The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global PerspectiveCambridge Scholars Press, 2006 - 209 pages The study of altruism and altruistic behavior has caught the attention of social scientists especially in recent years. What motivates individuals to cultivate attitudes and actions that promote the wellbeing of others at the expense of, or at the risk of negative consequences for their own? In our contemporary global society marked by conflict and violence among different sectors of the population in various regions of the world, and wherein religion can be a factor that exacerbates such conflict and violence, harnessing the power of religion towards directions of reconciliation, creativity, and altruistic action, remains a crucial task for humankind. This volume addresses a question especially relevant in our day: do people who profess religious commitment or affiliation in a particular religious community tend to nurture altruistic kinds of attitude and action more than others? Social scientists present results of their empirical studies on Japanese society, as well as on North American, European, Indian, and Thai societies, to focus on this issue and offer insightful reflections on the relationship between religion and society. |
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... particular interest are 1 ) the network's experiences of thirty years , 2 ) the influence of Kamagasaki on those directly involved in the network and their churches , and 3 ) the prospects for the future . The second point in particular ...
... particular future challenges . ( Kirkko muutosten keskellä , 2004 ) Macro - economic decline meant the Nordic countries ( excluding Denmark ) were hit by a severe economic depression in the early 1990s . The Finnish welfare state was ...
... particular interest . The question of the possibly diminishing role of the churches is far from decided and , as Europe undergoes significant economic and social change , the role of church social work is an urgent question confronting ...
Contents
Altruism in New Religions in Japan | 12 |
Kamagasaki Ecumenical Network | 43 |
Japanese Buddhist Responses to Terrorism | 60 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global Perspective Ruben Lf Habito,Keishin Inaba No preview available - 2008 |