World Religions: A Guide to the Essentials / Edition 2

by Thomas A. Robinson

Overview

This masterful survey of world religions presents a clear and concise portrait of the history, beliefs, and practices of Eastern and Western religions. The authors, both respected scholars of world religions, have over 50 years of combined teaching experience. Their book is accessibly written for introductory classes, can be easily adapted for one- or two-semester courses, and employs a neutral approach for broad classroom use.

The third edition has been revised throughout, with updated material on the history and contemporary configurations of each tradition and new sections addressing gender, sexuality, and the environment. It also includes effective sidebars, photographs, timelines, charts, calendars, glossaries, and a spelling guide.

Online resources through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources include Powerpoint/Keynote slides, new maps and videos, and a large question bank of multiple-choice test questions (available to professors upon request).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900801049711
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/18/2014
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Thomas A. Robinson (PhD, McMaster University) is professor of religious studies and chair of the department at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.

Hillary P. Rodrigues (PhD, McMaster University) is professor of religious studies, also at the University of Lethbridge.

Table of Contents

Contents

Maps and Illustrations
1. Studying World Religions
2. Ancient Religions
Western Religions
3. Judaism
4. Christianity
5. Islam
Eastern Religions
6. Hinduism
7. Buddhism
8. Jainism
9. Sikhism
10. Chinese Religions
11. Japanese Religions
12. Other Religions and Major Religious Subgroups
Spelling Guide
Index

Editorial Reviews

As introductions to world religions go, this is an economical text, both short and affordable. Each chapter provides information about the history, beliefs and practices of the major world religions, making chapters easy to navigate and providing comparative information. The emphasis on practices-prayers, observances, rituals-effectively underscores the fact that these are living religions with millions of believers. That said, this is fairly bare bones as a reference work. Sidebars on perhaps three-quarters of the pages provide visual relief and definitions of terms. But the ordering of these information boxes within chapters is arbitrary, thereby depriving this book of an alphabetical, easy-to-use glossary, which is an essential reference function. Curious, too, especially for a concise text, is a decision to repeat some material about Buddhism, which has its own chapter, in separate chapters devoted to Japanese and Chinese religions. An introductory essay provides a fairly dry justification for the study of religion. This will be more valuable as a reference work for seasoned students than for the general reader interested in world religions, who would have preferred the 500 illustrations to be in the text rather than on the accompanying CD. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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