Books like World religions by Warren Matthews

An updated, comprehensive guide to the world’s major faiths—including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism—and the native spiritual traditions of the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Oceania, emphasizing their core teachings and inner dimensions.

Pascal Boyer, professor of anthropology, applies cognitive science and evolutionary psychology to uncover the shared foundations of religious belief, showing how our minds and human needs shape diverse faith traditions.

This attractively illustrated volume is the first comprehensive work for general readers on the origins of humankind's religious nature. By examining the footprints along the course of humanity's religious journey, Julien Ries is able to effectively counter attempts to root the origins of religion in evolutionary, ethnological, and sociological causes. His study uncovers the presence of a religious sense in humankind from our very first appearance on earth and shows that an inner religious structure is in fact an essential characteristic of our being human: homo religiosus. The Origins of Religions opens with a look at prehistoric man's first steps on the planet, then moves on to examine the cultic rituals, artistic expression, and expanding mythology that developed throughout the Paleolithic and Neolithic epochs. In these simple yet immensely meaningful religious practices we find the precursors to the development of systematic religion in the cultures of Sumero-Babylonia, pharaonic Egypt, China, Indo-Europe, and India, which in turn culminates in the birth of the three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

"A leading textbook for world religion, this new edition is designed to help students in their study and research of the world's religious traditions. Known and valued for its balanced approach and its respected board of consulting editors, this text addresses ways to study religion, provides broad coverage of diverse religions, and offers an arresting layout with rich illustrations. The second edition has new and extended primary source readings, a stronger section on the religions of South Asia, additional maps, a new full-color, student-friendly format, and more. It can be purchased individually or as part of a course pack which includes the Study Companion. Authoritative content, comprehensive scope, arresting four-color illustration, and innovative learning aids, now in multiple formats for complete versatility. Also available as an Inkling Interactive Textbook: the full content of the textbook plus!"--Publisher description.

The twenty-first century is witnessing a resurgence and globalization of religion. Around the world, religion has become an increasingly more important and pervasive force in personal and public life. Revealing the significance of religion in contemporary life, World Religions Today, Second Edition, explores eight major religious traditions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. Covering historical details more succinctly than the previous edition, this volume features revised chapters on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and East Asian Religions and adds two new chapters, "Primal Religions," and "Globalization: From New to New Age Religions." It also integrates material on Osama bin Laden, global terrorism, and the Iraq War. Moving beyond many books in the field--which focus on the historical origins and ancient development of the classical traditions of each religion--World Religions Today, Second Edition, takes a fresh approach. The book uses historical coverage of the religious traditions as a framework to help students understand how faiths have evolved to the present day and continue to have an impact on belief, politics, and society. It connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices but also shows how these religions have responded to and been transformed by the modern world. To help students grasp what might be "new" about the emerging era of religious life in the twenty-first century, the authors open each discussion with a contemporary scenario of religious experience that illustrates the tension between premodern views and modernity. World Religions Today, Second Edition, incorporates many pedagogical aids--timelines, maps, illustrations, discussion questions, and a glossary of key terms--and also features approximately 200 photographs and two new eight-page full-color inserts. A Companion Website contains student resources including chapter summaries, self-quizzes, and links to additional sources. An Instructor's Manual offers chapter summaries, pedagogical suggestions, and exam questions and answers. Ideal for undergraduate courses in world religions and comparative religion, World Religions Today, Second Edition, emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith, culture, politics, and society, providing a peerless examination of the diverse ways in which contemporary human beings are religious.

"World Religions: A Historical Approach, Third Edition (formerly World Faiths, Second Edition), presents each major religious tradition - from African and American Indian to several Eastern and Western traditions - including Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Nigosian considers each religious tradition's basic belief pattern, development, and contemporary condition."--BOOK JACKET.