By I. M. Lewis - Religion in Context: Cults and Charisma: 2nd (second) Edition

by I.M. Lewis

Religious power assumes many strikingly different forms which are often regarded both by believers and by students of religion as unique, unrelated, and even mutually exclusive. In this book, however, the author argues that to understand the nature of spiritual power we need to appreciate how these apparently contradictory mystical manifestations are in fact part of a single complex of mutually defining and sustaining elements. Professor Lewis illuminates critical aspects of religious power and demonstrates the value of a comparative approach in the formulation of anthropological theory.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

writes also as Ioan M. Lewis

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interestingly, the anthropological approach utilized in this book to examine witchcraft and cannibalism wasn't too dissimilar from the psychological approach seen in Roper's Witch Craze that I read a week or so ago—in both, the question the book seeks to answer is the seemingly strange phenomenon of people voluntarily admitting to practicing witchcraft. This book was a bit too 'anthropological' for me in its scope and style, but was still very interesting.