Description

For courses in Introduction to World Religions and Introduction to Religious Studies.

This text offers a balanced, wide-ranging, and realistic approach to the study of modern religion. It explores and analyzes the many dimensions not only of the major religious traditions, but also those of the civil religions (e.g., nationalism) that often compete and combine with them in the modern world.

Features

• NEW - Revised to reflect the changes caused by the fall of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union.

  • Provides students with the most current picture of religion in this dynamic part of the world. Ex.___

• NEW - Additional examples of the role of women in major faiths.

  • Demonstrates the importance of women in their faiths. Ex.___

• Explores the major religious traditions as well as secular ideologies (Marxism, nationalisms, scientific humanism) which compete and combine with religions.

  • Exposes students to the full range of worldviews, showing how, whether traditional or secular, they define the human values that drive the engines of both continuity and change worldwide. Ex.___

• The six dimensions of each major religious/ideological tradition- Experiential/emotional; narrative/ mythic; doctrinal/philosophical; ethical/legal; ritual/practical; and social/organizational.

  • Enables students to understand the dynamics of each tradition, and to see that although the various traditions may all share similar aspects, they each assign varying levels of importance to specific areas. Ex.___

• A map of major cultural areas of the world-e.g., Islamic countries, the modern West, Latin America, Black Africa.

  • Helps students visualize the range and context of each tradition. Ex.___

• The emergence of a “new religious age”-Reflects the decay of traditional authorities, the resurgence of individualism, etc.

  • Introduces students to contemporary trends in religion. Ex.___

• Postscript on how to continue studying and thinking about religious studies.

  • Shows students how an on-going study of worldviews can enrich their personal lives by helping them to better understand not only current global events, but the diversity they may encounter in everyday situations in their local communities. Ex.___

New to this Edition

• Revised to reflect the changes caused by the fall of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union.

  • Provides students with the most current picture of religion in this dynamic part of the world. Ex.___

• Additional examples of the role of women in major faiths.

  • Demonstrates the importance of women in their faiths. Ex.___

Table of Contents

1. Exploring Religion and Analyzing Worldviews.


2. Worldviews: An Inventory.


3. The Experiential Dimension.


4. The Mythic Dimension.


5. The Doctrinal Dimension.


6. The Ethical Dimension.


7. The Ritual Dimension.


8. The Social Dimension.


9. Reflections on the Twentieth Century.


Postscript: Further Explorations in Worldview Analysis.


Further Reading.


Index.