Description
Book SynopsisWilliam Young is Professor of Religious Studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In addition to The World's Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Ethical Issues (3rd edition, 2009) he is co-author (with Christian Hauer) of the widely-adopted textbook An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds (Prentice Hall, 7th edition, 2008) and author of Quest for Harmony: Native American Spiritual Traditions (Hackett Press, 2006). During a thirty-five year teaching career, he has introduced generations of students to the world's religions and taught a wide variety of special topic courses ranging from Religion and Politics to Spiritual Ecology: Religion and Nature.
Table of Contents Brief Table of Contents Part 1. Introduction
- An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion
Part 2. The World's Religions—Histories and Worldviews
- Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
- Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
- Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
- Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
- Daoism—The Way of Nature
- Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
- Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
- Shinto—The Way of Kami
- Judaism—The Way of Torah
- Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
- Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
- Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
- The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation
Part 3. The World's Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues
- The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
- War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
- Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
- Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity
Part 4. Conclusion
- The Future of the World's Religions
Detailed Table of Contents. Part 1. Introduction
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An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion
- What Is Religion?
- Why Are People Religious?
- Why So Many Religions?
- Why Is the Study of Religion So Important in the Twenty-First Century?
- What Is the Relationship Between Science and Religion?
- How Might Religion Be Studied?
- How Will We Study the World's Religions?
- Looking Ahead. An Overview of the Rest of the Text
Part 2. The World's Religions—Histories and Worldviews
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Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
- An Orientation to Indigenous Peoples and Their Religions
- The Yoruba of West Africa
- The Oglala Lakota (Souix) of the Great Plains of North America
- The Continuing Impact of Indigenous Religions in the Twnty-First Century
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Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
- An Orientation to South and Southeast Asia
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Hindu Worldview
- Hinduism in the Twenty-First Century
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Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Theravada Buddhist Worldview
- Theravada Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
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Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Jain Worldview
- Jainism in the Twenty-First Century
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Daoism—The Way of Nature
- An Orientation to East Asia
- Daoism. The Way of Nature
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Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Confucian Worldview
- Confucianism and Other Religions in the People's Republic of China
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Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
- A Brief History of Korea and Japan
- Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in East Asia
- Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada Buddhism Contrasted
- Major Mahayana Schools in East Asia
- Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet
- Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
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Shinto—The Way of Kami
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Shinto Worldview
- Religion in Twenty-First-Century Japan and Korea
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Judaism—The Way of Torah
- An Orientation to the Middle East
- Judaism. The Way of Torah
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Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Christian Worldview
- Christianity in the Twenty-First Century
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Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Islamic Worldview
- Islam in the Twenty-First Century
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Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
- Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
- The Sikh Worldview
- Sikhism in the Twenty-First Century
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The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation
- Preparing for the End: Apocalyptic New Religious Movements
- Faith and Spirit: New Religious Movements of Healing and Awareness
- Reviving the Church: Christian New Religious Movements of Renewal
- Nature and Spirit: Earth-Based and Ecological New Religious Movements
- Liberation and Enlightenment: New Religious Movements with Asian Roots
- African-American and Afro-Caribbean New Religious Movements
- Native American New Religious Movements
- Focusing on the Human and the Natural: Secular New Religious Movements
- The Quest for Unity: Universalist New Religious Movements
Part 3. The World's Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues
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The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
- The Ecological Crisis: Is the Balance of Life on Planet Earth in Jeopardy?
- The Economic Crisis: Why Hunger and Abject Poverty in a World of Plenty?
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War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
- War: When, If Ever is War Justified
- Capital Punishement: When May the State Take a Criminal's Life?
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Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
- Abortion: Right to Life or Right to Choose?
- Euthanasia: A "Good Death" or "Playing God"?
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Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity
- The Changing Roles of Women: Liberation or Confusion?
- Homosexuality: Orientation, Preference, or Perversion?
Part 4. Conclusion
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The Future of the World's Religions
- How the World's Religions Will Relate to One Another: Three Possible Futures
- The Search for Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis
- The World's Religions after September 11, 2001
