Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"I truly love this textbook (and its Eastern counterpart). I feel that it masterfully explores the various world religions with great detail and clarity while making them accessible to students."--Matthew Hill, Spring Arbor University "This text is extremely well-organized, well-written, and engaging, with very good coverage of modern expressions of each tradition."--Michelle Rebidoux, Memorial University of Newfoundland "The chapter-opening outlines and end-of-chapter summaries provide good introductions and conclusions to the chapters. I like the 'Sacred Text' tables; they provide brief overviews of the different religious texts."--Colin James Law, University of Georgia "This textbook covers Judaism, Christianity, and Islam very clearly and strikes the right balance between succinct and comprehensive."--Tim Labron, Concordia University of Edmonton
Table of ContentsContributors: Preface: 1. Studying Western Religions Basic Human Religion: Looking Both Ways from Stonehenge Looking Back from Stonehenge Looking Forward from Stonehenge What Is Religion? Why Study Religion? 2. Religions of Antiquity Introduction Terminology Prehistory Common Features of the Religions of Antiquity Mesopotamian Tradition Egyptian Tradition Greek Tradition Roman Tradition Iranian Tradition (Zoroastrianism) Manichaean Tradition The End of Paganism Recent Developments Summary 3. Jewish Traditions Jewish Identity as Ethnicity and Religion Earliest Jewish History: The Biblical Story The Second Temple Period (515 BCE-70 CE) Enter the Romans (63 BCE) Jewish Life Under Islam: Seventh-Twelfth Century Jews in the Christian World: Seventh to Fifteenth Century The Modern Period The Holocaust (1933-1945) Life-Cycle Events Recent Developments Summary 4. Christian Traditions Origins Relations Between Church and Society Authority in the Early Church The Development of Orthodoxy Practice Eastern Orthodoxy Medieval Christianity The Early Modern Era The Modern Era Recent Developments Summary 5. Muslim Traditions Beginnings Foundations Practice Variations The Spread of Islam Cultural Expressions Toward the Modern World Recent Developments Summary 6. Indigenous Traditions First Thoughts "Indigenous Religion" Transmission Practice Cultural Expressions Colonialism Recent Developments Summary 7. New Religions and Movements Defining New Religions, Sects, and Cults New Religions from the East Religions Arising from the Abrahamic Lineage Religions Inspired by Other Forms of Spirituality The New Age Movement Summary 8. Current Issues in Western Traditions Religion and Politics Fundamentalism Bioethics The Environment Gender and Sexuality Religious Diversity Index:
