Ancient Religion

This comprehensive history sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time. It leads us on a fascinating journey across the world, from arcane religious rituals and medieval body-magic, through muscular Christianity and the British Raj, to the Indian nationalist movement and the arrival of yoga in the 20th-century West. We discover how the practice reached its present-day ubiquity and how it became embedded in powerful social currents shaping the world's future.

As the Enlightenment movement was gathering strength in the early 18th century, various challenges to established religious faith were launched. In response, a number of celebrated commentators produced defences of religion and morality, and among these was Alexander Pope, who was inspired to write "some pieces on Human Life and Manners." The result was a collection of poems in rhyming couplets, designated "Epistles", which were published in instalments.

By the end of Diocletian's reign in the opening years of the fourth century, the pagan world had collapsed into the arms of a multicultural religious movement which had spread from the eastern Mediterranean. These were the "mystery religions" which had been in competition with one another for a century. By the time of Constantine, they had spread everywhere within the empire. But one of these religions, Christianity, was chosen by the young emperor.

Dante Alighieri is indisputably one of the world's greatest poets. His epic masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, has been frequently referred to as the supreme work of Italian literature and a staple in the Western Christian tradition. Now, you can explore Dante's life and masterwork with a truly gifted Catholic professor as your guide. In this 12-lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, Sr. Mary Clemente Davlin will take you through this timeless narrative that has so profoundly influenced Western history, literature, and the Christian faith.

The ancient world was full of many fantastic cities and places, and like today’s major cities, the great ancient cities were hubs of trade, religion, and science. Writing was first invented in ancient cities, and many important scientific discoveries were also made in them, some of which are still used in the modern world. Among the many cities of the ancient world, Rome and Athens may come to mind first, but the city of Babylon in the land of Mesopotamia was already an ancient, venerated city when the others were still inconsequential settlements.

In this fascinating book, David Barash highlights an intriguing patch of common ground between scientific and religious thought, illuminating the many parallels between biology and Buddhism, allowing listeners to see both in a new way. Indeed, he shows that there are numerous places where the Buddhist and biological perspectives coincide. For instance, the cornerstone ecological concept - the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things - is remarkably similar to the fundamental insight of Buddhism.

This practical, how-to book will help churches plan and implement passionate and invigorating worship. Step by step, author Lester Ruth and contributors Zachary Barnes, Andrew Eastes, Jonathan Ottaway, Adam Perez, Glenn Stallsmith, and Deborah Wong break down the process of re-thinking what the official or recommended order of worship is truly suggesting, so pastors and worship leaders can plan and lead a service of Word and Table that feels genuinely relevant and attuned to the congregation's culture.

Explores beliefs and myths from Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and around the Mediterranean, revealing how ancient goddesses were powerful Queens of the Heavens and Guardians of the Underworld, not passive fertility symbols

Master Sha's Soul Healing Miracles teaches and empowers humanity to create soul healing miracles. Listeners will learn sacred wisdom and apply practical techniques. Everyone can create his or her own soul healing miracles.

Suspend your disbelief and embark on a journey through time and space, stepping into a world of Norse magic, paganism, runes, mythology, and mystery.

Make no mistake, the sacred gods are active. The African continent is home to ancestors, sacred deities, and diverse cultures. Among them is the Yoruba tradition, one of Africa’s most powerful societies. Standing the test of time and thriving against extinction, the Yoruba culture is one of the few African cultures that have crossed the vast oceans and continue to thrive today. Devotees spend their lives under the sacred guiding influence of the gods and are open to sharing the secrets of Orisha with those who seek knowledge.

The very popular prayer book for Orthodox youth Hear Me has now been revised to include more prayers, answer more questions, and tackle additional difficult subject matter with which our young people are constantly faced. The mission of Hear Me remains the same: to inspire young people to pray, to challenge Orthodox high schoolers and young adults in their walk with Christ, to offer encouragement, help answer questions, give direction, and ultimately be an added guide in finding one’s own path toward theosis.

As the title suggests, Wright examines the similarities between the Druids and a wide variety of their contemporaries, such as the Indian Brahmans, who share a number of religious symbols and practices. There is a fair amount of discussion regarding the symbol of the oak tree in both Druidism and Judaism as well as other faiths.

The great Indian epic - the Ramayana - has been told and retold over thousands of years by poets, performers, and writers. It is a tale of courage and fear, love and hate, devotion and betrayal. The epic spans the three worlds of gods, humans, and demons. Here, the forces of good and evil collide, locked in a battle for the ultimate supremacy. Rama, the crown prince of Kosala, descendent of the timeless Surya dynasty, must face unimaginable danger, but what lies in his destiny?

Everyone is fascinated by the mysteries of the unknown. And who wouldn't want to know - or change - their future circumstances? Tarot cards are the most popular of all the fortune telling mediums by far. Tarot cards make it easy to understand clues and give quick, easy answers to the questions and mysteries of your unknown future. Begin to explore the cards as a beginner, and learn to read the cards to understand what the future holds.

In Central America, doctors of different colors came down out of the sky, mated with humans and begat 1,200 children. Nearby lived the Magic Wallas, a tribe of unusual Indians whom bullets could not touch. They flew through the sky, controlled the weather, and spoke the language of today’s Nordic extraterrestrials. In North America, a supernatural race befriended the Cherokee Indians and transported an entire village to another world. Flying machines empowered whichever Medicine Man possessed one, while giants produced children with humans.

The Shepherd of Hermas is an astounding piece of ancient Christian writing. Traditionally ascribed to Hermas, the brother of Pope Pius I of Rome, it is usually dated at between AD 120 and AD 150. This means that the author may have been in contact with an Apostle such as John who died around AD 98. And he was most certainly contemporaneous with those who knew some of the Apostle such as Ignatius and Polycarp.

Egypt's geographical isolation and the unique geography of the Nile Valley are thought to have been responsible for its long existence. Because of military control, astronomical concepts in Egypt became so ingrained and inseparable from everyday concerns that they became an integral part of life. As your gaze rises to the horizons of Egypt, you can see the movement of the stars and planets: the climatic conditions never change. Besides this, Egypt also enjoys a cloudless sky almost all the time and a latitude that allows the most densely populated regions of the heavens to be viewed.

The messianic festivals are the Biblical rituals God commanded the ancient Israelites to observe. These ancient rites give great detail on the first coming of the Messiah including the date on which He would arrive, the manner of His death, and the birth of His church. You will also learn of the many disasters that befell the Jews though the centuries on the ninth of Av. The rituals speak of a Natzal, or rapture of believers, and a terrible time called the Yamin Noraim. They give a rather complete outline of this seven-year tribulation period including the rise of a false messiah.

Genesis 9 teaches that God gave moral law to all nations after the Flood. This is called Noahide Law. The apostle Paul taught that the Law of Moses, given at Mount Sinai, was added to Noahide Law to create a government structure for ancient Israel. Gentile nations were never under this Mosaic Covenant, and the Mosaic Covenant was set aside for the Jewish believers in Messiah at Jesus’ first coming. This is taught by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox denominations, as well as most cults.