Gods and Rollercoasters: Religion in Theme Parks Worldwide

by Crispin Paine (Author)

• New

  Hardcover
  2019

  $171.09

  This worldwide study examines how religion gets into theme-parks - as mission, as an aspect of culture, as fable, and by chance. Gods and Rollercoasters analyzes religion in theme parks, looking at how it relates to modernism, popular culture, right-wing politics, nationalism, and the rise of the global middle class. Crispin Paine argues that religion has discovered a major new means of expression through theme parks. From the reconstruction of Biblical Jerusalem at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, through the world of Chinese mythology at Haw Par Villa in Singapore, to the great temple/theme-park Akshardham in New Delhi, this book shows how people are encountering and experiencing religion in the context of fun, thrills and leisure-time. Drawing on examples from six of the seven continents, and exploring religious traditions including Christianity, Daoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, Gods and Roller-coasters provides a significant contribution to the study of religion, sociology, anthropology, and popular culture.