This book examines the meaning of religion within the scientific, evidence-based history of our known past since the big bang. It connects the scientific approach to natural and social history with ancient truths of our religious ancestors using new lines of inquiry, new technologies, new modes of expression, and new concepts.

Lowell Gustafson is professor of political science at Villanova University, USA.

Barry H. Rodrigue is an archaeologist, geographer, and professor of anthropology at Symbiosis International University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

David Blanks teaches in the Department of History and Political Science, Arkansas Tech University, USA.

List of figures

List of contributors

1 Science and Religion/Religion and Science

Lowell Gustafson, David Blanks, and Barry H. Rodrigue

PART I

Deep Time, Science, and Religion

2 Science and Religion in Big History: The Dialogue Model

David Blanks

3 Meaningful Mystery

Todd L. Duncan

4 The Children of Climate Change and Their Search for Meaning

Barry H. Rodrigue

5 Not by Bread Alone: Religion in Big History And an Anthropologist's Understanding

Brian Spooner

6 Is God Big Enough? Of Religion and Big History

William Grassie

7 The Nature of Humans, Science, and Religion

Davidson Loehr

8 A Big-History Perspective on Science and Religion: Peaceful Coexistence and Progress for Humanity

Mathew Chandrankunnel

9 The Ties That Bind

Lowell Gustafson

10 The Three Questions:

Understanding Religion Epistemologically

Ken Baskin

11 Religion in Big History: A Neurobiological and Psychological Theory

Lacy Loar-Gruenler

PART II

Deep Time, Religion, and Science

12 Teilhard, Big History, and the Question of Cosmic Purpose

John F. Haught

13 Whither Thou Go, O Universe? Why Religion and Evolution Belong Together

Ilia Delio

14 Shinto in the Light of Big History

Hiroko Shiota

15 Big History and Earth Spirituality: Toward a Significant Eco-Social Paradigm

Siddhartha

16 The Vedas, Tribal Perspectives, and Big History

H. Sudarshan

17 Searching the Name: Metaphors of the Divine in Our Evolving Cosmos

Jerry Harp

18 The Nature of Our Consciousness

Orla O'Reilly Hazra

19 Women's Spirituality as a Measure of Deep Time and Social Ecology

Richa Minocha

20 Islam and Big History: A New Creation Myth for Peace and Coexistence

Hideki Iwaki

21 Deep Time From the Viewpoint of Islam

Shamshuddin Jusop and Tan Chee Keong

22 When Did Homo Sapiens Become Homo Religiosus? Just-so Stories, Evolution, and Big History

Ted Peters

Index