This leading seller successfully addresses what a person should know about religions, and why. In an exceptionally
clear and compelling account of the teaching of the world's religions, the text goes beyond traditional approaches
to personally connect students with the vitality of the great religions. The third edition has been thoroughly
updated in both content and illustration, to address recent world events.
New to This Edition
Updated information about the sects of Islam helps students understand the diversity of Islam today.
Added boxes address the practical dimension of meditation in Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity.
New coverage of Greco-Roman religion is included in the chapter on Christianity.
Expanded coverage of Zoroastrianism addresses contemporary Zoroastrian practices (in Ch. 8).
New coverage of oral religions includes the Dogon religion of western Africa, traditional Hawaiian religion,
and the religion of the Pueblo peoples.
New photos illustrate Hinduism in Bali; Buddhism in Bhutan and Myanmar; Greco-Roman religions; Hawaiian religion;
Dogon religion; and the religions of the Pueblo peoples.
Features
The text encourages direct experiences with each religion; every chapter begins with a "First Encounter"
that animates some lived aspect of a religion, and ends with a feature entitled "Religion Beyond the Classroom,"
which suggests ways to experience individual religions at home and while traveling.
Art, music, and architecture related to religions are emphasized; for example, the book provides descriptions
of paradise in Islamic art, the development of vocal treatments of the Mass, and Shinto shrine design.
Major religious figures, such as Jesus, Luther, Mohammed, the Buddha, and Gandhi, are examined as real people,
not simply historical figures.
Key religious sites described include the bathing ghats of Benares, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Saint Peter's
Basilica, the Great Mosque of Mecca, and the Meiji Shrine.
Pedagogy at the end of each chapter includes a list of defined key terms, a pronunciation guide, and individual
and group study projects.
Table of Contents
1. Understanding Religion
Why is there Religion?
Patterns Among Religions
Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Religion
Key Critical Questions
Why Study the Major Religions of the World?
The Pilgrimage
2. Oral Religions
Discovering Oral Religions
Studying Oral Religions: Learning from Patterns
Sacred Practices in Oral Religions
Oral Religions Today
3. Hinduism
The Origins of Hinduism
The Upanishads and the Axis Age
Living Spiritually in the Everyday World
Devotional Hinduism
Hinduism and the Arts
Hinduism: Modern Challenges
4. Buddhism
The Beginnings of Buddhism: The Life of the Buddha
The Basic Teachings of Buddhism
The Influence of Indian Thought on Early Buddhist Teachings
The Early Development of Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism: The Way of the Elders
Mahayana Buddhism: The "Big Vehicle"
Zen Buddhism: Enlightenment Through Experience
Vajrayana Buddhism: The "Diamond Vehicle"
Buddhism, the West, and Modern Challenges
5. Jainism and Sikhism
Shared Origins
Jainism
Background
Mahavira and the Origins of Jainism
Worldview
Jain Ethics
The Development of Jainism and Its Branches
Jain Practices
Jain Scriptures
Jain Art and Architecture
Sikhism
Background
Nanak and the Origins of Sikhism
The Worldview and Teachings of Nanak
The Development of Sikhism
Sikh Scriptures
Sikhism and the Modern World 6. Taoism and Confucianism
Basic Elements of Traditional Chinese Beliefs
Taoism
The Origins of Philosophical Taoism
The Basic Teachings of Philosophical Taoism
Taoism and the Quest for Longevity
Religious Taoism
Taoism and the Arts
Taoism and the Modern World
Confucianism
The Tao in Confucianism
The Life of Confucius
Living According to Confucian Values
Confucian Literature
The Development of Confucianism
Confucianism and the Arts
Confucianism and the Modern World
7. Shinto
The Origins of Shinto
The Historical Development of Shinto
Essentials of Shinto Belief
Shinto Religious Practice
Shinto and the Arts
Shinto Offshoots: The New Religions
Shinto and the Modern World
8. Judaism
An Overview of Jewish History
The Hebrew Bible
Biblical History
Cultural Conflict during the Second-Temple Era
The Development of Rabbinical Judaism
Questioning and Reform
Judaism and the Modern World
Jewish Belief
Religious Practice
Divisions within Contemporary Judaism
The Contributions of Judaism
Jewish Identity and the Future of Judaism
9. Christianity
The Life and Teachings of Jesus
Early Christian Beliefs and History
The Essential Christian Worldview
The Early Spread of Christianity
Influences on Christianity at the End of the Roman Empire
The Eastern Orthodox Church
Christianity in the Middle Ages
The Protestant Reformation
The Development of Christianity Following the Protestant Reformation
Christian Practice
Christianity and the Arts
Christianity Faces the Modern World
10. Islam
The Life and Teachings of Muhammad
Essentials of Islam
The Historical Development of Islam
Sufism: Islamic Mysticism
Islamic Law and Philosophy
Islam and the Arts
Islam and the Modern World
11. Alternative Paths
Origins of New Religions
Neo-Paganism: Wicca and Druidism
Religions of the Yoruba Tradition: Santería, Voodoo, and Candomblé
Theosophy
Scientology
Falun Gong
Cao Dai
Rastafarianism
Baha'i
New Religious Movements: A Special Role
12. The Modern Search
Modern Influences on the Future of Religion
The Recurring Challenge of Change
Naturism: A New Religious Phenomenon?
Eclectic Spirituality
