'The Heathen in his Blindness...', : Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion.

• Superior document: Studies in the history of religions ; Volume 64
• Author: S.N. Balagangadhara
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, , Boston: : Brill, , 1993.
• Year of Publication: 1993
• Language: English
• Series: Numen Book Series 64.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xii, 563 pages).

Today, most intellectuals agree that (a) Christianity has profoundly influenced western culture; (b) members from different cultures experience many aspects of the world differently; (c) the empirical and theoretical study of both culture and religion emerged within the West. The present study argues that these truisms have implications for the conceptualization of religion and culture. More specifically, the thesis is that non-western cultures and religions differ from the descriptions prevalent in the West, and it is also explained why this has been the case. The author proposes novel analyses of religion, the Roman 'religio', the construction of 'religions' in India, and the nature of cultural differences. Religion is important to the West because the constitution and the identity of western culture is tied to the dynamic of Christianity as a religion.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Some Puzzles and Problems -- “Not by One Avenue Only ...” -- The Whore of Babylon and Other Revelations -- Made in Paris, London, and Heidelberg -- Requiem for a Theme -- “Shall the Twain Ever Meet?” -- “Guilty as Charged, My Lords and Ladies?” -- A Human Tragedy or the Divine Retribution? -- “Blessed are Those Who Seek...” -- “Imagine, There Is No Religion ...” -- Prolegomena to a Comparative Science of Cultures -- At the End of a Journey -- References -- Name Index -- Subject Index -- Studies in the History of Religions Numen Bookseries.