The old gods are still with us. The world is constantly changing, evolving, growing. In order to stay relevant, deities must change with the times as well. In this anthology, fifteen science fiction and fantasy authors tackle how gods and goddesses have adapted to the surge in technology and the mercurial beliefs of humanity. So sit back and watch Hera try her hand at marriage counseling, while Macuilxochitl conquers the world of online gaming. Buy a ticket to Anubis’ magic act or roam the back tents at the local carnival and catch Doc Saturday’s medicine show. Take a sip of wine at Dionysus’ winery or grab some potato pancakes at Baba Yaga’s café. Whatever your taste, here you will find interesting twists on how deities have found their way in our modern world from Crystal Sarakas, Juliet E. McKenna, Tanya Huff, Edward Willett, Daniel Roman, Jennifer Dunne, Jean Marie Ward, Mike Marcus, A.L. Tompkins, Daryl Marcus, Alma Alexander, Kari Sperring, A.J. Cunder, Irene Radford, and N.R. Lambert. And remember to beware. You never know who...or what...you will meet next. And don’t miss THE MODERN FAE’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY!

Originally published as The God Species: How the Planet Can Survive the Age of Humans The green movement has got it very wrong.

Men and women embarking on the study of systematic theology quickly find themselves awash in a sea of unfamiliar theological terms, historical names, and philosophical "-isms." The Survivor's Guide to Theology is both a life preserver to help stay afloat and a compass to help navigate these often unfamiliar waters. While many books on systematic theology provide introductory material, still the reader is often forced to dive right into actual theology without adequate framework for understanding. Resources for building this framework are available but scattered. This unique book brings them together in one place. The Survivor's Guide to Theology is ideal for both introduction and review/reference. - The first part deals with the question, "What is Theology?" It addresses issues, categories, theory of knowledge, and more. - The second part surveys nine major theological systems. For each, the author provides history and background, overview of content and theological distinctive, and a critique. - The final part provides the reader with biographical sketches of significant theologians, a brief dictionary of common theological terms, and an annotated bibliography of major theological works.

A strikingly original exploration of what it might mean to be authentically human in the age of artificial intelligence, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Interior States. • "At times personal, at times philosophical, with a bracing mixture of openness and skepticism, it speaks thoughtfully and articulately to the most crucial issues awaiting our future." —Phillip Lopate “[A] truly fantastic book.”—Ezra Klein For most of human history the world was a magical and enchanted place ruled by forces beyond our understanding. The rise of science and Descartes's division of mind from world made materialism our ruling paradigm, in the process asking whether our own consciousness—i.e., souls—might be illusions. Now the inexorable rise of technology, with artificial intelligences that surpass our comprehension and control, and the spread of digital metaphors for self-understanding, the core questions of existence—identity, knowledge, the very nature and purpose of life itself—urgently require rethinking. Meghan O'Gieblyn tackles this challenge with philosophical rigor, intellectual reach, essayistic verve, refreshing originality, and an ironic sense of contradiction. She draws deeply and sometimes humorously from her own personal experience as a formerly religious believer still haunted by questions of faith, and she serves as the best possible guide to navigating the territory we are all entering.

In recent years, Paul has become the subject of renewed interest among political philosophers. These philosophers deploy Paul as a means to deconstruct late modern political issues such as liberalism, biopolitics, and sovereignty. However, these philosophers ultimately truncate Paul's message to fit nontheistic, materialist ends. Such an approach polarizes interpreters, often leading either to a full endorsement or full rejection. In this work, Spaulding adds a needed voice in this conversation. By neither fully endorsing or fully rejecting the new approach to Paul, Spaulding argues that Paul's message is both materialist and faithful to the Christian tradition. Spaulding critically utilizes both the new approach and recent studies in apocalyptic interpretations of Paul in order to articulate a Pauline political theology for our time. Pauline apocalyptic emphasizes the already disruptive nature of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth that wrests humanity from under the sovereignty of the fallen powers and places them under the Lordship of Christ. Apocalyptic is nourished by the promise of the eschatological hope of the not-yet-finished work of Christ. The church that follows the Lordship of Christ is called forth into being in the tension of the present Lordship of Christ and the not-yet transformation of the cosmos. Such a tension begets practices that form the political commitment of what philosopher Iris Murdoch calls the just and loving gaze, namely the central conviction that, in order to live good (political) lives, one must be taught to see.

Five Foundations of Human Development (FFHD) is a philosophical, religious, and practical discourse on human development based on the following five foundations: Spiritual, Moral, Social, Intellectual, and Physical. The authors proffer that human beings possess the capacity to rise to a higher state of civilization when we allow 'Spiritual Intelligence' to underpin 'human intelligence' as our capable guide. The indomitable spirit within human beings that brought civilization out of the Dark Ages and into an Age of Enlightenment demonstrates our capacity to transcend moral hope and optimism for a better world with peaceful coexistence among individuals, families, and nations. This book will help inform, enlighten, and empower individuals and leaders in such fields as engineering, science, religion, politics, the military, and other great institutions to engender solutions to the myriad of unsolved problems of past centuries, problems of the present, and emerging problems of the future. Problems, such as wars, genocide, greed, and the exploitation of human beings begin within our destructive spiritual nature and manifest in the physical nature. Therefore, solutions also lie in the spiritual realm as a counterbalance to the natural realm of human existence. FFHD is a blueprint for human survival based on adherence to physical laws and spiritual laws that transcend a belief in an omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (everywhere) and omniscient (all knowing) being. It will awaken the conscience to comprehend the life-threatening issues that face humankind. The solutions, therefore, cannot merely be left only to the educated elite, the military forces, and those in high public and private office. The global significance of this book is that it informs a more communal view of our world. It is the only perspective that will allow us to enter the global village prepared for the racial, social, cultural, environmental, and economic challenges that lie ahead.

Humankind evolved through three psychological stages - subconscience, conscience, and supraconscience. Ritual and myth, cosmology and theism marked phases of psychic integration, initiating our supraconscience evolution. Four archetypes: temperance, 'the great chain of being,' Biblical interpretation, and Divinity became the Cosmic consciousness of secular man. Study of Scripture developed a communal supraconscience. Mystics' dedication showed us the deeper meaning of a life purpose. Yet, heretics taught man faith in the superior power of the free mind. Heresy helped evolve humanity's secular supraconscience. Indeed, the exponential growth of psyche's powers and the continuous revelation of new, secular knowledge seems the fulfillment of Revelation. Finally, the enlightened understood that when God created the earth, he included evolution so that our kind would evolve a superior nature. Hence, religious and scientific, secular and humanistic developments reveal themselves to be the primary powers accelerating human evolution. Together, they have nurtured humankind's ever-evolving supraconscience.

In this groundbreaking volume, J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly respected practicing psychiatrist with credentials in forensic psychiatry and evolutionary psychology, methodically investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over time—that is, as a purely natural phenomenon. Providing compelling evidence from psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, and related fields, he, with Ms. Aukofer, presents an easily accessible and exceptionally convincing case that god(s) were created by man—not vice versa. With this slim volume, Dr. Thomson establishes himself as a must-read thinker and leading voice on the primacy of reason and science over superstition and religion.

In an effort to counter the confusion and isolation often experienced by a novice synagogue-goer, as well as by many who regularly attend synagogue, The Synagogue Survival Kit: A Guide to Understanding Jewish Religious Services offers introductions and instructions for all aspects of the synagogue experience. No matter what kind of synagogue you attend, the roadmap is the same. Some synagogues may read certain prayers in English translation rather than the original Hebrew or replace some traditional prayers with newer versions, but the service will still touch on the same topics in the same order for the same reasons. If you know the structure of the traditional service, you can readily find your place in any other one. The Synagogue Survival Kit maps the complete traditional service structure and points out the changes commonly encountered in different congregations in an effort to counter the confusion and isolation often experienced by novice synagogue-goers and regular attendees, alike. Always mindful of the sophisticated, adult reader with little or no Jewish background, Jordan Lee Wagner clearly and comprehensively explains the practices, vocabulary, objects, and attitudes that one can expect to find in any synagogue.

Environmental Humanities in the New Himalayas: Symbiotic Indigeneity, Commoning, Sustainability showcases how the eco-geological creativity of the earth is integrally woven into the landforms, cultures, and cosmovisions of modern Himalayan communities. Unique in scope, this book features case studies from Bhutan, Assam, Sikkim, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sino-Indian borderlands, many of which are documented by authors from indigenous Himalayan communities. It explores three environmental characteristics of modern Himalayas: the anthropogenic, the indigenous, and the animist. Focusing on the sentient relations of human-, animal-, and spirit-worlds with the earth in different parts of the Himalayas, the authors present the complex meanings of indigeneity, commoning and sustainability in the Anthropocene. In doing so, they show the vital role that indigenous stories and perspectives play in building new regional and planetary environmental ethics for a sustainable future. Drawing on a wide range of expert contributions from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanist disciplines, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental humanities, religion and ecology, indigenous knowledge and sustainable development more broadly.