Introduction to World Religions: Third Edition Third Edition / Edition 3

by Christopher Partridge (Editor), Tim Dowley

Overview

This leading textbook for world religion is designed to help students in their study and research of the world's religious traditions. Known and valued for its balanced approach and its respected board of consulting editors, this text addresses ways to study religion, provides broad coverage of diverse religions, and offers an arresting layout with rich illustrations. Introductory sections on understanding religion and the religions of antiquity lay the foundation for the study of the numerous religious traditions highlighted in the volume, including indigenous religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Chinese, Korean, and Japanese religions. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps of the world's religions, and a useful glossary. Both historical overviews and modern perspectives for each religion are included. This third edition has several updates, including a new design, a new section on women and religion, and a newly revised section on religions in today's world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506445946
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Pages:	603
Sales rank:	1,239,863
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Christopher Partridge is professor of religion at Lancaster University.Tim Dowley is a historian and prolific author and editor of Bible and theology resources. He is the author of The Student Bible Atlas (Fortress Press, 2015), Christian Music: A Global History (Fortress Press, 2011), and The Christians: An Illustrated History (2007) and editor of The Atlas of Christian History (Fortress Press, 2016) and The Atlas of the European Reformations (Fortress Press, 2015), among many other titles.

Table of Contents

Contributors xi

List of Maps xiv

List of Time Charts xiv

List of Festival Charts xiv

List of Illustrations xv

Preface to the First Edition xvii

Preface to the Second Edition xix

Preface to the Third Edition xx

Part 1 Understanding Religion

1 What Is Religion? 2

2 Phenomenology and the Study of Religion 5

3 The Anthropology of Religion 11

Myths and Symbols 14

4 The Sociology of Religion 16

5 The Psychology of Religion 21

6 Theological Approaches to the Study of Religion 24

7 Critical Theory and Religion 28

8 Ritual and Performance 32

Part 2 Religions Of Antiquity

9 Religion Before History 42

Holy Places, Sacred Calendars 53

10 Land of the Aztecs and Incas 56

11 The Ancient Near Ease: Cradle of Civilization 63

12 Ancient Egypt: Land of the Priest-King 75

Egyptian Temples: Houses of Power 80

13 Zoroastrianism: A Historical Overview 84

14 Zoroastrian Beliefs 90

Fire Temples 94

15 The Ancient Religions of Greece and Rome 95

16 The Religion of the Celts 115

17 The Religions of Scandinavia: The Norse Gods 118

18 Nomads of the Steppes 123

Part 3 Indigenous Religions

19 Understanding Indigenous Religions 130

20 Indigenous Religions in Asia 137

21 The Foe of Papua New Guinea 142

22 Australian Aboriginal Religions 145

23 Melanesia 149

24 South American Indigenous Religions 152

25 Native North Americans 158

26 Inuit 161

27 Norse Shamanism 163

28 African Indigenous Religions 165

29 The Bangwa 170

30 The Zulu 172

Part 4 Hinduism

31 A Historical Overview 178

32 Philosophy 185

33 Sacred Writings 189

34 Beliefs 193

35 Worship and Festivals 201

36 Family and Society 207

I am a Hindu 208

37 Hinduism in the Modern World 211

Part 5 Buddhism

38 A Historical Overview 218

39 Sacred Writings 227

40 Beliefs 233

41 Family and Society 240

The Cao Dai and the Hoa Hao 244

I am a Buddhist 246

42 Buddhism in the Modern World 248

Part 6 Jainism

43 A Historical Overview 256

Leaders and Enlightenment 262

44 Sacred Writings 264

45 Beliefs 268

46 Family and Society 273

47 Worship and Festivals 277

The Puja of Fight Substances 279

I am a Jain 282

48 Jainism in the Modern World 285

Modern Jain Leaders 286

Part 7 Chinese Religions

49 Chinese Religions; Sages and Immortals 290

50 Christianity in Contemporary China 302

The Worship of Ancestors 306

Part 8 Korean And Japanese Religions

51 Sinkyo: Korea's Traditional Religion 310

52 Japanese Religions: A Tapestry of Traditions 314

Part 9 Judaism

53 A Historical Overview 330

The Thirteen Principles of the Faith 339

The Kabbalah 341

54 Sacred Writings 345

Divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures 349

55 Beliefs 350

The Covenant 356

56 Family and Society 358

57 Worship and Festivals 364

Seder Meal 366

I am a Jew 370

58 The Holocaust 372

59 Branches of Judaism 375

60 Judaism in the Modern World 380

Jewish Population Figures by Continent in 2004 383

Part 10 Christianity

61 A Historical Overview 386

62 Jesus 394

Branches of the Church 402

63 Sacred Writings 407

64 Beliefs 409

65 Worship and Festivals 416

I am a Christian 422

66 Family and Society 424

67 Contemporary Christianity 427

Part 11 Islam

68 A Historical Overview 436

69 The Unity and Variety of Islam 445

70 Sacred Writings 449

71 Beliefs 453

72 Worship and Festivals 459

73 The Law of Islam 465

74 Science, Art, and Culture 469

75 Family and Society 472

I am a Muslim 474

76 Islam in the Modern World 477

Part 12 Sikhism

77 A Historical Overview 484

The Ten Gurus 486

The Khaha 488

78 Sacred Writings 490

79 Beliefs 492

The Mul Mantra 496

80 Worship and Festivals 497

The Golden Temple 499

Guru Hargobind's Release 501

81 Family and Society 503

I am a Sikh 506

82 Sikhism Today 508

Part 13 Religions In Today's World

83 From Existentialism to Postmodernism 516

84 New Religious Movements 522

85 The Bahá'í Faith 528

86 Secularization and Sacralization 532

Church Attendance in England 534

I am a Rastafarian 536

87 Religion and Globalization 538

World Religions Today 541

I am a Spiritual Seeker 542

88 Religion and Politics 545

89 Women and Religion 551

Rapid Fact-Finder 557

Index 595

Picture Acknowledgments 603