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Overview
Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Religions in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Religions Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in.
This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Religions, with:
- Each of the world’s five major faiths – Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism in its own, dedicated section
- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts
- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout
- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding
The Religions Book is the perfect introduction to the world’s most widely practiced religions, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll find the ideas behind ancient and modern faiths and spiritual philosophies, and the place of religion in the world.
Your Religious Questions, Simply Explained
This book explores the beliefs that underpin religious traditions around the globe, and how they developed. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the world’s main faiths, The Religions Book presents key information in a clear layout. Learn the primal beliefs to the world’s great faiths and the continuing quest for spiritual meaning in our complex world, and get to the heart of what it means to believe in God, and religion’s place in society, with fantastic mind maps and step-by-step summaries.
The Big Ideas Series
With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Religions Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781465408433 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | DK |
| Publication date: | 07/15/2013 |
| Series: | DK Big Ideas |
| Pages: | 352 |
| Sales rank: | 200,388 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.90(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction 10
Primal Beliefs from Prehistory
Unseen forces are at work: Making sense of the world 20
Even a rock has a spirit: Animism in early societies 24
Special people can visit other worlds: The power of the shaman 26
Why are we here?: Created for a purpose 32
Why do we die?: The origin of death 33
Eternity is now: The Dreaming 34
Our ancestors will guide us: The spirits of the dead live on 36
We should be good: Living in harmony 38
Everything is connected: A lifelong bond with the gods 39
The gods desire blood: Sacrifice and blood offerings 40
We can build a sacred space: Symbolism made real 46
We are in rhythm with the universe: Man and the cosmos 48
We exist to serve the gods: The burden of observance 50
Our rituals sustain the world: Renewing life through ritual 51
Ancient and Classical Beliefs from 3000 BCE
There is a hierarchy of gods and men: Beliefs for new societies 56
The good live forever in the kingdom of Osiris: Preparing for the afterlife 58
The triumph of good over evil depends on humankind: The battle between good and evil 60
Accept the way of the universe: Aligning the self with the dao 66
The Five Great Vows: Self-denial leads to spiritual liberation 68
Virtue is not sent from heaven: Wisdom lies with the superior man 72
A divine child is born: The assimilation of myth 78
The oracles reveal the will of the gods: Divining the future 79
The gods are just like us: Beliefs that mirror society 80
Ritual links us to our past: Living the Way of the Gods 82
The gods will die: The end of the world as we know it 86
Hinduism from 1700 BCE
Through sacrifice we maintain the order of the universe: A rational world 92
The divine has a female aspect: The power of the great goddess 100
Sit up close to your guru: Higher levels of teaching 101
Brahman is my self within the heart: The ultimate reality 102
We learn, we live, we withdraw, we detach: The four stages of life 106
It may be your duty to kill: Selfless action 110
The practice of yoga leads to spiritual liberation: Physical and mental discipline 112
We speak to the gods through daily rituals: Devotion through puja 114
The world is an illusion: Seeing with pure consciousness 116
So many faiths, so many paths: God-consciousness 122
Nonviolence is the weapon of the strong: Hinduism in the political age 124
Buddhism from 6th Century BCE
Finding the Middle Way: The enlightenment of Buddha 130
There can be an end to suffering: Escape from the eternal cycle 136
Test Buddha's words as one would the quality of gold: The personal quest for truth 144
Religious discipline is necessary: The purpose of monastic vows 145
Renounce killing and good will follow: Let kindness and compassion rule 146
We cannot say what a person is: The self as constantly changing 148
Enlightenment has many faces: Buddhas and bodhisattvas 152
Act out your beliefs: The performance of ritual and repetition 158
Discover your Buddha nature: Zen insights that go beyond words 160
Judaism from 2000 BCE
I will take you as my people, and I will be your God: God's covenant with Israel 168
Beside me there is no other God: From monolatry to monotheism 176
The Messiah will redeem Israel: The promise of a new age 178
Religious law can be applied to daily life: Writing the Oral Law 182
God is incorporeal, indivisible, and unique: Defining the indefinable 184
God and humankind are in cosmic exile: Mysticism and the kabbalah 186
The holy spark dwells in everyone: Man as a manifestation of God 188
Judaism is a religion, not a nationality: Faith and the state 189
Draw from the past, live in the present, work for the future: Progressive Judaism 190
If you will it, it is no dream: The origins of modern political Zionism 196
Where was God during the Holocaust?: A challenge to the covenant 198
Women can be rabbis: Gender and the covenant 199
Christianity from 1st Century CE
Jesus is the beginning of the end: Jesus's message to the world 204
God has sent us his Son: Jesus's divine identity 208
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Dying for the message 209
The body may die but the soul will live on: Immortality in Christianity 210
God is three and God is one: A divine trinity 212
God's grace never fails: Augustine and free will 220
In the world, but not of the world: Serving God on behalf of others 222
There is no salvation outside the Church: Entering into the faith 224
This is my body, this is my blood: The mystery of the Eucharist 228
God's word needs no go-betweens: The Protestant Reformation 230
God is hidden in the heart: Mystical experience in Christianity 238
The body needs saving as well as the soul: Social holiness and evangelicalism 239
Scientific advances do not disprove the Bible: The challenge of modernity 240
We can influence God: Why prayer works 246
Islam from 610 CE
Muhammad is God's final messenger: The Prophet and the origins of Islam 252
The Qur'an was sent down from heaven: God reveals his word and his will 254
The Five Pillars of Islam: The central professions of faith 262
The imam is God's chosen leader: The emergence of Shi'a Islam 270
God guides us with shari'a: The pathway to harmonious living 272
We can think about God, but we cannot comprehend him: Theological speculation' in Islam 276
Jihad is our religious duty: Striving in the way of God 278
The world is one stage of the journey to God: The ultimate reward for the righteous 279
God is unequaled: The unity of divinity is necessary 280
Arab, water pot, and angels are all ourselves: Sufism and the mystic tradition 282
The latter days have brought forth a new prophet: The origins of Ahmadiyya 284
Islam must shed the influence of the West: The rise of Islamic revivalism 286
Islam can be a modern religion: The compatibility of faith 291
Modern Religions from 15th Century
We must live as saint-soldiers: The Sikh code of conduct 296
All may enter our gateway to God: Class systems and faith 302
Messages to and from home: The African roots of Santeria 304
Ask yourself: "What would Jesus do?": Following the example of Christ 306
We shall know him through his messengers: The revelation of Baha'i 308
Brush away the dust of sin: Tenrikyo and the Joyous Life 310
These gifts must be meant for us: Cargo cults of the Pacific islands 311
The end of the world is nigh: Awaiting the Day of Judgment 312
The lion of Judah has arisen: Ras Tafari is our savior 314
All religions are equal: Cao Dài aims to unify all faiths 316
We have forgotten our true nature: Clearing the mind with Scientology 317
Find a sinless world through marriage: Purging sin in the Unification Church 318
Spirits rest between lives in Summerland: Wicca and the Otherworld 319
Negative thoughts are just raindrops in an ocean of bliss: Finding inner peace through meditation 320
What's true for me is the truth: A faith open to all beliefs 321
Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart: Devotion to the Sweet Lord 322
Through qigong we access cosmic energy: Life-energy cultivation in Falun Dafa 323
Directory 324
Glossary 340
Index 344
Acknowledgments 351