The dead are still with us. Contemporary therapists and counselors are coming to understand what's been known for millennia in most religions and in most cultures outside the Western milieu: it's important to continue bonds between the living and the dead. Taking these connections seriously, Goss and Klass explore how bonds with the dead are created and maintained. In doing so, they unearth a fascinating new way to look at the origins and processes of religion itself. Examining ties to dead family members, teachers, religious and political leaders across religious and secular traditions, the authors offer novel ways of understanding grief and its role in creating meaning. Whether for classes in comparative religion and death and dying, or for bereavement counselors and other trying to make sense of grief, this book helps us understand what it means to feel connected to those dead but not lost.

1 Preface 2 Introduction 3 Keeping the Dead in the Family: Ancestor Rituals 4 Americanizing a Buddhist Grief Narrative 5 Continuing Bonds with Teachers and Founders 6 The Politics and Policing of Grief 7 Grief and Continuing Bonds in Contemporary Culture

Robert E. Goss is pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley (North Hollywood). He is author of Jesus ACTED UP (1993) and coeditor of Take Back the Word and Queering Christ. Dennis E. Klass is professor of Religious Studies at Webster University in St. Louis.