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Editorial Review:
The twenty-first century is witnessing a resurgence and globalization of religion. Around the world, religion has become an increasingly more important and pervasive force in personal and public life. Revealing the significance of religion in contemporary life, World Religions Today, Second Edition, explores eight major religious traditions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. Covering historical details more succinctly than the previous edition, this volume features revised chapters on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and East Asian Religions and adds two new chapters, "Primal Religions," and "Globalization: From New to New Age Religions." It also integrates material on Osama bin Laden, global terrorism, and the Iraq War. Moving beyond many books in the field--which focus on the historical origins and ancient development of the classical traditions of each religion--World Religions Today, Second Edition, takes a fresh approach. The book uses historical coverage of the religious traditions as a framework to help students understand how faiths have evolved to the present day and continue to have an impact on belief, politics, and society. It connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices but also shows how these religions have responded to and been transformed by the modern world. To help students grasp what might be "new" about the emerging era of religious life in the twenty-first century, the authors open each discussion with a contemporary scenario of religious experience that illustrates the tension between premodern views and modernity.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Good for your fireplace, not education:
I took Religions of the World class because I wanted to learn more about different cultures. Unfortunately, my teacher chose this book which I found impossible to go through. Thanks to this book, this class what a big frustration for me and I nearly dropped it. I talked to others from my class, and all of them gave up with this book. After paying pretty much good money for this book, in order to write papers or prepare to exams, I ended up using Wikipedia exclusively. Although Wikipedia is not best source... more info
The Many Ways that God has Spoken:
Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, and many other founders of mainsteam legitimate religions have offered a connection to God for many people. The definition of a religion is that it offers a unique holy book independant of any other faith and has a central founder whose life is a testament to sacrifice. This book gives an explanation of the W5 of each faith and one universal theme remains - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule is universal. So if you get anything... more info its good interesting:
i bought this book for a religion class and i'm finding it quite interesting one thing i really like about it is it is NOT biased it doesnt INSULT any religions. Religion faces Modernity and Postmodernity:
I have used this book in an introductory class in World Religions. I have found the book to be very usable and filled with the kind of information one needs. At the same time, the authors do not lose sight of the central ideas, practices, and trends of each major religion.more info Similar Products:
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