World Religions Author: John Bowker | Language: English | ISBN:
143955479X | Format: EPUB
World Religions Description
Baffled by Buddhism? Confused by Catholicism? Mystified by Mysticism? "World Religions" can lift the cloud surrounding the main faiths of the world. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism and many more key faiths are explained clearly with beautifully annotations and full colour illustrations. Providing detailed insight into the key practices, figures and images of each religion, this is perfect for those beginning their exploration into faith, or for those just needing a quick reference tool. "World Religions" details the beliefs from modern Scientology to the world's oldest faith - Zoroastrianism - and everything in between.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Library Binding: 216 pages
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 143955479X
- ISBN-13: 978-1439554791
- Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 8.5 x 11 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
This richly illustrated book shows the world's most important religions with detailed annotation of sacred texts, paintings, epic imagery, symbolism, iconography, key beliefs, architecture and artifacts. World Religions gives insights into the world's main religions and offers a deeper appreciation for the belief you have chosen as your own.
Through the pages, the author looks at the beliefs and practices of many different religions from the ancient Egyptians to the faiths practiced today.
I have so enjoyed John Bowker's books and he has given me so insights into the religions of the world. He was the dean of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1984 to 1991. He is the author of many books, including The Meanings of Death and The Complete Bible Handbook.
With the knowledge presented, you can learn about the central leaders and their teachings, examine the similarities and differences and discover the main beliefs behind each faith.
The chapters include:
What is Religion? - An explanation of what it means to be religious.
Ancient Religions - Why have most cultures had a religion?
Hinduism
Jainism
Buddhism
Sikhism
Chinese Religions
Japanese Religions
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Native Religions
The Golden Rule - How this rule exists in all religions in some form or the other.
Religious Timeline and Maps - Six pages, one with a very helpful timeline that shows when the religion came to be and how it evolved over time.
Further Reading - A page of books organized according to the religion they explain.
"What you do not want done to you, do not do to others." -Confucius, is found in every religion in some form or the other!
First, this book is the most accessible, well-written and even-handed single-volume overview of current world religion I've ever found in English. I'd recommend this to anyone seeking to get at least a baseline grasp of what our neighbors believe. I will likely buy a copy for each of my nieces and nephews (with a few words of warning about the objectionable parts). At first the image-saturated, magazine-style format made me a little worried the book would be too lightweight, but the appealing and accessible format is well-used to convey a genuinely well-chosen selection of information. Author John Bowker has perfect credentials, as the author of The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions and editor of the The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions. The last section, which draws attention to the hopeful & empathetic common message seemingly at the heart of all major faiths, is particularly welcome.
Author John Bowker makes a few odd choices I wouldn't agree with -- like translating the title of the Tao te Ching (Book of the Virtuous Path) as 'The Way of Power,' but generally these are only quibbles. The only element of this book that makes me slightly uneasy is when the author allows some religious bigotry against non-Christians to sneak into an otherwise excellent book. For example:
* The section on Islam includes a photograph of the Twin Towers burning and a picture of an angry-looking Islamic man in military gear holding up an assault rifle in one hand and the Qur'an in the other. Wow!
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