Compares and contrasts the tenets of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, explaining their history, establishment, leaders, struggles, and their forms and guises in the modern world.
Formerly: QUESTIONS THAT MATTER MOST ASKED BY THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS. A survey of the world's basic religions: Brahmanic Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism and Taoism.
The Evolution of Major Faiths World Religions looks at the beliefs and practices of many different religions, from the ancient Egyptians to Zoroastrianism -- the oldest "living" religion -- and the great faiths practiced today. Each of the major faiths -- Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam -- is examined in detail through its sacred texts, epic imagery, key beliefs, and religious artifacts. The distinctive identities of different faiths are explored in World Religions by studying the main principles and thinking of each religion. The book's superb reproduction allows the symbolism and meaning in religious imagery and iconography to be revealed in great detail. Accessible and far-reaching, World Religions will engage the whole family as much as the serious student. Book jacket.
Winner of the 2008 Christianity Today Award of Merit in Theology/Ethics The History of God In Discovering God, award-winning sociologist Rodney Stark presents a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age and wrestles with the central questions of religion and belief.
This work seeks to answer questions about the great religious traditions in the contemporary age. It focuses upon those religions that continue to demand the attention of the Western world. Following an introduction on the philosophy of religion, attention is focused on Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which are religions that have had (and probably continue to have) the greatest number of followers in Western society. In addition to the lasting impact that religion has had in society, we are witnesses to the development of secularism on the one hand and the revival of religious sentiment on the other, thus chapters on modernity, postmodernism, and 'fundamentalism' have also been included. The distinctive feature of the book is its modern feel. Each chapter brings the reader up-to-date with recent developments and commentaries upon recent religious thought, theology and religious-political movements. Moreover, the length of the chapters permits a detailed analysis which is so often lacking in books on world religions.
An easy-to-use and comprehensive guide that explores the intriguing dogma and rituals, cultural convictions, and often-checkered backgrounds and histories of the world's religions.