Michael York (religious studies scholar)
Encyclopedia
Michael York is an English Religious Studies
scholar who specializes in the study of pre-Christian European religion and its relation to Contemporary Paganism. In 2003, he published Pagan Theology, in which he put forward the idea that the ancient pre-Christian and pre-Islamic religions of Eurasia, indigenous religions from across the globe, and contemporary Pagan faiths could all be constituted as forms of paganism
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Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
scholar who specializes in the study of pre-Christian European religion and its relation to Contemporary Paganism. In 2003, he published Pagan Theology, in which he put forward the idea that the ancient pre-Christian and pre-Islamic religions of Eurasia, indigenous religions from across the globe, and contemporary Pagan faiths could all be constituted as forms of paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
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Personal life
Describing his own religious beliefs and his affection for paganism, York remarked that:- If I had to name my own denominational predilection, I would say that I am a "religionist." I believe in religion itself and its central role in expanding human consciousness above and beyond immediate daily concerns. I see religion as an ongoing dialogue that questions the purpose of life and our terrestrial incarnations. In my own pursuit and love of religion as religion, I have been particularly attracted to paganism not only as the source and origin of all religion but also as an organic alternative to the institutionalized and parochial insularity that much religious expression has become.
Books
| Title | Year | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Roman Festival Calendar of Numa Pompilius | 1986 | Peter Lang (New York) | |
| The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New Age and Neo‑pagan Movements | 1995 | Rowman & Littlefield (Lanham, Maryland) | |
| The Divine versus the Asurian: An Interpretation of Indo-European Cult and Myth | 1995 | Rowman & Littlefield (Lanham, Maryland) | |
| Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion | 2003 | New York University Press (New York) | |
| Historical Dictionary of New Age Movements | 2004 | Scarecrow (Lanham, Maryland) | |