Torkel Brekke

Fundamentalism is a world-shaking force. It has given joy, peace of mind, and a sense of purpose to millions. It has become a formidable political and social movement. Yet fundamentalism has apparently disappointed many of its former followers, who are now fearful and confused. This book explains exactly what has gone wrong with fundamentalism and why. It contains no mockery, no disrespect, and no malice. It is a book written with love, for those who genuinely want to understandon.

"During the nineteenth century there took place a complete transformation of Indian religions. If we wish to understand the increasingly important political role of religion in South Asia in our times, this is the period where our investigation should start. On the one hand, there took place a fundamental conceptual transformation in the world of religion among Indians who were exposed to English language and culture. This transformation crystallized religious communities with sharp boundaries and distinct histories. On the other hand, the emerging feeling of religious-communal identity motivated religious and lay leaders to work in the interest of the community. This book, built around case studies, is about both of these interrelated developments. Dr. Brekke looks at religious leaders from three very different milieus: the Hindus of Bengal, the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, and the Jains of Western India. These three religious groups constitute an interesting collection because they are linked in two significant ways. Firstly, in the minds of the leaders whom Brekke discusses, these traditions were intimately linked through their history. According to Western Indology, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism had common origins: Buddhism and Jainism were branches which had sprung from the great tree of Hinduism. Thus, in a significant sense, Buddhists and Jains were Hindus. Together these three traditions constituted the indigenous Indian religions. Secondly, the three became linked in the middle of the 1890s through personal contacts, especially at the Parliament of Religions in 1893."--BOOK JACKET.

"Why did North Indian people from the fifth century BC choose to leave the world and join the sect of the Buddha? Were there common themes in the religious motivation of these early Buddhists? Is it possible to illuminate motivational themes using social psychology?" "This is the first book to apply the insights of social psychology in order to understand the religious motivation of the people who constituted the early Buddhist community. It also addresses the more general and theoretically controversial question of how world religions came into being, by focusing on the conversion process of the individual believer."--BOOK JACKET.