The psychology of religion, [print]
by Wayne E. Oates.
- Waco, Texas ; Word Books, (c)1983.
- 291 pages 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Definitions of Religion -- 2. The Phenomenological Approach to Psychology and Religion -- 3. The Psychological Roots of Religion -- 4. the Psychology of Religious Development -- 5. Conversion: Sacred and Secular -- 6. Mysticism and the Life of the Spirit -- 7. The Expansion of Consciousness -- 8. Nonverbal Communication and Prayer -- 9. Magic and Persuasion -- 10. Sleep, Dreams, and Revelation -- 11. Habit and Religious Ritual -- 12. Fantasy and Temptation -- 13. Decision Making and Responsibility -- 14. Sin and Forgiveness -- 15. Commitment, Alienation, and the Counterculture -- 16. Loyalty and Conscience -- 17. Ecstasy and the Nonrational -- 18. Religion and Psychopathology -- 19. Toward a Psychology of Faith.
Developed in classroom conversation with students and written in light of their reactions and the most up-to-date scholarship in the areas of both psychology and religion, this book provides a comprehensive psychological approach to the study of religious experience. The prevailing psychological point of view is a phenomenological one, and the overriding method is developmental. Although the author's stance is admittedly a product of the Judaeo-Christian heritage, his work encompasses the wisdom of other religions and secular statements of faith. He emphasizes the principles of process and development as the individual confronts spiritual reality in his daily existence. -- Book jacket.