eBooks are accessible online, and many are available for download or 2 week check out.
Approaching the World's Religions, Volume 1 : Philosophically Thinking about World Religions
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Philosophically Thinking about World Religions is different from other works in the discipline today. It deviates from the typical approaches used for the study of world religions. Its goal is to engage readers in thinking hard about world religions, not about the data surrounding those traditions. By focusing on philosophical questions, each reader should be challenged to do their own investigations that may reveal the heart of these traditions. Another stance that this project takes that distinguishes it from other texts in the discipline is that it advocates an inclusivist perspective regarding the world religions Pluralism, which is the predominate assumption today, ends either in contradiction or in the development of a metatheory that dismisses crucial distinctions between the various traditions or eliminates some ancient religions because they do not fit the metatheory. By taking an open inclusivist approach, all religious traditions may engage at the table of dialogue. The final essay is about justice and social affairs. While that discussion is couched within the context of a particular tradition, each religious tradition must have the discussion. But it must be more than an intrareligious dialogue; it must become an interreligious dialogue.
An Introduction to Religious and Theological Studies
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An Introduction to Religious and Theological Studies walks students through topical issues to be encountered in the study of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as these religions encounter other religions in the context of the wider ecumenism. The text is written from a Christian point of view and aims at helping students understand that to be Christian is to be ecumenical. African Traditional Religions (ATRs) has been included in this survey to provide background for the religious traditions and cultures of peoples of Africa as Christianity moves inexorably southward. The book has been written with undergraduate general education students in mind--including meeting the needs of those in seminaries and theological institutes.
Understanding the Religions of the World: An Introduction
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Understanding the Religions of the World offers a new approach to the study of religion which moves away from the purely descriptive and instead helps students understand how religions actually 'work'. Covering all the main faith traditions, it combines historical context, contemporary beliefs and practices, and original theory, with numerous study features and valuable overviews. A major new student-focused textbook concentrating on contemporary practices and beliefs of world religions Brings together a team of experts to provide a uniquely comprehensive coverage of religious traditions, including African religions and the religions of Oceania, which are rarely covered in detail Integrates original theory by arguing that each religion operates according to its own logic and order, and that they fulfill our need for a point of orientation Incorporates extensive student features including chapter introductions, 'did you know?' sections, boxed examples/material, numerous images and maps, conclusions, study questions and teaching plans, available on publication at www.wiley.com/go/deming
Circulating books may be checked out in 3 week intervals.
The Penguin Handbook of the World's Living Religions
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Comprehensive, informative and authoritative, The Penguin Handbook of the World's Living Religions is compiled by a team of leading international scholars, and is the definitive guide to the religious belief systems and practices of the world today. This in-depth survey of active religions has now been fully updated to include modern developments and the most recent scholarship. It explains the sources and history of the world's religions, includes material on the phenomenon of Black African and Asian diaspora religions around the world and explores the role of gender in modern religion.
What Is Philosophy of Religion?
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An important part of philosophy is concerned with religious questions. What is the meaning of life, and how might religious faith or doubt impact such meaning? What is the evidence for the existence of God? Is evidence essential for religious faith? What is the relationship between science and religion? What is the relationship between religions? How can or should one assess virtues and vices, right and wrong, from a religious versus a secular point of view? In this beginner's guide, Charles Taliaferro addresses these and other important questions involved in philosophy of religion. He challenges the negative, often complacent attitudes towards religion as being dangerous or merely superstitious, arguing instead for a healthy pluralism and respect between persons of faith and secular inquirers. What is Philosophy of Religion? takes a practical, question-based approach to the subject, inviting the reader to engage with this exciting area of philosophy in a down-to-earth way.
World Religions
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More than at any other time in history, readers are educating themselves on the world's major religions and what each believes. Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam often seem at odds with each other, and as readers struggle to understand, The Complete Idiot's Guide(R) to World Religions, Third Edition, provides expanded and updated coverage to answer their questions. Expert comparative religion authors Toropov and Buckles provide the perfect companion for answering today's questions about both major and lesser-known religions and beliefs. Along with parts on each of the major five religions - describing history, rituals, celebrations, holy documents, deities, and structure - there is coverage of Asian paths of belief, non-scriptural religions, ancient creeds, and earth-based religions still practiced in Asia, Africa, South America, and island nations, as well as Europe and North America.
World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored and Explained
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A refreshing approach to understanding different faiths. Detailed annotations to stunning illustrations provide intriguing insights into the world's most important religions--offering a deeper appreciation of the beliefs central to each. World Religions looks at the beliefs and practices of many different religions, from the ancient Egyptians through to Zoroastrianism--the oldest "living" religion--and the great faiths practiced today. Each of the major faiths--Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam--is examined in detail through its sacred texts, epic imagery, key beliefs, and religious artifacts. The distinctive identities of different faiths are explored in World Religions by studying the main principles and thinking of each religion. The book's superb reproduction allows the symbolism and meaning in religious imagery and iconography to be revealed in great detail. Accessible and far-reaching, World Religions will engage the whole family as much as the serious student.
A World Religions Reader
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This Reader brings together primary material from the major religions of the world. It combines passages from the scriptures with classic statements from major thinkers and institutions and includes the words of John Lennon and Martin Luther King. To enable cross-religious comparison, each chapter is organized around five headings: The Religious Mind, World Views, Institutions and Rituals, Ethical Expression (with a special emphasis on the role of women), and Modern Outlook (including a text that describes a conversion, or defense of the tradition.) The Reader is written for students who are coming to the study of world religions for the first time. At the end of each chapter, fact sheets are provided to give a clear summary of major beliefs, significant historical events and festivals, and a glossary. The volume also includes an annotated bibliography, summary statistics, and discussion and essay questions.
Books from the reference section are available for in-library use, or are available for online viewing.
Subject-specific reference books for the major religions are listed under the corresponding tabs on the left.
Atlas of the World's Religions
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This superbly illustrated reference work remains the only comprehensive visual guide to the worlds religious traditions. With text by leading experts and lavish photography, thematic maps, tables, and charts, the Atlas of the Worlds Religions, second edition ranges from the travels of the Buddha to the geographical distribution of modern indigenous faiths, providing a full and informative picture of world religion, both past and present. Through almost 200 full-color maps, organized in a beautifully designed series of double-page spreads, this marvelous atlas shows the historical development and present state of all the world's major religions, with color illustrations that show temples, sites, ceremonies and works of art connected with religious life. The updated and expanded second edition provides a comprehensive overview of the major events over time that influenced the geographical development of the worlds religions, and it provides a global and regional assessment of religion in the modern world. There are eight entirely new double-page spreads that illuminate such topics as the spread of the Latter-day Saints throughout the world, Pentecostal Christianity today (perhaps numbering more than 500 million adherents, or nearly one-fourth of the global Christian population), contemporary diasporic communities, South American religions, and much more. The second edition will also include extensive updates to many page spreads, 20,000 new words of text, fresh maps and illustrations, a revised introduction by the new editor, Frederick Denny, an expanded glossary and index, and a list of additional resources, all of which further enhance the value of the book. Both a treasury of information and an exhilarating visual feast, Atlas of the Worlds Religions, Second Edition is an essential reference work for anyone interested in faith around the globe.
Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions
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Religious faith takes many forms. Throughout the centuries and around the globe, the human response to the divine has given rise to a large number of important religions. This encyclopedia provides an authoritative and comprehensive guide to the religions of the world and to the concepts, people and events that shaped them.
How to Be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People's Religious Ceremonies
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Recommended by Booklist for addition to library's core collection for general works on religion. A straightforward guide to the rituals and celebrations of the major religions and denominations in the United States and Canada from the perspective of an interested guest of any other faith. How to Be a Perfect Stranger is based on information obtained from authorities of each religion. These easy-to-use guidebooks help the well-meaning guest of any other faith feel at ease, participate to the fullest extent possible, and avoid violating anyone's religious principles while enriching their own spiritual understanding. What will happen? What do I do? What do I wear? What do I say? When is it OK to leave? What should I avoid doing, wearing, or saying? What are their basic beliefs? Should I bring a gift? These are just a few of the basic questions answered in How to Be a Perfect Stranger, Vols. 1 and 2, two books that belong in every living room, library, and office. Originally published in hardcover by Jewish Lights Publishing, these updated and expanded trade paperback editions now include information for the Canadian branches of each faith, plus an added chapter on the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, The United Church of Canada."
Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions
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More comprehensive than any other single volume reference on this subject, the dictionary covers all the world's major religions and beliefs, both current and historical. With 2,900 concise and informative entries, the dictionary spans all periods and places. It provides coverage of today's Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, along with the rites of ancient civilizations, as well as less mainstream beliefs such as Scientology and pantheism. Supplements include a subject index, a calendar of festivals, and a chart detailing the population distribution of the major faiths.
New Historical Atlas of Religion in America
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In two editions over 40 years, Edwin Gaustad's Atlas of American Religion has been an essential guide to the American religious experience. Now the New Historical Atlas of Religion in America takes the story into the new millennium. Expanded, reorganized, and now in full color, the new edition of this classic reference work is an arresting visual and narrative portrait of the growth, development, and diversity of America's communities of faith across nearly 400 years. Here is a vastly more complex American religious life--from the decline of mainstream Protestantism to the emergence of evangelical churches and the growing influence of Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and other faiths. Parts One and Two are a history--in maps and text--of American religions. Part Three focuses in-depth on Lutherans, Mormons, and Roman Catholics. Part Four examines the political, cultural, and social aspects of religion in American public life. Lavishly illustrated with full-color maps, charts, and diagrams, the new Atlas is an essential resource for all readers--students, teachers, scholars, and everyone seeking to understand the remarkable religious history of the United States.
The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements
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The study of New Religious Movements (NRMs) is one of the fastest-growing areas of religious studies. This Handbook covers the current state of the field and breaks new ground. Its contributors are drawn equally from sociology and religious studies and include both established scholars and" rising stars" in the field. The core chapters deal with such central issues as conversion, the brainwashing debate, millennialism, and modernization. Another section deals with NRM subfields such as neopaganism, Satanism, and UFO religions. The final section considers NRMs in global perspective.
