World Religions Today
World Religions Today 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.
World Religions Today, Second Edition, incorporates many pedagogical aids–timelines, maps, illustrations, discussion questions, and a glossary of key terms–and also features approximately 200 photographs and two new eight-page full-color inserts. A Companion Website contains student resources including chapter summaries, self-quizzes, and links to additional sources. An Instructor’s Manual offers chapter summaries, pedagogical suggestions, and exam questions and answers. Ideal for undergraduate courses in world religions and comparative religion, World Religions Today, Second Edition, emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith, culture, politics, and society, providing a peerless examination of the diverse ways in which contemporary human beings are religious.
Customer Review: 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 so to speak, it definitely helped me to survive this frustrating situation.
This book is packed with a lot of informations, there is no doubt about it. Unfortunately, the authors of this book had no idea how to teach. There is a lot of mess, language is horrible, no clear definitions, and without lectures, unless you have only one class per semester and you don’t work, it is nearly impossible to get a good education from it. A textbook is supposed to be student-friendly, and also encourage him/her to study. This piece of *** book is definitely not encouraging to even read assigned pages.
I feel sorry for you if you have to buy this book. I personally feel ripped off and frustrated. I will try to sell my copy on eBay but if not sold for a good money, I will burn it in my fireplace. At least it will be the only good use of this “textbook”.
I took nearly 30 classes so far, and my GPA was perfect so I am not an idiot. However, I wish I had never taken this class. It was the worst textbook I have ever seen, and therefore not the best class either.
Customer Review: 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 out of this wonderful book it is this …. before you do anything …. especially to one who is innocent … remember this because karma may come from Hinduism but it too is universal - what goes around comes around.
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