Communication is the sine qua non of religion; it is the
essence of prayer, sermons, ritual, and congregational
fellowship. Unfortunately, the academic study of religion
and communication has occurred in disparate
fields, with few epistemological bridges between
them. Scholars in the communication disciplines,
from rhetoric to mass communication, have little to
say about religion. Conversely, few anthropologists,
psychologists, or sociologists draw from communication
theory in their studies of religion. Consequently,
no single field provides a deep and thorough exploration
of the religion-communication interface. This
situation has resulted in new efforts to venture beyond
disciplinary borders in order to better understand
religion in the current age. The Encyclopedia of
Religion, Communication, and Media (ERCM) aims to
stimulate fresh dialogue and research on this important
topic.

This volume breaks down disciplinary walls in numerous
ways. First, it combines information about the
intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and societal levels
of communication into a single resource. At the intrapersonal
level, new issues are raised about communication
between individuals and deity:
•Why is religious experience difficult to explain in
rational terms?
•Why is silence more sacred than spoken prayer in
some religious communities?
•What is the nature of “thought communication” in
religious meditation?
•Why is the use of profanity justified in some religious
circles?
•How does idolatry reinforce religious customs
and values?
•Why was chanting one of the first forms of religious
communication?
Religious information is also exchanged between individuals
at the level of interpersonal communication.
This volume identifies rituals that have not been adequately
analyzed in terms of communication aspects:
•Why do some sects require public confession?
•Why is body decoration an acceptable form of worship
in some religious groups, but not in others?
•How does dance communicate the sacred through
metaphoric movement?
•What are the multiple forms of communication
with the dead?
•Why are feasts a form of religious worship in all
major religions?
•How does the study of organizational communication
apply to religion?