Religion in Context Cults and Charisma [Hardcover]

Study of religion in society, revealing connections between different cults and religions.Arguing that apparently contradictory experiences are part of a web of mutually sustaining elements, this expanded and updated study analyzes phenomena such as witchcraft, cannibalism, and shamanism. It reveals connections among them and with the world religions.Arguing that apparently contradictory experiences are part of a web of mutually sustaining elements, this expanded and updated study analyzes phenomena such as witchcraft, cannibalism, and shamanism. It reveals connections among them and with the world religions.Religious power assumes strikingly different forms, often regarded as unique and unrelated. Religion in Context, however, argues that these apparently contradictory experiences are part of a web of mutually sustaining elements. I.M. Lewis analyzes phenomena such as witchcraft, cannibalism, and shamanism, revealing connections among them and with the world religions. This expanded and updated edition illuminates critical aspects of religious power, and will be of value to anyone concerned with the nature of religion in the modern world.1. Anthropological fieldwork and the context of belief; 2. The spirit spider and the Pangolin; 3. Possession cults in context; 4. Witchcraft within and without; 5. The cannibal's cauldron; 6. The Shaman's career; 7. Expelling spirits, controlling women; 8. the power of the past: African 'survivals' in Islam; Notes; Bibliography; Index.'The book, complete with punctilious notes for each chapter and a well selected bibliography, may serve as a stimulus for the thinking anthropologist as well as a valuable choice for the attentive reader.' Man