Buddhism, Chinese Traditions, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Japanese Traditions, Judaism.
For many thousands of years, belief in a reality greater than ourselves has served as a source of profound ideas about the nature of meaning of the cosmos, and as a forceful antidote to the fragility and finality of human existence. This book seeks to convey, among other things, the compelling mysteries, the profound intellectual constructs and the rich expressions of holiness that the world's major faiths have achieved: how they have helped to shape the general landscape of cultures and provided traditions of prayer, meditation and healing, as well as rituals that lend order and meaning to life.
'World Religions' is a penetrating introduction to the extraordinary diversity of the world's great faiths as well as to their profoundly fascinating common concerns. Focusing on the seven most important religions in terms of numbers of adherents, historical significance and diffusion, the book brings depth and clarity to the major themes of these traditions through a wealth of reference information, including maps, charts and more than 250 superb full-colour photographs.
Each chapter, written by an acknowledged authority in the field, is organised around ten key themes: origins; historical development; aspects of the divine; sacred text; sacred persons; ethical principles; sacred space; sacred time; death and the afterlife; society and religion. Attention to these common themes enables readers to make illuminating comparisons - to assess the similarities of the traditions as well as to appreciate their distinctive particularities.
An authoritative and lavishly illustrate survey of living faiths, 'World Religions' weaves past and present themes to create a vivid portrait of humanity's major spiritual belief systems and their impact on how we live.
