The Invention of God in Indigenous Societies

Download or read book The Invention of God in Indigenous Societies written by James L. Cox and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Indigenous societies around the world have been historically disparaged by European explorers, colonial officials and Christian missionaries. Nowhere was this more evident than in early descriptions of indigenous religions as savage, primitive, superstitious and fetishistic. Later both indigenous and colonial liberal intellectuals argued that, before indigenous peoples ever encountered Europeans, they all believed in a Supreme Being. The Invention of God in Indigenous socieities refutes both approaches. The books argues that the interests of indigenous societies are best served by carefully describing their religious beliefs and practices using historical and phenomenological methods, just as would be done in the study of many world religions. The discussion is illustrated with a wealth of case material from indigenous peoples in North America, Africa and Australiasia : the Shona of Zimbabwe, the "Rainbow Spirit Theology " in Australia, the Yupiit of Alaska, and the Māori of New Zealand."--Back jacket cover.