Why study religion?: understanding humanity's pursuit of the divine

Why?

The study of religion

The student of religion

Why now?

Changing societies: radical differentiation

Complex individuals: hybrid personalities

Clashing religions: contestation, consilience, confession

How?

The scholarly skills: studying texts, collecting ethnographic data, comparing and contrasting ideas

Perspectival objectivity: from premodern to modern to postmodern

New trajectories for the study of religion

Classic books in the study of religion

Classic essays in the study of religion

Categorizing religious traditions: an assignment

Twelve guidelines for the study of religion.