Product Description
This coherent introduction to the diverse religious traditions that exist today- belief systems that provide expressions of holiness and ways to comprehend the divine for billions of people around the world-will explain the beliefs of the family down the street as well as the cultures halfway around the world.AUTHOR BIO: Philip Wilkinson has more than 50 titles to his credit in the fields of history, religion, mythology, and the arts, including DK's Illustrated Dictionary of Religion, Eyewitness Companion: Mythology, and A Celebration of Customs and Rituals of the World, which was endorsed by the United Nations. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive look at ideas about God-in every corner of the globe.

More than at any other time in history, ordinary people are reading up on the world's major religions. Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam often seem at odds with each other, and as readers struggle to understand, The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions, Third Edition, provides expanded and updated coverage to answer their questions. Here, comparative theologists Toropov and Buckles provide many answers to today's questions about both major and lesser-known religions and beliefs. Each of five parts, one for every major religion, discusses history, rituals, celebrations, holy documents, deities, and structure. Included are Asian paths of belief, non-scriptural religions, ancient creeds, and the earth-based religions practiced in parts of Asia, Africa, South America, island nations, Europe, and North America. New coverage includes: ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Astonishingly Biased / Skewed
One of the authors of this book, Brandon Toropov, is very pro Islam.A quick google search on "Brandon Toropov" will confirm this assertion. The book praises the Islamic faith while casting dispersions on other religions. Below I have included excerpts from the book that are taken from the introductory pages for a particular religion:

Christianity:
"Although its adherents are to found around the world, and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, is central to the faith, Christianity's "basic doctrines" defy simple explanation.In part, this is because of the many divergent traditions and structures that have emerged over the centuries as the result of disagreements over doctrine and practice;in part, it is because the role and teachings of Jesus himself remain, after two millennia, a fundamental mystery."

Islam:
"The battles Muhammad's Arabian warriors fought during his lifetime and afterward were important in historical terms, of course, but they do not reflect his most enduring influence on human affairs.For that we must look to the Islamic faith, which has retained its extraordinary appeal and power from Muhammad's day to ours."

Just in case you're still not convinced, take a look at the introduction to Hinduism...
"The beliefs and practices described by the word "Hinduism" form one of the oldest living religions on Earth. Not one single person in history can be credited with the development of this faith.As you will learn in the chapters that follow, the absence of a single founder is only one of several fascination "gaps" outsiders may encounter in examining this faith.(Another "gap:" formal doctrine!)"

If you are looking for an unbiased overview of world religions... this is *not* the book for you.

Informative
Okay. So I haven't technically read anything in this book. But I flipped through it. It seemed good. I'll start reading it one day.

Kindle version is old edition
The kindle version of this book (as of 04/03/09) is the second edition of the book published in 2002.Yet the third edition was published in 2004 and is the one being sold in paperback on amazon.I can't figure out why they used a old edition for the kindle version.Of course I didn't realize this until after I purchased the kindle version.

Idiot's guide to the religios idiot!
I am not a baha'i but I have read on this religion much, and know that babism is not a sect of Islam. I don't know that much about eastern religions, but I bet they've made mistakes on those to. And what would a priest and a village Idiot know about other religions any way.

Good reference book
It does not go overly in depth with each religion nor does it present many alternative views on each religion however it does what it is supposed to do. This is a beginner's book to understanding some basic concepts within some of the Major world religions. Rituals and customs are briefly explained as well as core beliefs are outlined. This is a good book for anyone who is just getting into studying world religions and provides a good foundation as a quick reference book when having any sort of discussion with a person of faith. It also gives some tips on how one should approach a conversation with someone of a different faith. Overall very good for an entry level aspiring biblical scholar or anyone who has an interest in religion in general. ... Read more

Product Description
Are the secular foundations of international relations sustainable at present? This comprehensive study shows how the global resurgence of religion confronts international relations theory with a theoretical challenge comparable to that raised by the end of the Cold War or the emergence of globalization. The volume tries to shake the secular foundational myths of the discipline and outline the need for an expansion into religiously inspired spheres of thought. It also challenges the most condemning accusation against religion: the view that the politicization of religion is always a threat to security and inimical to the resolution of conflict. Finally, the task of demystifying religion is taken further with an argument for a stronger and "progressive" political engagement of the worldwide religious traditions in the contemporary globalized era.

Contributors

Carsten Bagge Laustsen, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Fred Dallmayr, Packey Dee Professor of Government, University of Notre Dame, USA
John L. Esposito, Director of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, USA
Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law and Practice, Princeton University and currently Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Andreas Hasenclever, Research Fellow at the Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt, Germany
Vendulka Kubálková, Professor in the School of International Studies, University of Miami, USA
Cecilia Lynch, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Irvine, USA
Terry Nardin, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
Volker Rittberger, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Tubingen, Germany
Scott M. Thomas, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Bath, UK
John O. Voll, Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University, USA
Ole Wæver, Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denma
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Reading
This book is an excellent resource for perusing some interesting postmodern developments in international relations theory. It presents relevant questions for global politics, considering the world-wide religious resurgence and the supposed universality of Western (super-rational, Enlightenment) paradigms. It re-evaluates the Eurocentric basis for imposing the Euro-American worldview on non-western nations. Fascinating, and full of creative thinking! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I took a risk and got the one with green highlighter...
The book was (is) in decent condition. It was CLEARLY used with its hilighting, underlining, and notations. I wish they would have been helpful though :) $10 online is way better than $30 in the campus bookstore though!!! I have to say that for a religious text it is well rounded and doesn't try to convert its reader. If this was a book that I was going to keep in my collection and cherrish, I'd be disappointed, but then I would have bought it brand new... This serves its purpose and it helps get the job done. I wish 4.5 stars was an option, but since it's not I have to go with a solid 4. ... Read more

Product Description
A young member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints explains the beliefs and practices of his religion. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an innovative, thematic presentation of the role of religion in human society, from traditional cultures to the modern world.This comprehensive account covers all the major traditions, features nearly 400 illustrations, and is accompanied by maps, timelines, a glossary, full explanatory notes, and an extensive bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One of the Best Books Ever Written
This is one of the best books ever written on Religion and the history and development of religion. This book ia a "must have" for anyone that has anything to say about religion. Everyparagraph is so explainatory and well writen. I am going to keep it as a reference book in my personal library. So much work and thinking has gone into this book and it is easy to read. It flows nicely. Buy it and become informed about what people belive deep in their hearts.

Very Resourceful!!!
I bought this book for a sociology of religion class and I would have never opened it if it wasnt for the assignments that we had to do; however apon exploring the book it has some interesting information. My teacher picked this book and the book from Johnstone because she felt that they were pretty objective on their views of religion. I do not know how objective Momen is because i havent done enough research on religion; however this book is very informatative!!!

Astonishingly encyclopedic and readable
It is difficult nowadays to get an objective, nuanced opinion on religion, neither flattering nor biased against it. If I were to recommend a way to try and achieve that, I would suggest to read several good books on the matter, including this among them, for in my opinion this is a masterful work that can be savoured by the professional scholar and the educated layperson alike.

In "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach," Moojan Momen has undertaken a sweeping survey of religious phenomena and experience across the globe and throughout history. He analyzes various aspects of religion including chapters on "The Concept of Religion," "Pathways to Religious Experience," "Suffering, Sacrifice and Salvation," and "Fundamentalism and Liberalism." He examines what six major independent world religions - the Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism - have to say about each theme, and/or what their followers have come to understand or experience. As a resource on comparative religious studies, it an outstanding reference for anyone concerned with religion.

All that (and much much much more that I do not mention in this summary) is exhaustively developed in some 500 pages (626 pages with notes and index).

Therefore, my rate is between 5 (content) and 5 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 4).

Please see in any event the excellent review available in http://www.onecountry.org/e132/e13216as_Review_Phenonenon.htm which encouraged me to buy this book.

Other books I would recommend to read are the following: "Vampires, Burial, and Death : Folklore and Reality" by Paul Barber; "Ecstasies: Deciphering the witches' Sabbath", by Carlo Ginzburg; "Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: A Prehistory of Religion" by Brian Hayden; and "Islam. History, present, future" by Hans Küng (also a masterpiece).

Excellent Intro Book!
I am continually impressed with this text, so much so that I use it for my Intro to Religion course.The book covers all the basic Religious Studies topics--definition of religion, religious experience, theodicy, myth, sacred and profane, ethics, fundamentalism, religion and gender, religion and the modern world--all the good stuff is in here!
The genius of this book, though, is that Momen examines religions and religious bodies from both "eastern" and "western" religious perspectives.
He has great primary source quotes as well as interesting statistics and facts and perspectives.It's definitely difficult finding a palatable intro book that does justice to the brilliance of religious studies (students are usually confused with all the abstract language, and this too has its moments), but Momen does a great job with this book.

good book
This is an excellent overview of the major world religions and the way they address various common themes.Don't let the size of the book intimidate you.It is written in a clear and accessible manner and heavily illustrated. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in its third edition, this is the most comprehensive work available on the rich variety of paths available to today's spiritual seekers. More than a reference work, it explores how religions can collaborate to help the world. Essays explore interfaith community and spiritual practices such as theosophy, wicca, and indigenous religions. Portraits of all the major religious traditions are also included. This revised text offers an unparalleled look at where spirituality is headed in the coming millennium.Amazon.com Review
This anthology of interfaith articles, essays, and resourceshas a multifold mission: First off, it is a well-presented primer,introducing readers to 20 of the world's religions and spiritualbeliefs--Hinduism, Christianity, African Traditional Religion, Taoism,Wicca, and Nature Spirituality among them. Second, this carefullyedited collection offers suggestions for becoming a more unifiedcommunity, one that tolerates and respects the diversity of spiritualbeliefs on the planet. Finally, it addresses the common ground amidall this diversity, such as respect for human rights, environmentalresponsibility, and creating a culture of peace.

Although the material is heady (e.g., discussions on "Scared Communityat the Dawn of the Second Axial Age" and "Objectives of the 1893 WorldParliament of Religions"), the essays are mostly written by accessiblewriters, such as Wayne Teasdale and Thomas Keating. Also, the editor,Joel Beversluis, offers excellent introductions to each submission,grounding readers in plenty of background, context, and insider'sinformation. --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Sourcebook of world's religions.
The serve was prompt and appreciated.The book is in superb condition.It proved to be a very helpful resource.

An essential Interfaith "Reference Guide"
The Sourcebook of the World's Religions is a wonderful reference book to have. It's best however, to understand and appreciate its strengths and limitations before you purchase it. The authors attempted to cover the histories and fundamental belief systems of 20+ religions, and to draw a comparison between them. A very difficult goal. I'm not quite sure Beversluis et al. were completely successful, but they sure did make the effort. There was a gracious attempt to be inclusive of both major and minor religions. But in spite of this heart felt effort, the quality of explanations for each religion is inconsistent. Some descriptions of religions (the list was organized alphabetically) - beginning with A for African Traditional Religions, were skimpy, and superficial, without much thought put into describing the history, richness, beauty and poetry of the faith. Next, B for Baha'i left me with a much clearer understanding and appreciation of the faith. On the bright side, this reference guide has a very good index which allows you to locate whatever religion or subject matter of which you may need a simple explanation. But don't expect in depth discussions. They are brief, a little dry, and almost encyclopedic. The source also provides a directory of faith organizations (addresses, phones and internet sites) which in of itself is very valuable. I do agree with a previous reviewer that Huston Smith's The World's Religions is superior if your intention is to actually learn something about the World's major religions - and it's definitely worth the price. Two books assigned to us in a World Religions course at Harvard University were 1- Living Religions and 2- Anthology of Living Religions (Mary and Pat Fisher) Great books but not as affordable. Pragrammatically speaking, this is something all students of religion, and those working in faith based organizations should own as part of their collection of easy to use reference guides - it's just not a good study tool. Having said that, if a simple reference is what you need, it's definitely worth the [money]!

Content does not match title
I was somewhat disappointed with this book.I expected a clear comparison & contrast between various religious traditions, with criteria such as history, world populations, view of a god/goddess, moral rules, rituals, texts, etc.Of the 450 pages, less than 100 are dedicated to the descriptions of all the religions. Each tradition is described by a member of that specific religion, so there is little consistency across the chapters that describe the different religions.Each chapter's author determines how he/she describe their tradition, and what information is included. This book was inspired by the Parliament of World Religion meetings, and the majority of the discussion is on the Interfaith movement, and how religions can respond to environmentalism, human rights, and other modern dilemmas. In my opinion, a more accurate title of this book would be "Sourcebook of Interfaith Movement".I recommend Huston Smith's "The World Religions" if you are seeking an introduction to the world religious traditions (tenets, main beliefs, etc.).

A truly outstanding guide to world religions & spirituality.
Sourcebook of the World's Religions is an outstanding interfaith guide toreligion and spirituality which began as a resource and has grown into itspresent incarnation: a third enlarged, updated edition which gathers animpressive collection of writings crossing religious traditions. Overtwenty religious traditions are presented along with articles, prayers,sacred texts and quotes. ... Read more

Product Description

"[Though] it did have its mythic dimensions, [the Parliament] was also a flesh-and-blood occasion that influenced the course of religion in several countries. Richard Seager has done an excellent job of sorting out the myths and the realities and showing why an understanding of both is essential to a proper assessment of the Parliament." -- Robert S. Ellwood, Church History

Customer Reviews (1)

A story still waiting for a writer
It's 1893 and the USA is throwing a party to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the "discovery" of America by Christopher Columbus.As part of the affair, a World Parliament of Religions is organized to showcase the enlightened, liberal protestant tradition.Representatives from the world's largest religions are invited to discuss and debate theology and philosophy for 17 days in Chicago.Native Americans and Black Americans are conspicuously absent from the event, but one can imagine them sharing in the delight of the outcome.The foreigners turn the tables and grab the lion's share of the headlines by using the forum to not only denounce Christian cultural and religious imperialism, but also to make culturally nuanced presentations asserting the intellectual equality (and even superiority) of their own religious ideals.Many of these Buddhist and Hindu visitors go on to make celebratory tours of the United States, establishing study circles and planting the first seeds of eastern traditions in western soil.

Even in outline form the story is quite dramatic.Fill it out with biographies of the main players and expositions on turn-of-the-century political and intellectual themes, and you've got the makings of a engaging epic-length book.Perhaps Hughes-Seager didn't have the time, or wasn't interested, and so what we get is a rather dry, academic recapitulation of the main themes and events with a particularly tedious emphasis in cataloging the various possible academic approaches to interpreting the events of the Parliament.It seems the author was less interested in the story and its players and more in demonstrating his scholarly prowess.

The story of the Parliament is still waiting for a great writer.

# ... Read more

Product Description
This is an introductory survey and practical hands-on guide to religious studies as both an inner experience and as a social phenomenon.A balanced discussion of intellectual, worship and sociological aspects of religion, the guide explores the symbols and rites of religion; the expression of religion through art forms; the ethical aspects of religion; and the conceptual messages of religion.An ideal introductory text to Theology, Philosophy, and Religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent!
I was very pleased that I have received my textbook on time. Excellent condition. I would highly recommended to someone else who is interested. Thank you!

Excellent introduction to religion
Concisely covering the history, phenomenology, psychology and sociology of religion, this is the best single volume introduction to religion on the market.Religion can be made to seem boring and uninteresting -- and it most often is by its scholarly observers.Ellwood, however, truly has the knack of interesting presentation -- if you want a quick intro to a reasoned understanding of religion, this is the book to buy. ... Read more

Product Description

Introducing World Religions offers an exciting new approach to the study of the world's religions. Taking its inspiration from performance studies and using an innovative dramatic metaphor, it enables students to explore religious ideas and culture in terms of the players (key figures), the script (foundational texts) and performance (religious practices). The discussion of key players treats human and non-human figures on the world stage, including the principle (God, Dharma, Dao), imaginal figures (angels, baals, bodhisattvas), exceptional persons (founders, prophets, gurus), and historical persons (significant players in the drama of religions). The discussion of the foundational texts includes materials that balance or challenge mainstream texts with an alternative perspective. The section on performance explores non-verbal religious activities such as pilgrimage, icon painting, dance, divination, and meditation.

Those concerned with introducing "post-colonial" discourse to students without losing the classic category of "the sacred" should find this textbook to be balanced and evocative. It presents workable concepts from the camps of both "religionists" and "reductionists" and students are challenged to move between "inside" and "outside" positions as they survey what have been called (controversially) "world religions".

Specially designed to assist learning it includes:

• chapter timelines showing key persons, events and dates
• themed boxes to encourage methodological enquiry
• key-point chapter summaries to support understanding and review
• study questions to assist classroom discussion
• maps, charts and photographs
• glossary of key terms and concepts
• key reading, a comprehensive bibliography and index

Ideal for one-semester or modular introductory survey courses on the world's religions, Introducing World Religions will be essential reading for any student of religions, worldwide. The accompanying website to this book can be found at http://www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415772709.

Product Description

This book features a number of different articles and essays that focus on women as active agents of their spiritual lives—a topic that is often overlooked in most other world religion books. It explores how women from many parts of the world have thought about, acted, and have been treated as members of a religious tradition. Investigates how women of a variety of religious traditions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, etc.) practice their religion, how their beliefs differ from men, and how they have carved out their own place within their religious tradition.For anyone interested in how women are shaped by and how they shape the various world religions.

Customer Reviews (1)

Fab Book
This book is a very interesting book with lots of different aspects on Women and Regigion around the World.I will only be using a few sections of the book for class but intend to read the entire book.I would suggest this as a book for anyone who is interested in Women and World Religions.A good book for any religious class. ... Read more

Product Description
Religion and Empire is an innovative and provocative study of the two largest states of the Precolumbian Americas, the Aztec and Inca Empires. By examining the causes of the formation and expansion of these two empires, the authors identify similar patterns and processes underlying their rise and decline. They demonstrate that in both examples among the critical elements in the transition from marginal people to imperial power to disintegrating society were changes in traditional religion, including the elaboration of Aztec human sacrifice and Inca worship of the corpses of their kings. The authors show that the complex interaction between such ideological shifts and political and economic factors generated the spectacular historical trajectories of these Pre-Colombian empires. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Do we really need a reprint of an old and not very good book?
The interpretations of the Aztec empire in this book were misleading and deficient when it was first published in 1984; now they are both bad and outdated. According to the authors, the driving force of Aztec imperial expansion was rabid religious fanaticism. Crazed bloodthirsty warriors supposedly ran around conquering peoples with no sense of planning of strategy, and with no economic motivation (sounds sort of like the bloodthirsty Maya of Mel Gibson's movie Apocalypto). This interpretation does not for work Apocalypto, and it does not work for the Aztec empire either.

I'm not qualified to evaluate the Inka sections of the book. But if you are interested in Aztec imperialism, please check some of the post-1984 literature.

Excelent, well thoughtout arguments
I read this book as part of a research project into the rise and fall of the Mexica, or Aztec. This book offered an interesting view of the Aztec, as a warfaring society which was propelled by a religous zelous that got out of hand and eventually caused the destabilization of a great empire. While I happen to disagree with certain arguments in this book they are all well justified with valid arguments. This field is constantly changing and is full of writers who don't have the background or the backing for their arguments, this is not one of them. Conrad and Demerest use fresh, compelling, and well thoughtout arguments to make an interesting point. If researching the Inca and Aztec this is a must read to achieve a good view of these two expansionist empires.

Has good and bad points
I read this book for a class on the emergence of state society.The book was great for its review of Aztec ideology and its resulting effects on the society.Too many authors ignore the importance of the way people think.However, archaeological evidence does not support their conclusions about the Inca's ancestor worship.But the book was good read, very fast paced and enjoyable.I recommend it.

Very detailed.
The book really gets into the nuts and bolts of the empires, showing you how ideas could give birth to and help expand the two cultures. But it also shows how the same ideas could hinder and even start to destroy the empireslater in their existance.Yet it is not hard to read and even delightfulat some points.They answer alot of questions I had about the Aztec andInca, making sure to support everything they say with lots of details.Amust of any history library.

This book is excellent.
It explains how modern/western thought fails when applied to the culturesof the Aztecs and Incas. This book is good for beginning students for thenarrative is easy to follow. However, it is outstanding for the moreadvanced scholar. This book would make a great companion book to broaderstudies of these two cultures. The authors criticise modern archaeology forits dogmatic unbending views.The authors also take modern political theoryand apply it to these ancient cultures.What happens is that it fallsapart.Marx, Hegel, et al have met their match against these ancient ones.What a great departure from the faulty theories of socialism &communism. ... Read more

Product Description
An excellent introduction to religions of the world. Each faith is clearly and objectively described along with its history, scriptures, worship, beliefs, and practices. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Thorough, colorful, scholarly yet accessible, efficient
Having taught a Comparative Religion course to a diverse student body (Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims) for years at an academic prep school, and having had worked in a prior profession (not a previous life) as a funeral director serving multiple faith traditions, I find this Eerdmans' project quite a praiseworthy effort. The color plates, charts, and general layout are somewhat dated for the Y generation and their heavy desire for graphics and white space on the page, but they can get over it. It is a physically dense book in paperback on a high quality glossy paper, so the graphics can compensate for a ubiquitously small typeface font. All that said, the content is masterfully organized and the chapters allow for an excellent resource read to compliment films, site visits (mandatory, I argue, for any quality exposure to the vast experiences, sights, sounds, and smells of different houses of worship), and consider classroom visits by area clerical leaders who can bring the subject alive where the instructor has no expertise. The Eerdmans' text has not received any palpable criticism from among the multiplicity of faith leaders or students' families that I've encountered, and I think that I would have heard criticism if it were significant. Last, when teaching Comparative or World Religions, simply speaking from good experiences with teaching great students, I suggest teachers go out to eat with their students at ethnic restaurants representing the faith tradition under study. If you have access to practitioners of the faith under study, offer them an opportunity to present at dinner, and even consider inviting their family to participate. Mostly, the students just want to do the presentation themselves, and that is my preference, but various situations call for different responses.

Christian centric
The book is well organized and indexed. It includes a glossary of over 1,100 entries. It is also nicely illustated, with over 200 photographs, nearly half of them in color.

I had hoped that this book would be a fairly balanced exploration of the world's spirituality. It is not. It is more a history of religion with a Christian bias. In each section, except those dedicated to Christianity, one clearly gets the sense that it is written from the perspective of an outsider. Dismissive statements and questionable conclusions are the rule.

Take heed from the book's preface concerning the 52 contributors listed; "They write from a Christian concern to descibe each faith 'as it is'...If conviction shows through, however, it is because there can never be total objectivity when it comes to deeply-held matters of belief."

Indeed.

informative, but highly opinionated
this book gives a basic overview of the worlds religions, but i found it a bit frustrating to read. in my opinion,anyone wishing to read the basic facts of each religion out of curiousity alone, will find that certian excerpts are highly opinionated.the section on buddhism, one part of it is titled, "the appeal of buddhism inthe west", this is not problem, but do we need support why "people can live good lives only when given new life by jesus christ, otherwise they are powerless... and ...unable to escape the cycleof sin and death...." one other example is in response to a zen buddihist excerpt which the authors says, "this thinking is pushed to the absurd, it is useless to seek rational answers to them, the tension they produce must be borne to the utmost...." there are many other statments like these peppered throughout this book. on the other hand it does have some good information making it a useful introduction to the many religions. maybe the best thing would be a more appropiate title for the book, so that people who would like a nuetral yet informative approach will be better informed.

SUPERB SURVEY AND INVALUABLE REFERENCE BOOK
I am enrolled in a masters program where this is an assigned text for an elective.After having been force-fed literally hundreds of readings from hundreds of books - this book stood out as the only text that I purchased.It is a fantastic, impartial, overview which includes great illustrations and charts.It is equally rewarding to read straight through, only the parts that interest you or as a handy reference.

A good textbook and/or information source.
This is a very informative, "chunky" book. Excellent pictures and charts! A book worth having! ... Read more

Product Description
Fully revised and updated, the third edition of this highly successful anthology surveys all the major religious traditions--Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and African religions--and also covers Zen Buddhism, Shinto, and the religious experience in America. Featuring ten readings new to this edition, it introduces the unique claims, hopes, and wisdom of each tradition in its own voice, through substantial excerpts from its scriptures, prophets, and distinguished authors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Happy w/ Purchase
Exactly what I wanted in a decent amount of time.Came in good packaging so as not to get damaged in transit.

Terrible.
I ordered a text book from this person and didn't even get my book. I emailed the seller thru Amazon, but I didn't hear anything from this seller and its been more than a month. And the worst thing is, I can't get my money back. This is terrible. I wont trust this seller.

Great quality, fast shipping
This book was in good condition, considering that it was used. The textbook itself was really useful for my class, we did a lot of reading from it, so it was definitely good that I decided to purchase. Overall, I would recommend buying textbooks from this seller again. ... Read more

Product Description
World Religions in Practice introduces five of the world’s great religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – and explores how they are lived and expressed in custom, ritual, and symbol.

• A major new textbook exploring the world’s great religions through their customs, rituals and everyday practices – by focusing on this ‘lived experience’ it goes beyond many traditional introductions to religious studies
  
• Adopts a directly comparative approach to develop a greater understanding of the nature of religion
  
• Each chapter engages with an individual theme, such as birth, death, food, pilgrimage and ethics, to illustrate how religious practices are expressed
  
• Broadens students’ understanding by offering an impartial discussion of the similarities and differences between each religion
  
• Includes chapter-by-chapter opening themes and summaries, and will be accompanied by a website at www.blackwellpublishing.com/gwynne featuring additional resources and study questions.

Product Description

A Communion of Subjects is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of the conceptualization of animals in world religions. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including Thomas Berry (cultural history), Wendy Doniger (study of myth), Elizabeth Lawrence (veterinary medicine, ritual studies), Marc Bekoff (cognitive ethology), Marc Hauser (behavioral science), Steven Wise (animals and law), Peter Singer (animals and ethics), and Jane Goodall (primatology) consider how major religious traditions have incorporated animals into their belief systems, myths, rituals, and art. Their findings offer profound insights into humans' relationships with animals and a deeper understanding of the social and ecological web in which we all live.

Contributors examine Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, African religions, traditions from ancient Egypt and early China, and Native American, indigenous Tibetan, and Australian Aboriginal traditions, among others. They explore issues such as animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice, and stewardship in innovative methodological ways. They also address contemporary challenges relating to law, biotechnology, social justice, and the environment. By grappling with the nature and ideological features of various religious views, the contributors cast religious teachings and practices in a new light. They reveal how we either intentionally or inadvertently marginalize "others," whether they are human or otherwise, reflecting on the ways in which we assign value to living beings.

Though it is an ancient concern, the topic of "Religion and Animals" has yet to be systematically studied by modern scholars. This groundbreaking collection takes the first steps toward a meaningful analysis.

Customer Reviews (2)

Paperback edition coming
The paperback version is coming in Spring 2009. Thank you to those who have reviewed this volume -- as an editor, I have been appreciative of the wonderful reception the book has been given. To the reader who posted a review at Amazon.com expressing positive views but concern about finding errors, thank you for your message. In response, the editors reviewed the entire manuscript again so that the paperback version would be error free. Our review did in fact find a few errors in the volume's 700 or so pages, and these have been corrected. (by Paul Waldau, co-editor)

Great, but...
Great collection, much needed, full of extremely useful articles.Unfortunately, there are an amazing number of editing errors and typos. Even the centerpiece of the collection, by Thomas Berry, has several errors. Considering how beautifully the book was produced, this surprises me.The book doesn't quite cover everything you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask, about animals and religion, but it comes close. ... Read more

Product Description
"The strength of this dictionary is in the many cross references that lead to explanation of key terms within the context of the conceptual systems of those who have introduced and developed [them]." -- ALA BooklistAmazon.com Review
For thorough treatments of Ajivikas and the Apologists, thederivation and meaning of "angst" and"anthropopathism," and profiles of Apollo, Al-Kindi, andAntiochus of Ascalon, William Reese's Dictionary of Philosophy andReligion is the tome of preference. And it does a fine job withB through Z, as well. With more than 4,000 entries, thedictionary delves into Continental and Asian philosophies andreligions, and provides biographies of more than 900 ancient,medieval, and modern philosophers. It's erudite, inclusive,accessible, and covers the major philosophers, gods, tenets, and termsof both the Eastern and Western worlds. --Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Highly Readable and Useful
This is one of the most readable books that I own, which seems out of character for a "Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion" but it is very true.I can sit down with this book for hours at any given time.I think a big part of that is the excellent cross-reference system, so you can start anywhere and then see the linkages between different thoughts; which means that every reading of the book is like a journey.Another great feature of the book is that it covers both ideas and the people who forwarded them in the linking system so you can start with a study on epistemology and then end up ranging over half the book because you link to the people with the ideas and then back to the other ideas that the particular philospher had.

The drawbacks to such an approach are clear.After all, the book has to have some limitation to its length and it is covering many authors who wrote many thousands of pages on their own ideas, so the articles have to do quite a bit of summing up.Since it is absurd to expect deeper coverage from such a book anyway, I feel just fine highly recommending it.

Indispensible
I think this is a great reference book to have for anybody who is interested in the world of philosophy and religion. However its only shortcoming is there is more coverage on western civilization than others. It is understandable in any case because of the great difficulties involved in covering all civilizations. I hope the future expanded editions may remedy this to some extent. I am very glad to have a copy of it.

Timely delivery in good condition
The ordered book arrived on time in good condition. Thanks.

A Cure for Boredom
When I am bored with everything, this is one of the books I like to pick up and browse through.There's so much material here, I'm bound to find something interesting or even inspiring.

This has taught me a lot.
I have been using this book for years, but I never had to learn anything that is in this book, being so amateur in philosophy that I don't have to trouble myself with the ideas for which most of the people in this book have become famous.I have usually expected things to be much simpler than the information which this book has to offer.It has nice definitions of some Greek and Latin words that I find meaningful, once I know what they are supposed to be about.On the Hebrew source of the word "Gehenna," the place used for "the city dump of Jerusalem" where fires burned constantly, the extra information, "according to tradition, [first-born] children had been sacrificed there to the god Moloch," provides a lot of insight into its use in The New Testament, where the King James Version often uses "hell."

For years, this book was my main source of information on Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).I suspect that it is right about "he was condemned to death, and burned alive in the Campo Dei Fiori on February 17, 1600."I have tried to make sense of a few of Bruno's books, like THE EXPULSION OF THE TRIUMPHANT BEAST, but I'm inclined to accept the list of main ideas in this dictionary as the sum of his accomplishments.Dying for the idea that "The universe is infinite" makes more sense than some of his monads, and "To consider reality in its multiplicity" is an achievement that I can appreciate.

On the other hand, the entry for Paul Tillich (1886-1965) illustrates a theologian's ability to distinguish "between three forms of reasoning~heteronymous, autonomous, and theonomous."I thought heteronymous would be pretty good, but Tillich thought that even "Autonomous reason takes its principles from within, but thereby reveals itself as vacuous and tautological."Being able to accept that Tillich would say that is part of being able to appreciate what this book is all about.I'm not saying that these guys are always right about anything. ... Read more

Product Description

Religion and Science is a definitive contemporary discussion of the many issues surrounding our understanding of God and religious truth and experience in our understanding of God and religious truth and experience in our scientific age. This is a significantly expanded and feshly revised version of Religion in an Age of Science, winner of the American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence and the Templeton Book Award. Ian G. Barbour--the premier scholar in the field--has added three crucial historical chapters on physics and metaphysics in the seventeenth century, nature and God in the eighteenth century, and biology and theology in the nineteenth century. He has also added new sections on developments in nature-centered spirituality, information theory, and chaos and complexity theories.

Customer Reviews (7)

A good attempt at dialogue
In an era where many in the US believe the universe was made 6000 years ago and Adam and Eve walked alongside dinosaurs, and many religious believers are rejecting the theory of evolution (a keystone of modern science), there is a desperate need to bring religion and science into a better and more fruitful relationship.

The situation unfortunately is not helped with the rigid fanatacism on both sides of the fence, either with theologians who dismiss geology and biology because it contradicts the bible, or who reject advanced biotechnology because of medieval theories of the person, or by scientists like Richard Dawkins who try their best to use science as a hammer with which to smash down all religious systems and myths as worthless fictions which belong in the dustbin of history, and try to whitewash any possible influence religion and religious values may have to offer science or a scientific worldview.

Barbour offers in this work an impartial analysis of the relationship between religion and science and offers four basic modes of how the two human enterprises can relate to each other.While he does offer his own perspective, Barbour is rational in his arguments and avoids getting mired in pointless polemics against theological or scientific oppenents, and lets them be.

This book is of interest to any theologian, philosopher or scientist who is concerned about how religion and science relate to each other, especially in our turbulent times.

Comprehensive, Thought-Provoking, Engaging, Scholarly
"Religion and Science" is an in-depth philosophical discussion of religion and science. Ian Barbour's initial aim is to analyze the goals and methodologies of both science and religion - determining their similarities as well as their differences. The analysis is broad in scope and thorough in detail. Key scientific theories are examined and their metaphysical and theological implications are discussed. Different points of view are given fair consideration as the author takes the reader on an enlightening journey through a history of philosophical thought.

At issue here is what separates scientific truth from religious truth. To be sure the author goes to great lengths to answer this question and the reader will gain a plethora of insights along the way; however, the bottomline is this - namely, that science relies on objectivity while religion on subjectivity.

Is it possible to reconcile the objective truth with the subjective? Yes. How? Answer: "Process Thought."

What is Process Thought? Process Thought (or Process Philosophy as it is sometimes called) is a metaphysical system that views processes instead of irreducible particles or substances as the fundamental constituents of reality. It overcomes the duality of mind and matter by proposing a "dipolar Godhead" - one with both a physical as well as a mental pole. Moreover, it asserts that each process or event has both a mental and physical aspect. Dipolar Theism (the designated term for this viewpoint) "holds that the world is in God (panentheism), a view that neither identifies God with the world (pantheism) nor separates God from the world (theism)." "God includes the world but is more than the world." pg. 295.

Process Philosophy has important implications for both science and religion. It provides a rational basis for resolving the apparent dualism of mind and matter, and thereby reconciles the seeming conflict between science's quest for objective truth and religion's for subjective truth.

This tome is a great work of erudition; It is well-written, engaging and thought-provoking. It will offer you awealth of insights as well as an education in both the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of science. This book is highly recommended for the individual who is seriously seeking to reconcile the religious mind-set with the scientific - the intuitive mind with the analytical. You will not be disappointed.

No opposing views please.....
There are so many good things that can be said about this book.It is broadening, thought provoking, and stimulating. Ian is an evolutionary theologian, a term I use to describe one who believes God has directed and guided evolution to bring about humankind.If you have chosen to adopt God created the universe and human beings specifically, in this manner, you will indentify with its contents.When we tackle the questions and issues contained in this book, we can only come away saying no one really knows the answers-- the conclusion of Hawking in a Brief History of Time.With all his broad mindedness expressed throughout the book, I was so disappointed in one statement he makes relative to intelligent design (called 'Creation Science') and those who espouse it.

He says in respect to those who try in our educational system to
acquire some time for an opposing view in our school cirriculum,the following:"But when absolutist positions lead to intolerance and attempts to impose particular religious views on others in a pluralistic society, we must object in the name of religious freedom."Who turns out to be the narrow mind wanting no opposition, demanding he only understands the mysteries of the universe?"

Interesting but ...
Barbour's book is interesting and, I think, worth a careful read.The first part of the book, which focuses on the historical dialogue between science and religion, is particularly good.His treatment of modern scientific thought and some of the controversies therein is worthwhile, as well.The author emphasizes the interrelatedness of science and religion and the respective ways in which they create knowledge.It is pretty clear that Barbour writes from a liberal, pluralist Christian perspective.Most of his examples and expertise seem to focus on the Christian tradition but he does talk about Buddhism a bit.The position that is perhaps least represented is that of the conservative, Bible believer. This book is best read as a summary of various philosophies as Barbour's theology is flawed.

On Dinosaurs and Liberals
I find Barbour's book deeply offensive on several counts. First and foremost is the assumption underlying his entire project that somewhow science provides a kind of massive analogy for metaphysical speculation (see page 180). It is as if one has to forget the Kant ever lived. And this isn't just a small analogy here and there that Barbour is attempting. It is supremely monolithic. His basic working premise within his larger assumption -- of science driving our knowledge of God -- is that there is some kind of "dynamic and interconected" reality in the cosmos (ibid.). Changing, but still there (remember Kant?)in some kind of "intial aim" and "coherence." Of course Barbour is hanging his hopes on the eventuality of that greatest of all the secular desiderata -- a unified field theory. And what will that look like. Kind of like Anselm's God that is even greater than that which we CANNOT conceive?
But forget Kant, he is too difficult, too old, too dead. Let's talk Pomo. This is after all "ontic-theology" writ large across the entire cosmosmology. And you thought "phallo-logocentricism" died along with the dinsosaurs? Well wake up all you Branch Derrideans, you slumbering skeptics! Here comes Barbour!With yet another remake of Whitehead-does-God.How many categories do you we need? 138 at my last counting! (Only 7 in Process and Reality -- you better keep reading!) Boys and girls, do we got boxes for you!But we can now rest assured, God is not dead. On the contrary, he has been fully cataloged, compartmentalized, duly noted, and filed away, perhaps, for further use. Barbour has managed to de-transcedentalize the transcendal signifier in ways that Caputo, Taylor and Vattim could never even of imagined.
But I am not even sure if Barbour's God was evertranscendental. "It" surely was never omnipotent (page 326).And if God is not ominpotent then what of "transcendence"? What exactly might "God" be other than just another sytematically ambiguous signifier? -- not even a "transcendental" one! (Mixing my Wittgenstein and Derrida here -- but don't worry, Barbour has apparently read neither).
This "God" of Barbour's, like all of Process theology, is a God stripped of the history of the Christian Church. It is a new God, a better God, a one-size-fits-all. This is that weird kind of old liberal theology which will not die its final death, because it is kept alive on the artificail life support of that one strain of ossified university, seminary and divinity School style of theology. Stripped of the stories of Jesus, of the martyrs, of the councils, the great debates, the wars and the saints, we have a theology with out "theos," an "ology" with no subject matter but the metaphysical speculation of an obsolete professional class.
And ethics? Is there any sense of ethical resposibiltiy or obligation in this sytstem without a heart and without a face?There is an "interrelatedness" in this "continued journey toward greater harmony and enrichment" certainly (page 326). And is that supposed to be meaningful? The furthest Barbour can drag himself towards the ethical, is too quote that other dinosaur John Hick and say that the world is "an appropriate place for moral action" (page 302). Oh boy! But "process thought goes further" says Barbour (the excitment is almost unbearable). Because process theology knows that "evoulution is a long, slow, step-by-step process." Wow! Inspired for moral action and duty yet? I would say that is about as exciting as Walter Rauschenbusch, Hebert Spencer, and the rest of the social gospelers and evolutionists of over a hundred years ago.
If your idea of God is an amoral "process" stripped of all historicity and neatly compartmentalized for any liberal view, this is the book for you. Obviously, the only requirement for you to join the club, is that you must view all conservative Christians as "literalists," "absolutists," and equivialant to "nazis" (pages 82-85).Well, that should just about take care of half of all the practicing Christians in America. No need to "dialogue" with them! Kind of makes you wonder who the book was written to in the first place? (Maybe that tiny set ofliberal "process" academicians of a dinosaur-persuasion?) ... Read more

Product Description
From the end of the eighteenth century, throughout western Europe, the official clergy, champions of privilege and tradition, were challenged by religious dissenters and minorities. This book clearly maps out these polarizations and analyses the impact on religion of socialism, capitalism and the growth of cities. It examines the contrasts between the religion of the middle and working classes and between men and women. It discusses the appeal of movements like Methodism, Secularism, and Ultramontane Catholicism, and considers the crisis faced by the churches in many countries in the 1960s. A new concluding chapter examines the role of religion up to 1990, and how it has been affected by modern changes in society and beliefs. ... Read more