This account of holy sites and mysterious ruins aims to capture the spirit of the places themselves. It explains their myths and legends and shows their continuing importance down the ages. Part One examines over 100 key sites and shows how they came to be regarded as sacred and their subsequent history. The sites are divided geographically into sections, such as Africa and the Middle East, Europe and Australia, and the Pacific. Each of these areas is introduced by a hand-drawn map showing all of the sites described and other areas of interest, such as ancient burial grounds, temples and natural sites. Part Two is a map-based gazetteer of over 1000 sacred sites. The sites are plotted over 20 maps, which are then followed by listings giving information about each holy place. The maps show the location of each site and the period in which it was built or used.
Surveys over thirty sites around the globe, describing the spiritual significance of each and discussing its architectural details with photographs and maps
... "Twenty years of photographs by photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray. Accompanying each photograph is commentary that takes us into the history, mythology and spiritual magnetism of the particular place ..."--Jacket.
A breathtaking flight over the great historical sites of the Holy Land with an explanation of their rich historical, biblical, and cultural significance.
The world's religions have emerged as one of the greatest geopolitical forces now shaping our lives. Now available in an updated edition, this authoritative atlas is an essential resource for understanding the powerful role of religion around the globe. In an accessible text packed with information, it maps the current nature, extent, and influence of each of the major religions and shows, country by country, how religions are spread through broadcasting, missionary work, schooling, and banking; how they relate to government, laws, and world hunger; and the role they play in wars. It traces the emergence of new religious movements, the survival of traditional beliefs, and the presence of atheism and agnosticism. The Atlas of Religion also locates the origin, the heartland, and the sacred places of each of the major religions and provides essential background with a valuable table showing the fundamental beliefs of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism. Copub: Myriad Editions Limited
From independence to the present, the Atlas charts the evolution of the 39 major religious denominations and sects in the U.S. -- from Methodists to Congregationalists, Mormons to Jews, Church of God to the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.
This extensive work explores the changing world of religions, faiths and practices. It discusses a broad range of issues and phenomena that are related to religion, including nature, ethics, secularization, gender and identity. Broadening the context, it studies the interrelation between religion and other fields, including education, business, economics and law. The book presents a vast array of examples to illustrate the changes that have taken place and have led to a new world map of religions. Beginning with an introduction of the concept of the “changing world religion map”, the book first focuses on nature, ethics and the environment. It examines humankind’s eternal search for the sacred, and discusses the emergence of “green” religion as a theme that cuts across many faiths. Next, the book turns to the theme of the pilgrimage, illustrated by many examples from all parts of the world. In its discussion of the interrelation between religion and education, it looks at the role of missionary movements. It explains the relationship between religion, business, economics and law by means of a discussion of legal and moral frameworks, and the financial and business issues of religious organizations. The next part of the book explores the many “new faces” that are part of the religious landscape and culture of the Global North (Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada) and the Global South (Latin America, Africa and Asia). It does so by looking at specific population movements, diasporas, and the impact of globalization. The volume next turns to secularization as both a phenomenon occurring in the Global religious North, and as an emerging and distinguishing feature in the metropolitan, cosmopolitan and gateway cities and regions in the Global South. The final part of the book explores the changing world of religion in regards to gender and identity issues, the political/religious nexus, and the new worlds associated with the virtual technologies and visual media.
The speed and the scale with which traditional religions in China have been revived and new spiritual movements have emerged in recent decades make it difficult for scholars to stay up-to-date on the religious transformations within Chinese society. This unique atlas presents a bird’s-eye view of the religious landscape in China today. In more than 150 full-color maps and six different case studies, it maps the officially registered venues of China’s major religions - Buddhism, Christianity (Protestant and Catholic), Daoism, and Islam - at the national, provincial, and county levels. The atlas also outlines the contours of Confucianism, folk religion, and the Mao cult. Further, it describes the main organizations, beliefs, and rituals of China’s main religions, as well as the social and demographic characteristics of their respective believers. Putting multiple religions side by side in their contexts, this atlas deploys the latest qualitative, quantitative and spatial data acquired from censuses, surveys, and fieldwork to offer a definitive overview of religion in contemporary China. An essential resource for all scholars and students of religion and society in China.
"Drawing on contemporary accounts and a wealth of illustration, Sacred Treks captures the atmosphere of pilgrimage through the ages. Divided into three sections - "Early Paths," "Medieval Roads," and "Modern Ways" - the book describes every aspect of pilgrimage past and present, from the practicalities of setting out, to the difficult conditions of travel, to the great sites such as Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela, and Canterbury. The book looks at the pilgrims themselves, from St. Brendan, who is said to have cast himself adrift, letting God guide his search for a paradisal holy island, to the penitents, cure-seekers, and adventurers who in the Middle Ages set out for the unknown in their millions."
