Religion and the Body [Paperback]

A rich source for comparative studies of the 'body', and of its relation to society.This will be the standard study on the 'body' in relation to the major religions. It highlights the distinctive and unfamiliar ways in which diverse religious traditions understand the 'body' and notes the assumptions and problems of contemporary attitudes to it. Religion and the Body brings together essays by established experts in the history of religion, the social sciences and philosophy. The result is a rich source for comparative studies of the 'body', its relation to society and to the divine.This will be the standard study on the 'body' in relation to the major religions. It highlights the distinctive and unfamiliar ways in which diverse religious traditions understand the 'body' and notes the assumptions and problems of contemporary attitudes to it. Religion and the Body brings together essays by established experts in the history of religion, the social sciences and philosophy. The result is a rich source for comparative studies of the 'body', its relation to society and to the divine.This will be the standard study on the body in relation to the major religions. It highlights the distinctive and unfamiliar ways in which diverse religious traditions understand the body and notes the assumptions and problems of contemporary attitudes to it. Religion and the Body brings together essays by established experts in the history of religion, the social sciences and philosophy. The result is a rich source for comparative studies of the body , its relation to society and to the divine.1. Introduction: religion and the body Sarah Coakley; Part I. Contemporary Western Perspectives: Secularism and the Body: 2. The body in Western society: social theory and its perspectives Bryan S. Turner; 3. Remarks on the anthropology of the body Talal Asad; 4. The soul's successor: philosophy and the 'body' Mary Midgley; Part II.The Western Religious Inheritance: Judaism and Christianity on the l“F