Religion 1. Is everyone religious? Russell T. McCutcheon 3. What does it take for something to be classified as a "religion"? Robyn Faith Walsh, University of Miami 7. What is the difference between a religion and a cult? Jason Blum, Davidson College 9. Do all religious adherents believe in the concept of a higher power? Steven Ramey, University of Alabama 12. How did religion start? Nickolas Roubekas, University of Vienna 13. What is the function of religion? Rick Moore, University of Chicago 16.
Is atheism, or secularism, just another religion? Craig Martin, St Thomas Aquinas College 18. Why is religion often mentioned in the foundational governing documents, such as Constitutions, in many liberal democracies? Patrick Hart, University of Alberta 20. What is the oldest religion? Vaia Touna, University of Alabama 21. How many religions are there? Michael J. Altman, University of Alabama 22. How does religion spread and what is its appeal? Sarah Dees, Iowa State University 23. Why do so many religions seems to contain traces of influence from other religions? Linh Hoang, Siena College, New York 25. Were the Wars of Religion in France really about religion? Daniel Dubuisson, CNRS, Paris 26.
If everyone worships a god, why are there so many distinctions in religions? Leslie Dorrough Smith, Avila University 27. Do people actually believe in their religious practices because they want to, or because of how they were raised? Nathan Colborne, Nipissing University 28. Can people belong to more than one religion? Ann Taves, University of California, Santa Barbara 29. Who are the "Nones" and why are they so important? Michael Graziano, University of Northern Iowa 30. Why would people today self-identify as pagan or heathen when it may be offensive to call people that? Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University 32. What does it mean to say that we are now post-secular? Matt Sheedy, University of Bonn The Religions 33. Are there any religions that do not have official leaders? Jason Ellsworth, Dalhousie University 36. Why have Muslim women''s head coverings received such critical attention from the government in France over the past decade or so? Carmen Becker, Leibniz University Hannover 39.
Is voodoo really a religion? Emily D. Crews, University of Chicago Divinity School 40. Why did Romans basically copy the Ancient Greek religion? Roger Beck 41. Is Satanism a religion? Nat Morehouse, John Carroll University 42. Who wrote the Bible? Stephen Young, Brown University 43. Do Jews believe in the afterlife? Aaron W. Hughes 44. Why don''t Jewish people believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Sheldon Steen, Florida State University 47.
Why do some Christians use snakes in their worship? Brad Stoddard, McDaniel College 48. Is it true that the English names of the weekdays derive from the names of pre-Christian gods? Lauren Horn Griffin, Louisiana State University 49. What is "speaking in tongues"? Jen Eyl, Tufts University 51. Why do some Christians not acknowledge evolution? Arthur McCalla, Saint Vincent University 52. Why are the crucifixes displayed in some government offices in Germany designated not as religious symbols but, instead, as signs of a cultural heritage? Steffen Fuhrding, Leibniz University Hannover 55. Is Europe less religious than North America? Julie Ingersoll, University of North Florida 58. What is the difference between radical and non-radical Muslims in terms of the types of Islam? Mushegh Asatryan, University of Calgary 60. Are Muslim theological colleges in such countries as Germany different from the academic field known as Islamic Studies? Edith Szanto, American University of Iraq 73.
Why do the statues of Buddha sometimes depict him as being overweight? Kendall Marchman, Young Harris College The Study of Religion 76. Where did the study of religion come from? Michael Stausberg, University of Bergen 78. Why is it important that we study religion? K. Merinda Simmons, University of Alabama 80. What does it mean to decolonize the study of religion? Richard Newton, University of Alabama 83. What is Religious Education (RE) and is it just a version of the academic study of religion adopted in schools in the UK? David Robertson, Open University 89. Does the academic study of religion deny the existence of god? Blair Gadsby, Mesa Community College 95. Why do we need the study of religion if we already have historians, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and folklorists? Paul-Francois Tremlett, Open University 96.
Can''t I just learn about religion in my church, mosque, or temple? Brent Smith, Grand Valley State University 97. Can one study one''s own religion objectively? Rebekka King, Middle Tennessee State University 98. What is this CE and BCE dating system that I''ve seen used throughout this book? Aaron W. Hughes The Future 99. What is the future of "religion"? Russell T. McCutcheon 100. What is the future of religion? Aaron W. Hughes.