Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion Hardcover - 2003

From the publisher

Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting. -Missiology: An International Review I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends.-Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Scholarly, but wholly accessible.-Terry Gifford (University of Leeds) This work will interest anyone investigating the nexus of science, social policy, and the law in modern America.-Sociology of Religion Part travelogue, part theological argument, part sociological study, Michael York's Pagan Theology is a tour through paganism's multiple forms in space and time. York does an admirable job of making paganism visible as an important area of study in religion. Pagan Theology will appeal to an international audience of scholars and practitioners of Paganism, but should also be of interest to scholars of religion more broadly, since York examines paganism in a global context, and as it occurs within other world religions, as root religion.-The Pomegranate York has collected a great diversity of global religious information to compare and contrast the fundamental and universal religious elements they contain. This appears to be his life work. -Journal of the American Academy of Religion There is interesting and valuable information in Pagan Theory. The author has done his homework, and much of what he writes is taken from first-hand observation. -facingnorth.net ) Michael York has laid the intellectual groundwork for a new approach to theology, one which hopefully might reconcile the appalling feuding ones of our time. -The Quest York endeavors to demonstrate that paganism in its many varieties has an underlying unity. -Library Journal In Pagan Theology, Michael York situates Paganism-one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West-as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West. While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word pagan to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label pagan is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviors in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Pagan Theology claims Paganism's place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behavior, and a theology. Michael York is Principal Lecturer, Sophia Centre for the Study of Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, and Director of the Bath Archive for Contemporary Religious Affairs, Bath Spa University College, UK.