Religion Matters, Volume 2: Further Explorations of Connectedness

Description

This book constitutes the second volume of Religion Matters: The Contemporary Relevance of Religion (Springer, 2020). Offering a fresh and much-needed perspective, it explores the role of religion in the modern, neo-liberal world. The book acclaims that 'religion' is a contextual and contested term, which is extensively discussed in the Introduction. Designed to be read selectively, this book allows readers to delve into topics and traditions of specific interest without the necessity of reading the entire volume. In contrast to volume 1, where contributors critically engaged with religion and various disciplines, this book poses a fundamental question: Can religion contribute to the discipline under consideration? Authors were selected based on their ability to address this question. Some chapters concluded that religion may offer very little to the discipline under consideration, highlighting the value of volume 1's critical stance on the place of religion incontemporary society. However, the project's overall aim remained somewhat unfulfilled, leading to the creation of this second volume. The primary omission from the first book was a comprehensive exploration of the sciences and health sciences, which this second volume aims to rectify. Furthermore, additional authors were chosen to investigate the nature of connectedness facilitated by religion, horizontally through membership within wider communities, societies, cultures, or religious traditions, and vertically by examining historical relationships within a particular faith tradition, culture, community, or society. This volume also broadens its focus to include non-Christian perspectives, Indigenous perspectives, and an increased representation of female contributors. Dedication Foreword • Constance Youngwon Lee Acknowledgments Contents 1 Introduction: Bringing Religion to Life • Rick Sarre and P. T. Babie Part I: Environment 2 Religion as Formation in Ecological Virtues • Vicky Balabanski 3 Confronting Religious Skepticism Among American Evangelicals: Using Cultural Intelligence to Influence Change in Conservative Christian College Students’ Views of Climate Change • Mark Bloom, Brian Webb, and Doug Hayhoe 4 The Touchstone of Radical Hospitality—Personal Experiences and Reflections • Geoff Boyce 5 Earth Stewardship—A Function of Religion? • Richard A. Bunch Part II: Space 6 Bringing Religion to the Outer Solar System • Arnold Benz 7 Big Boss or Dark Emu? Indigenous Wisdom for the Academy • Denise Champion and Rosemary Dewerse Part III: Criminal Justice 8 Christian Hope and Criminal Justice • Andrew Millie 9 Understanding the Complexities of Faith-Based Prison Ministry • Peter Norden Part IV: Political Life 10 Defying Strongman Politics: On Theologians and the Cultivation of Resistant Subjectivity in a Time of Global Crisis • Steven G. Ogden 11 De Profundis: Religion, Science, and the Climate Crisis • Anthony J. Chvala-Smith Part V: Ethics and Morality 12 Protection of Conscience in Australia—The Scope of Conscientious Objection Clauses for Doctors Who Object to Participating in Voluntary Assisted Dying on Religious Grounds • Michaela Estelle Okninski 13 ‘What I Do is Live. How I Pray I Breathe’: The Persistence of Prayer in an Australian Public Hospital • Nicholas Rundle 14 Right Intent: The Value of Morality and Religion in the Modern Law of Armed Conflict • Dale Stephens and Joanna Jarose Index