Links
for the Study of Religion

 

Dr. Blake Grangaard
Religion and Philosophy Department
Heidelberg College

 

These links can get you started exploring. This is not by any means an exhaustive list. I will update it on ocassion, but you can find more up-to-date information from some of the links in the MetaSites category.

 

 

 

Metasites

 

Virtual Religion Index (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~religion/vri/index.html)

“This Virtual Religion Index is a tool for students with little time.” That description from the site’s index page probably caught your attention! This site is maintained by the Religion Department at Rutgers University. It categorizes religions by major tradition and geography. It also contains other sites of interest related to the study of religion, such as Psychology of Religion, Anthropology & Sociology, American Studies, as well as links for Academic Sites (departments of religion, graduate programs) and Confessional Agencies (or religious organizations).

 

BeliefNet (http://www.beliefnet.com/)

BeliefNet is an independent site that survives commercially, not through the support of any specific institution or organization. Its goal is to provide impartial information about religion through articles by experts and scholars. It also provides an online community through discussions, dialog groups, and prayer circles. This is a good site for quick reference or for getting basic background at the beginning of a project.

 

Finding God in Cyberspace (http://sim74.kenrickparish.com/)

Well, not exactly finding God, but finding a whole bunch of links in religious studies. This might be the single best place to start your search. John L. Gresham, the author of this site, groups his material under several basic headings: Print Resources, People Resources, Digital Resources, Teaching Resources, Academic Disciplines, Religious Traditions, Religion in/and Cyberspace, and More Resources(!). Go to the Digital Resources section for links to media and images of religion; or to Religion in/and Cyberspace to learn how the internet is being used by religious groups and for religious purposes.

 

Wabash Center Internet Guide (http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/Internet/front.htm)

Here’s the description of this site by its creator, Charles K. Bellinger:

This website is a selective, annotated guide. . . . The basic principle of organization used here is the course area heading. Under these headings, one will find materials divided into types: syllabi, electronic texts, electronic journals, websites, bibliographies, listserv discussion groups, and (for some pages) liturgical resources. These material types may also be browsed on their own pages. Information is also provided on ways in which electronic resources may be integrated into teaching.

Bellinger prefers links to “primary texts, scholarly journal articles, bibliographies, and so forth.” He also ranks some of the sites as “<NB” (for the latin, Nota Bene, “note well”), indicating that he regards those sites as better than average; and he reserves a “<Top Site” ranking for the “cream of the crop.”

 

Religion Religions Religious Studies Page (http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/)

Depending on your topic, you might be especially interested in links to “Alternative or New Religions,” “Religion – Modernity – Beyond,” and “Other Guides to Religion Sites.” The more common religious traditions are listed by broad category (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, for example). This site, maintained by Gene R. Thursby from the University of Florida, is academically solid.

 

Religion-Online (http://www.religion-online.org)

A Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources: Religion 2003 said of Religion-Online, “In some ways, this is a miniature Religion library for those with no actual library nearby.”[1] In fact, the site was started by William F. Fore when he was teaching in Bangalore, India, and found that the books he needed were almost impossible to get at a reasonable price. You’ll find many full text books here, selected primarily for their scholarly value and to represent many points of view. Most of the works are about Christianity, but the site hopes to expand to include other religions.

 

Any of the specialized directories and databases will produce plenty of material for research, in a time-effective way. Following this paragraph is a list of additional sources that can be useful. And there are many more that you can find! The names of the sites tell you about their subject matter.

 

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World Religions

The Hindu Universe

http://www.hindunet.org/home.shtml

Internet Sources on Hinduism

http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/INDINRES.HTM

Internet Sources on China

http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/CHIINRES.HTM

Internet Sources on Islam

http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/ISLINRES.HTM

World Cultures

http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/WORLD.HTM

Judaism 101

http://www.jewfaq.org/

Denomination Index

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/2961/church.htm

Interfaith Calendar

http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/

Alternative or New Religions

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/newrels.htm

Zen Guide: The Comprehensive Guide to Zen & Buddhism

http://www.zenguide.com

 

 

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Religious Texts and Media Online

Internet Sacred Text Archive

http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm

Online Theology-Related Periodicals

http://www.users.csbsju.edu/~eknuth/itr/jour.html

Two Thousand Years of Catholic Writings

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/misc/mosaic/common/omega/Web/People/spok/catholic/writings.html

Digital Image Archive: Religious Studies

http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ersdia

Perseus Project Digital Library

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/

 

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Issue-Oriented and Religious News Sites

American Religious Experience

http://are.as.wvu.edu/

ACRL WSS: Women and Theology

http://www.earlham.edu/~libr/acrlwss/wsstheo.html

Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/

Counterbalance Foundation – Science & Religion

http://www.counterbalance.org/

Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture

http://www.iupui.edu/~raac/

Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

http://www.ctns.org/

Religion News Service

http://www.religionnews.com/

Religion News Writers Association

http://www.religionwriters.com

American Religion Data Archive

http://www.thearda.com/arda.asp?Show=Home

Adherents.com – Religion Statistics

http://www.adherents.com/

 

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Religious Societies

American Academy of Religion

http://www.aarweb.org

Society of Biblical Literature

http://www.sbl-site.org/

 

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Bible Study Resources

Resource Page – Biblical Studies

http://www.torreys.org/bible/

Bible.com

http://www.bible.com

Bible Gateway

http://bible.gospelcom.net/

Bible Resource Center  – American Bible Society

http://www.bibleresourcecenter.org/index/

Sites of Interest from the Society of Biblical Literature

http://www.sbl-site.org/e-sites.html

The New Testament Gateway

http://www.ntgateway.com/

 

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Theology

APS Guide to Resources in Theology

http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/theobook.htm

Theology and Religion Resources

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/religion/

 

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A Couple of Bonus Sites

What Can I Do With A Major In...?

http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/

You may be doing research in religion now, but what can you do in the future? This site is maintained by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. If UNCW offers your major or a related one, you can learn of possible careers, types of employers, marketable skills gained from your major, and web sites related to employment.

Arts & Letters Daily

http://www.aldaily.com/

When you take a break from your research, feed your intellectual side with this site maintained by The Chronicle of Higher Education. It collects links to full text articles, book reviews, essays and opinion pieces, as well as links to newspapers, magazines and journals from around the world.

 

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