
9789004331471
Transformations of the Inner Self in Ancient Religions /
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This collection of papers from two workshops - held in Heidelberg, Germany, in July 1996 and Jerusalem, Israel, in October 1997 - is concerned with anthropological rather than theological aspects of the Near Eastern and Mediterranean religions, ranging from the 'primary' religions of the archaic period and their complex developments in Egypt and Mesopotamia to the 'soteriological' movements and 'secondary' religions that emerged in Late Antiquity. The first part of the book focuses on \'Confession and Conversion\', while the second part is devoted to the topic of \'Guilt, Sin and Rituals of Purification\'. The primary purpose of this volume is to convey a sense of the dynamics and dialectical relationships between the various Near Eastern and Mediterranean religions from the archaic period to Late Antiquity.
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Two contributions in German, one in French. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004379084 :
0169-8834 ;
Conversion and church : the challenge of ecclesial renewal : essays in honour of H.P.J. Witte /
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Conversion is an important characteristic of religious renewal, and of the dialogue between churches and religious believers. In the Roman Catholic Church, conversion has played a significant role in ecumenical dialogue recently. It has become a challenge for the Church as a whole, instead of a call to individual believers alone. The contributors of this volume explore the different aspects of conversion in the history of theology, in the developments during and after the Second Vatican Council, in the Ignatian tradition, and in several ecclesial groups that have explored the opportunities of the ongoing renewal of the churches. Contributors are: André Birmelé, Inigo Bocken, Erik Borgman, Catherine Clifford, Peter De Mey, Adelbert Denaux, Eugene Duffy, Stephan van Erp, Joep van Gennip, Thomas Green, Wiel Logister, Annemarie Mayer, Jos Moons, Marcel Sarot, Karim Schelkens, Nico Schreurs, Matthias Smalbrugge, and Arnold Smeets.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource. :
9789004319165 :
2352-5746 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Conversion and Jesuit schooling in Zambia /
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This is a socio-historical study of schooling at Chikuni, a Jesuit mission station in Southern Zambia. It includes an examination of the dynamic processes operative at the mission over a 75 year period. During these years, the Jesuits interacted with successive generations of students and converts and with the representatives of successive political regimes, all of which were secular but each willing to use the mission as a means to its own ends. For many years Chikuni was the major representative of the Catholic church in southern Zambia. The emergence of a Catholic community is of its making. As its educational role expanded it also helped to form many who became leaders in post-independence Zambia. Though the Jesuits had not planned a political revolution, unwittingly they helped to bring one about. While the study identifies some of the difficulties connected with running a denominational school in present day Zambia, it argues for a more pivotal positioning of conversion as a socio-personal religious phenomenon in the curriculum if the mission school is to continue to be an effective agent of transformation.
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1 online resource (xxix, 179 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-163) and index. :
9789004319851 :
0924-9389 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Shalom, the spirit and Pentecostal conversion : a practical-theological study /
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In Shalom, the Spirit and Pentecostal Conversion , Grace Milton presents a uniquely practical-theological model of Pentecostal conversion, centered on empirical data from a congregational case study. Pentecostal-Charismatic conversion is commonly equated with a dramatic, "Damascus road" type event, which directly opposes prevailing theories within the social sciences that conversion is a more gradual process over time. This raises the question, how far do these Pentecostal stereotypes reflect lived experience? In this book, for the first time, the experiences and beliefs of ordinary Pentecostal believers are drawn into conversation with conversion theories from the human sciences (sociology, psychology and anthropology) and theology. The result is a distinctly Pentecostal model of conversion, which interprets religious transformation through the theological lens of Shalom .
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1 online resource (viii, 28 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 262-276) and index. :
9789004301818 :
1876-2247 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The rabbinic conversion of Judaism : the unique perspective of the Bavli on conversion and the construction of Jewish identity /
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In this volume, Moshe Lavee offers an account of crucial internal developments in the rabbinic corpus, and shows how the Babylonian Talmud dramatically challenged and extended the rabbinic model of conversion to Judaism. The history of conversion to Judaism has long fascinated Jews along a broad ideological continuum. This book demonstrates the rabbis in Babylonia further reworked former traditions about conversion in ever more stringent direction, shifting the focus of identity demarcation towards genealogy and bodily perspectives. By applying a reading-strategy that emphasizes late Babylonian literary developments, Lavee sheds critical light on a broader discourse regarding the nature and boundaries of Jewish identity.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004352056 :
1871-6636 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.