Adherents.Com
Religious Protest
We note in Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism that most religions have emerged from one form of social protest or another. We suggest also that global religious movements, such as the various fundamentalisms that have attracted renewed attention in the past two decades, may represent the only viable cultural alternative to global capitalism. We also ask whether or not small-scale communal movements represent viable alternatives? The following sites provide access to such movements. We have also included general religion sites to provide access to background material. The Comparative Religion site will provide access to many other sites.
http://www.adherents.com/
Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 46,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations -- references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc.
American Religion Data Archive: Anti-Semitism In The United States, 1981 [ASCII, SPSS, Microcase 4.0] http://www.thearda.com/archive/ANTSEM81.html
The American Religion Data Archive (see the December 11, 1998 _Scout Report_) has recently posted the results of a study of anti-Semitism. "The major topics covered include the anti-Semitic beliefs of non-Jews as well as the anti-Semitic experiences of Jews." The study also examines Christian fundamentalism and prevalent attitudes toward other racial and ethnic groups. (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 3/21/00) Ancient Astrology and Divination on the Web
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/astdiv/
This site presents over 100 links to "reliable information about ancient (primarily Greek and Roman) astrology and divination" compiled by graduate student Tim Spaulding for fellow non-believers in these arts and sciences. Materials listed include books, journal articles, and Websites with yet more links to additional sites. Some highlights under astrology are an exhibition of star atlases from the Linda Hall Library, Kansas City; a zodiac mosaic on the floor of Beth Alpha, a temple in Israel; and papyrus documents that mention astrological terms, from a pre-executed search of University of Michigan's collection. Resources open in a new window, allowing users to return to Spaulding's list easily. (Scout Report 9/22/00)
Anthropology
of Religion Links
http://www.uwgb.edu/galta/mrr/links.htm
Apocalypse! The evolution of apocalyptic belief and how it shaped the western world. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/Part of anthropologist Anthony Galt's great website for his Anthropology of Religion class. An extensive list of religion resources on the Internet from the Anthropology of Religion section of the American Anthropological Assocation.
This companion site to PBS’s Frontline special, "Apocalypse!" continues in the direction established by the extraordinary Website (and Frontline special) "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians" .... Apocalypse! features an extended section on apocalypticism, which ranges from the expectations of the early believers, to the Crusaders of the middle ages, to various New World imaginings of the end (and America’s pivotal role in it). The site’s pictorial chronology offers a series of artistic renderings of the apocalypse throughout western history; a report on the rise of the Antichrist as a central figure in end time scenarios; a complete text of the Book of Revelation; and a roundtable discussion in which "scholars assess apocalypticism and the American psyche" as well as "what happens after the year 2000." The Website also links to information about primary texts in apocalyptic studies and to video clips from the broadcast of Apocalypse! .....(Scout Report for Social Sciences, November 30, 1999)
APS
guide to resources in theology
http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/theobook.htm
BeliefNetAn extensive list of sites dealing largely with mainstream religion.
http://www.beliefnet.com/
BeliefNet focuses on nonjudgmental spirituality: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Wiccans all have a place here and will be greeted with an abundance of content ranging from original columns to community message boards. Hopefully BeliefNet will provide threaded discussion boards soon, because scrolling through their guestbook-style discussions can be a chore. But small problems like these are minor blemishes on a first-rate Web destination. BeliefNet may not meet all your religious needs, but it will certainly give you a friendly place to examine them. (Brittanica Com)
Bible browser URL
http://www.stg.brown.edu/webs/bible_browser/pbeasy.shtml
The Bible, particularly sections of The Gospels, contain some of the most revolutionary writings in the world. There are many Bible Browsers, and this is just one. To find others, go to a search engine (e.g. Lycos), and just type "Bible Browser" to retrieve others. This site allows you to retrive any section of The Bible you wish. Check, for example, Matthew 5:3-10.
Center
for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) http://www.cesnur.org/
"Independent from any religious group, Church, denomination or association, CESNUR, the Center for Studies on New Religions, is an international network of associations of scholars working in the field of new religious movements." Their Website features an extensive and frequently updated library of scholarly texts on a seemingly exhaustive list of new religious movements of any size and scale. The texts and documents section offers hypertext bibliographies of articles, books, and Web resources on the general phenomenon of new religious movements; individual case studies of hundreds of organizations; and citations concerning religious liberty, anti-cult movements, and brainwashing. A similar bibliography of book reviews is also available here as is information on past and upcoming conferences associated with CESNUR. As the organization is international, some materials are presented in Italian, French, or Spanish. [Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities -- February 6, 2001]
The Center of Concern is a Catholic organization that, since 1971, "has offered moral vision and has provided effective leadership to help end global hunger, poverty, environmental decline, and injustice in the United States and around the world. Our goal is to provide individuals and organizations with basic tools to address these universal questions: What are the root causes of human suffering in the world today? What responses offer hope? We provide reliable information and analysis on development issues, practical alternatives to current development policies and practices suggestions for personal action, and faith reflection on this work for justice."
Communal
Studies Bibliography
http://www.salamander.com/~jgoodin/csabibs.html
An extensive list of bibliographies on communal studies.
Comparative
Religion--A Directory of Internet Resources for the Academic Study of Religion
http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html
A comprehensive listing of religious material on the Web. You can access general information (e.g. Online Publications), or material on specific religions or religious movements (e.g. Islamic Studies). You can also access other meta-indices on religion.
Divining
America
http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080/tserve/divam.htm
EIKONA site designed largely for high school teachers that includes articles and information about the history of religion in America. But there are some very good introductory articles, including one on fundamentalism in America, one on the religious right, and another on the Nation of Islam in America.
http://eikon.divinity.yale.edu/
Created at Yale Divinity School by faculty and library staff, EIKON is an image database that "provides digital resources for teaching and research in the field of Biblical studies." The approximately 800 images in EIKON are a subset of a larger Yale digital collection called AdHoc that contains both texts and images related to the history of Christianity. EIKON is searchable by subject; a search on Moses, for example, retrieves four images from a series of frescos at a synagogue in Syria. The subject headings in EIKON records are links, so it is easy to find related pictures by clicking the headlines. Clicking on the geographical location heading in a Moses record retrieved sixteen more images from the same temple. EIKON can also be browsed by categories such as Biblical Book, Geographical Location, Cultural Affiliation, Object Type, or Topic. (Scout Report, November 5, 1999)
Finding
God in Cyberspace: A Guide to Religious Studies Resources on the Internet
http://www.fontbonne.edu/libserv/fgic/intro.htm
This metasite provides "a selective listing of the best Internet resources of interest to religious studies scholars and students of religion." Finding God in Cyberspace offers annotated links to print and digital resources on the Web, including e-texts, e-journals, multimedia and graphics, and software; online communities for religious study; teaching resources; and gateways to relevant sites in Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Church History, and Comparative Religions. A special section features sites that examine the "encounter between religion and digital culture." Additional links to related directories and search engines are also provided. Unfortunately, the site can only be browsed at this time. However, the depth and richness of its resources make it an excellent stop for those doing online academic research in religious studies. John L Gresham, Library Director at Fontbonne College in St. Louis and a published scholar in Religious Studies, maintains the site. (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 7/27/99)
A Guide to the Best
Religious Studies Resources on the Internet
http://fn2.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~cstier/religion/toc.htm
"The purpose of the subject guide is to provide useful links to Internet resources
in Religious Studies that are of value to the undergraduate student in Religious
Studies. This subject guide is intended to cover the most useful resources
related to each of the world's major religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the Chinese and Japanese religions
(Confucianism and Taoism). We also will provide limited coverage of some
smaller, non-traditional forms of religion such a s Paganism and New Age
spirituality, although the scholastic content of this area of the Internet is
sometimes dubious."
Intentional Communities
http://www.ic.org
Introduction to IslamMany so-called intentional communities are explicitly antisystemic in orientation, many emerging from the revolution of 1968. This site provides information and access to crucial resources for seekers of community, existing and forming communities, and other friends of community. You can, for eample, access a sample list of intentional communities.
http://www2.ari.net/gckl/islam/introislam.htm
Provided by the Middle East Institute George Camp Keiser Library, this online version of M. Cherif Bassiouni’s book offers an interesting and useful introduction to the history and culture of Islam for non-Muslim readers. The book is well-organized and attractive, offering numerous photos, maps, and charts. In addition to providing a historical and cultural context of Islam, the book covers basic tenets of Muslim belief, Islamic law, schools of thought, the social and economic systems of Islam, and an overview of Islamic civilization. (Scout Report, 9/3/99)
Meeting God:
Elements of Hindu Devotion
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/meetgod/hp.htm
This companion site to the text _Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion_ by Stephen P. Huyler—an art historian, cultural anthropologist, and photographer—presents images, photographs, and accompanying text concerning Hindu worship. Sections are included on morning prayers, household worship, Hindu community, Hindu temples, ephemeral shrines, processionals, vows and healing, and old age and renunciation. The photographs are often visually stunning and the accompanying text is to-the-point and informative. The site is maintained by the Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Related Art at Ohio State University. (Scout Report for the Social Sciences, 4/18/00) MOST Clearing House on Religious Rights—UNESCO
http://www.unesco.org/most/rr1.htm
"UNESCO’s MOST Clearing House (first mentioned in the November 18, 1997 Scout Report for Social Sciences) has added a new segment on religious rights. The Clearing House on Religious Rights supplies legislators, policymakers, researchers, and other representatives of both governmental and non-governmental organizations with information to monitor to the peaceful transition to democracy in societies characterized by cultural and religious pluralism. This site provides several full-text international legal documents concerning religious rights, excerpts of 67 national constitutions that contain provisions on religion, and a modest bibliography on religious rights. In addition, the site hosts a new discussion forum, Democratic Governance in Multireligious Societies. The forum will address "the social dynamics of multireligious societies and policy-options for the management of religious conflict from a social science perspective." Subscription information for the mailing list is available at the site." (Scout Report for the Social Sciences, 3/23/99)
National Abortion Federation:
Clinic Violence
http://www.prochoice.org/
In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism we discusss the extent to which attacks on abortion clinics and providers represents the militant arm of religious fundamentalism in the United States. The national Abortion Federation maintains statistics on attacks on abortion clinics and providers. You can go directly to the page on clinic violence here.
http://www.bham.ac.uk/theology/goodacre/featured.htm
"Project Megiddo" [.pdf, 110K]This reputable, scholarly gateway provides an annotated directory of "good academic New Testament web resources." In addition to being searchable, the site sorts resources into relevant categories such as Bible Translations, Textual Criticism, Non-Canonical, Gospels and Acts, Paul, Revelation, Historical Jesus, Judaica and more. The site also posts featured links each month (with an archive of past months) and clearly identifies new sites. The annotations are excellent in terms of both scholarly and Web-browsing information. The site is maintained by Professor Mark Goodacre at the University of Birmingham.
http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/the_new_world_order/bhnapa.html
or
http://www.adl-ci.org/html/project_megiddo.html
The FBI’s report "Project Megiddo" analyzes "the potential for extremist criminal activity in the US by individuals or domestic extremist groups who profess an apocalyptic view of the millennium or attach special significance to the year 2000." Those most likely to commit violent acts, according to the FBI, are either groups motivated by religious beliefs relating to the Apocalypse or New World Order conspiracy theory holders convinced the United Nations has a secret plan to conquer the world. No longer available on the FBI site (but available at the above sites), the report contains a useful introduction and short analyses of groups such as the Christian identity Movement, white supremacists, militias, the Black Hebrew Israelites, and apocalyptic cults. A brief discussion of the potential for violence in Jerusalem, especially at the Temple Mount, is also included. The Pluralism Project
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/
"Developed at Harvard University by Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, the Pluralism Project aims to study and document the expanding religious diversity in the US. Besides providing details about the Project, this Website contains an abundance of information resources germane to the study of religion, including full-text articles, numerous bibliographies and syllabi, a directory of nearly 3,000 religious centers, recent news on religion, a national calendar of conferences and religious events, an ImageBase of photographic slides, and a selected collection of annotated links to related sites." (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 3/9/99)
The Rain-Atlantis
Project: Studies in Utopian & Peaceful Societies
http://www.rain.org/utopia1.html
The Religious Movements Homepage"The Rain-Atlantis project is a study of Utopian Culture, the literature, art and science (science fiction as well) that flourished in Utopian circles. The history of Peaceful Societies, drawing on the study of ancient and contemporary cultures and peoples, serves as our environment to learn math, architecture, science, human culture and sustainable agriculture."
http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/home.html
A tradition founded 2,000 years ago is accepted as a religion. If the same tradition had been founded last week, however, it would probably be branded a "cult." Such an easy dismissal of new religious movements prevents us from understanding how many such movements exist or the astonishing speed at which some of them are growing. "The Religious Movements Homepage" is a great place to start for those who choose to understand. The site’s database of nearly 200 new and not-so-new traditions—from Adidam to Zoroastrianism—includes histories of the movements, summaries of their central tenets, and links to other movement sites. Through these combined resources we begin to understand that religion remains a vital force in the modern world and that new religious movements will play an important role in shaping the world to come. (Britanicca Site of the Day, 2/17/2000)
Religious Studies on
the Internet
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/sed/rsnet.htm
Another excellent comprehensive site on religion, containing links to other sites.
The RESite: Religious
Education on the Web
http://www.theresite.org.uk/
The aim of this site is to facilitate ICT (Information and Communications Technology) for the subject of Religion. To this end, RESite offers an annotated index of instructional/ research Websites that deal with the world’s religious faiths. Searchable by topic, keyword, and specific faith, the site allows the user to limit returns to those resources geared toward a particular age group. Based in the UK, RESite also provides links to British sites that review instructional technology, and a Guide to Educational Visits to religious institutions within the Isles. RESite is maintained by Culham College Institute and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), an Anglican organization. Despite its sponsors, the sites sources and annotations, for the most part, appear balanced. However, there are some oversights. For example, Sikhism is indexed, but the Baha’i faith and Zoroastrianism are not. (The Scout Report for Social Sciences, 7/13/99)
The
Scopes "Monkey Trial"
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/inherit/1925home.html
In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, we mention the role played by the Scopes trial in the development of the fundamentalist response in the United States. Sponsored by the American Studies Group and the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia, this site offers basic information about the famous "Monkey Trial," including reporters' notes and a transcription of the key moment in Darrow's questioning of Bryan.
The Society for Utopian
Studies
http://www.utoronto.ca/utopia/
SocioSite:
Activism-Collective Action-Social Movements-Utopia
http://www.pscw.uva.nl/SOCIOSITE/TOPICS/Activism.html
The main site contains information on various kinds of activist social movements. The section on religious activism contains extensive, annotated links to material on various religions. A superb source to begin with.
http://SkepticsAnnotatedBible.com/
This Freethought Ring Website is designed as an anti-fundamentalist version of the King James Bible. Written by a disaffected Christian, this hypertext version of the complete King James text highlights those passages the author contends are embarrassing to Bible-believers, specifically those numerous passages which involve "absurdities, contradictions, violence, sex, insults to women, injustices, bad language or false prophecies." The highlighting is color-coded for easy identification, and a frame provides running commentary explaining the skeptical response. One can also access specific sections of the text by the particular categories listed above. While some might take issue with the combative tone of this evangelical skeptic, this is a highly useful resource for confronting the mass of biblical evidence that challenges any literalist approach to this central text of Western literature and religious thought. (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 12/14/99)
The Unbound Bible
http://unbound.biola.edu
The Unbound Bible, an online searchable database maintained by Biola University (La Mirada, California), is comprised of 24 versions of the Bible. The database includes a Hebrew version, a Greek version, four versions in ancient languages, seven English translations, as well as translations in fifteen other languages, such as Swahili, Icelandic, and Tagalog. For each version, users may conduct Boolean keyword searches of the whole bible or specifically query the Old Testament, New Testament, Apocrypha, or particular books. The Unbound Bible also contains a topical index and supports parallel searches, allowing users to compare the texts of two different version. [AO] (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 6/1/99)
Virtual religion index
http://religion.rutgers.edu/links/vrindex.html
http://religion.rutgers.edu/links/vrindexb.html
[No frames]
"The Virtual Religion Index is an excellent portal for locating religious studies resources on the Internet. Created and maintained by the Department of Religion at Rutgers University, the index provides an extensive compilation of annotated links for the academic study of religion. Comprised of eighteen topic sections, the index covers the historical, philosophical, theological, psychological, sociological, and artistic aspects of a wide range of international religious traditions. The well-organized index divides major topic sections into several subtopics. Within each subtopic, indexed links are arranged alphabetically and include brief annotations highlighting important content available at each listed site. Comprehensive as well as current, the index frequently posts updates to its What’s New? section." (The Scout Report for Social Sciences, 11/3/98)
