Belief Beyond Boundaries: Wicca, Celtic Spirituality and the New Age (Religion Today-Tradition, Modernity & Change) [Hardcover]

Joanne Pearson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0754607445 | ISBN-13: 978-0754607441 | Publication Date: September 2002

This fifth volume of the "Religion Today" series explores "religions" or forms of spirituality that tend to be marginal to the mainstream of British and North American religious expression. The book examines how alternative spiritualities traditionally classed as "New Age" or new religious movements have grown exponentially in recent years. It progresses to detailed examination of Paganism, Celtic spirituality, Wicca, witchcraft, North American indigenous religion and New Age, considering the impact of the rise of science on religion and the emergence of new categories of spirituality. The authors explore why these forms of spirituality are so popular in the contemporary UK and USA, and how they impact on mainstream traditions.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This volume is part of the "Religion Today" series of textbooks for undergraduates, prepared under the auspices of the Open University in Great Britain. Each volume in the series includes academic analytical essays and excerpted background readings, with very helpful accompanying glossaries and sources. Edited by Pearson (religion, Open Univ.; A Popular Dictionary of Paganism), the current title addresses a variety of alternative religious movements with a strong focus on nature, including Wicca, neo-Paganism, Celtic spirituality, borrowed indigenous American spiritualities, and New Age movements such as Theosophy. The essays are written in a clear, readable, respectful, and neutral academic style, with glossary terms bolded in the text. The reader comes away with a sense of historical context, the modern origins or development of these movements, and broad sociological explanations for their current popularity. The chapter "Aspirational Indians" is noteworthy for engaging the views of native peoples whose religious traditions are being expropriated and commercialized by the non-indigenous. This is one of the more accessible and better-written academic studies available of paganism and New Age movements. Highly recommended for undergraduate, larger public, and all religion/theology libraries.
William P. Collins, Library of Congress
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Ltd (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754607445
• ISBN-13: 978-0754607441
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,380,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)