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Baker Publishing Group - A. Robinson Thomas , P. Rodrigues Hillary

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227 pages

English

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This masterful survey of world religions presents a clear and concise portrait of the history, beliefs, and practices of Eastern and Western religions. The new edition contains added material and has been revised throughout. The authors, both respected scholars of world religions, have over fifty years of combined teaching experience. Their book is accessibly written for introductory classes, can be easily adapted for one- or two-semester courses, and presents a neutral approach for broad classroom use. Pedagogical aids include further reading suggestions, photographs, sidebars, and pronunciation guides. An 800-question bank of multiple-choice test questions is available to professors through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.

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Comparative religion

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	11 novembre 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441219725
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	4 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0864€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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© 2006, 2014 by Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www . bakeracademic . com
Ebook edition created 2014
Ebook corrections 08.15.2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1972-5
Bible quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
This book is dedicated to the religious studies students at the University of Lethbridge.
Contents
Cover i
Title Page iii
Copyright Page iv
Dedication v
Maps and Illustrations ix
Preface xi
1. Studying World Religions 1
2. Ancient Religions 17
Western Religions 37
3. Judaism 39
4. Christianity 75
5. Islam 109
Eastern Religions 143
6. Hinduism 145
7. Buddhism 177
8. Jainism 209
9. Sikhism 225
10. Chinese Religions 243
11. Japanese Religions 269
12. Other Religions and Major Religious Subgroups 295
Spelling Guide to Terminology 317
Index 321
About the Authors 349
Back Ad 350
Back Cover 351
Maps and Illustrations
Maps
Major Sites of Western Religions 37
Distribution of Western Religions 74
Religions of India 143
Distribution of Eastern Religions 176
Illustrations
Sphinx and Pyramid 22
Egyptian Hieroglyphic Carving 25
The Parthenon 28
Torah Scroll 42
The Arch of Titus 46
The Auschwitz Gate 52
The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock 57
A Jewish Man at Prayer 70
Mosaic of Jesus 77
Constantine 80
Hagia Sophia 83
St. Peter’s Basilica 85
Adam and Eve 92
Mecca: The Old and the New 110
The Great Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba 115
The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmed Mosque) 118
Whirling Dervishes 130
Friday Noon Prayer 132
Prambanan Temples 151
Massive Shiva Statue 160
Ganesha, Son of Shiva 161
Hindu Priest at Worship 168
Cremation Grounds 173
Buddha Image at Borobudur 179
Ancient Buddhist City 185
Potala Palace 189
Theravada Buddhist Temple 197
Buddha Monolith 206
Jain Temple 212
Jain Statue 215
Golden Temple Complex 230
Reading of the Sikh Scriptures 236
Confucius Statue 251
Confucian Temple 253
Temple of Heaven 257
Incense Sticks 259
Budai Statue 263
Guanyin Statue 264
Torii at Miyajima 270
Kobo Daishi Statue 274
State Shinto Shrine 278
Torii and Temple 287
Nika Yuko Japanese Gardens (Lethbridge, Canada) 292
Aztec Calendar 297
Early Mesoamerican Temple Complex 298
Christian Apocalyptic Chart 304
Preface
This project was conceived some years ago by professors Tom Robinson and Hillary Rodrigues of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. As the project neared completion, the department hired two new faculty members, James Linville and John Harding, who contributed to the project. The final product is a joint effort by all members of the department, including contributions from our newest faculty member, Atif Khalil.
The second edition incorporates various revisions, in particular the addition for each chapter of a “Quick Facts” box, a section on women, and a list of suggested readings. The chapter “Other Religions and Major Religious Subgroups” has been extensively expanded, and the new edition includes about fifty photos and maps. Summary boxes of key points have been retained since students have found these to be effective tools for quick review.
1 Studying World Religions
What Is Religion?
Religion is a characteristic of the human species, stretching from antiquity to the present, from simple societies to the most complex, from the unlearned to the educated, from the weak to the powerful, from the young to the old, from the peripheral to the centers of power. Yet religion is notoriously difficult to define. Some scholars would argue that no definition can be adequate, since religion as expressed throughout the world and throughout human history is simply too diverse and complex to be neatly captured in a short definition that identifies a common condition. Indeed, most of the common assumptions about religion fail when we try to apply them to all traditions we normally think of as religious.
Surely gods must be present in religion, one might think. No, for some religions deny either the existence of gods or their relevance. Surely an afterlife must be important in religion. No, for some religions either deny an afterlife or do not divide present and future existence in this way. Perhaps a moral code of some kind captures a common element in religion. No, for in some societies morality is primarily dealt with by philosophers rather than priests, by the academy rather than the temple, and among some peoples codes of behavior provide social order and create stable societies without appeal to religious motives or motifs. Perhaps the common feature among religions is some sense of the “Other”—an awareness of a dimension beyond the visible and the ordinary. But that definition, even if true, is too vague, open ended, and without sufficient content to provide substance to our definition of religion.
Another problem makes it difficult to find a precise definition of religion. It is sometimes not possible to distinguish neatly the religious dimension from the nonreligious. For example, many political ideologies have offered a comprehensive vision of the world and demanded sweeping commitment of their members, differing little from the sense and scope of religious claims. By the same token, some religious systems are essentially political in nature, while others are predominantly personal. Or consider the world of sports. Normally, sports provide small adventures of escape into the realm of play and relative meaninglessness; sometimes, however, sports become warped into a comprehensive world of conviction and commitment by which an individual’s life is inspired and value and meaning determined, and where good and evil battle each other on the playing field for the souls of fans.
The difficulty in finding a fully adequate definition of religion need not lead us to the conclusion that the concept of religion is without substance, though recently some have come to hold that view. There seems to be enough commonality among things that are not easily grouped under any other category to suggest that some broad phenomenon lies behind them. Further, such matters cross diverse cultures and span vast periods, giving us a sense that at some level religion is a profound part of the human experience.

World Religions
Coined in the 1800s, the term world religions originally included only Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Later it was expanded to include Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Shinto. The term is used much more flexibly today.
Western Religions
Western Religions: Those religions that have roots in the religious perspective of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The primary Western religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Sometimes these are called Abrahamic religions.
Judaism: Based on the religion of the ancient Hebrews and reflecting major reforms after the destruction of the first Jewish temple in the 500s BCE and other reforms after the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE (rabbinic Judaism).
Christianity: A reform movement growing out of Judaism in the first century CE; became the religion of the Roman Empire in 300s; expanded globally, particularly from the 1500s.
Islam: A reform movement in the Arabian Peninsula in the 600s CE; within a hundred years became the dominant power from Spain and the North African coast to the Indian Ocean.
Eastern Religions
Eastern Religions: Imprecise division; generally religions of Asia, though Islam is usually treated as Western.
Hinduism: A generic term for an array of religions native to India that recognize the Vedas; largely restricted to India and its emigrant communities.
Buddhism: A rejection of Vedic religion, developed by the Buddha in 500s BCE in northeastern India; expanded eastward, becoming the dominant religion of Southeast Asia; based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Jainism: Founded in 500s BCE by Mahavira in eastern India; rejected Vedas; emphasized asceticism to free soul of karmic matter; confined to India.
Confucianism: Founded in 500s BCE by Confucius; emphasized social order and responsibility and reverence of family; largely restricted to East Asia.
Daoism: Shadowy beginnings (ca. 500s BCE?); associated with Laozi; teaches about the path ( dao ), consisting of maintaining a harmony of opposite but complementary forces and the natural order; largely restricted to China and Chinese communities.
Shinto: The indigenous traditions of Japan, distinguished particularly from foreign implants such as Buddhism; emphasizes ancestors and the kami , mysterious divine powers that inspire awe.
Sikhism: Hindu reform movement, with elements of Islam, begun by Nanak in 1500s CE; largely confined to the Punjab area of northwest India and emigrant communities.
Religion and Religions
So difficult is it to specify the defining features of religion that often the study of religion focuses on individual religious traditions themselves, treating each religious tradition as a separate study. It is not religion per se that is studied, but a variety of religions, each a subject in its own right. That is largely our approach in this book.
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