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World's Religions, The: Worldviews and Contemporary Issues, A Prentice Hall Portfolio Edition 2/e
William A. Young
Published May 2004 by Prentice Hall
Copyright 2005, 432 pp., Paper
ISBN: 0-13-183010-4
List Price:
$28.00
Inventory Status:
In-Stock
   
Summary

This descriptive introduction to the world's religions provides an orientation to the study of religion, surveys the history of each of the major world religions, discusses the ways these religions respond to contemporary ethical issues, and reflects the future of religions in the 21st century. KEY TOPICS: By providing worldviews of: indigenous religions (with case studies from Africa and North America), the religions of South and Southeast Asia (Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, Jainism), religions of East Asia (Daoism, Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism [Pure Land, Zen, Tibetan], Shinto), religions of the Middle East and beyond (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism); and representative new religious movements (The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness), The World's Religions presents a sympathetic perspective for each. Attention to religious responses to contemporary ethical issues (the ecological crisis, global economics, war, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, gender, and sexual orientation) places the religions in a twenty-first century context. MARKET: Because it attempts to describe how religions answer basic human questions, this authoritative, lively, and informative book is an excellent introduction to the study of religions for any interested reader.
Features

  • NEW - Introductory section—Addresses key issues in the study of religion in the twenty-first century, including expanded discussions of the relationship between religion and science.

    • Provides a full description of the “framework for understanding” used to study religious world views in the text.

  • NEW - Revamped section two “The World's Religions: Basic Histories and Worldviews”—Includes separate chapters on each of the world's major religions, introducing the basic histories and worldviews of each.

    • Provides students with an organized framework to study each particular religion.

    • Surveys twenty-first century trends in each religion.

  • NEW - Full chapter on the religions of indigenous peoples—Focuses on the Yoruba of Africa and Oglala Lakota of North America.

    • Exposes students to the shared indigenous worldview and to the unique beliefs and rituals of two particular indigenous cultures.

  • NEW - New Religious Movements chapter—Restructured using themes such as “Preparing for the End: Apocalyptic New Religious Movements”; adds discussions of movements recently in the news: Aum Shinryko, International Raelian Religion, and Falun Gong.

    • Provides students with the most timely, current text available.

  • NEW - Twenty-first century issues—Addresses The Ecological and Economic Crises, War and Capital Punishment, Abortion and Euthanasia, and Gender and Sexual Orientation.

    • Holds students' interest by addressing today's hot-button issues and surveying the various positions taken on them within the world's religions.

  • NEW - Full supplements package—Includes Instructor's Resource Manual, Sacred World CD-ROM, and student companion website,

    • Provides instructors with valuable course support.

  • Excerpts from sacred texts imbedded in the chapters—Allows the world's religions to speak for themselves by examining questions of basic human-identity, origin and destiny, mortality, and others.
  • Chapter summaries, glossaries of key terms, proactive questions, charts, and sources for further study (including web sites).

    • Enhances students' interest and learning.



Table of Contents

(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Chapter Summary, Questions for Discussion and Reflection, and Sources and Suggestions for Further Study sections.)

I. INTRODUCTION.

 1. An Introduction to Religion and the Study of Religion.

II. THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS—BASIC HISTORIES AND WORLD VIEWS.

 2. Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony.

 3. Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit.

 4. Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way.

 5. Jainism—The Way of Non Injury.

 6. Daoism—The Way of Nature.

 7. Confucianism—The Way of Virtue.

 8. Mahayana Buddhism—The Great Vehicle.

 9. Shinto—The Way of the Kami.

10. Judaism—The Way of Torah.

11. Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ.

12. Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah.

13. Sikhism—The Way of the Guru.

14. The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation.

III. THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS AND CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES.

15. The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources.

16. War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence.

17. Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death.

18. Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity.

VI. CONCLUSION.

19. The Future of the World's Religions.

Glossary.

Photo Credits.

Index.



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