The Handy Religion Answer Book

By John Renard

Book Overview

An engaging question-and-answer guide to the world's major religions.

Why do conflicts in the name of God persist-even though religious scholars agree that all great religions are based on love, not carnage? What do different faiths have to say about God? About the afterlife?

The spiritual world we live in today is a diverse and sometimes highly individualized mixture of religious practices and beliefs. The physical world is a much smaller place, often secular in appearance but still very much fueled by religious beliefs and conflict in the name of God. The Handy Religion Answer Book is an easy-to-use comparative guide for anyone seeking a greater understanding of the world's religious beliefs, customs, and practices. It provides solid descriptions of major beliefs and rituals worldwide, affording the reader an understanding of contemporary religion.

This book contains detailed descriptions of the history, beliefs, symbols, rituals, observations, customs, membership, leaders, and organization of the world's eight major religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto.

Clearly and eloquently written by a scholar with over 40 years of study and teaching experience, The Handy Religion Answer Book is an engaging guide for anyone seeking basic religious literacy and intellectual history.

This handy primer contains a wealth of information and answers more than 1,000 questions, such as ... What is the significance of the Star of David? How did so many different Christian churches come into being? What is the importance of the month of Ramadan? What is an ayatollah? Do Taoists believe in heaven and hell? What are the main Islamic notions of the afterlife? Who is the Dalai Lama and why is he important to so many Buddhists?

Plus, it includes questions concerning religion and violence and suborganizations that claim affiliation with the major faith communities. A glossary of religious terminology and maps of the general coverage areas for each religion are also included.

Enlightening and educational, The Handy Religion Answer Book clears up misinformation and misconceptions, and helps explain cultural and historical differences, providing the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the world's great religions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578593794
• ISBN13: 9781578593798
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 2.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Clear Reference Book

Here is another handy reference book for anyone who wants to learn something about the faiths of the world after reading about them in newspapers or hearing about them elsewhere.

Very Useful for Sorting Through Relgions

Great book that answers most of the questions rationale people have about religion. Great reference for settling disputes about religious practices. It's the "bible" of relgious FAQs.

AN OUTSTANDING OVERVIEW

__ THE HANDY RELIGION ANSWER BOOK __ is broken down in such a way that it makes finding specific information about various aspects of the religions covered very accessible. Overall it is structured as follows:RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF MIDDLE EASTERN ORIGIN. . . . . Judaism. . . . . Christianity. . . . . IslamRELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF SOUTH ASIAN ORIGINS . . . . . Hinduism. . . . . BuddhismRELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF EAST ASIAN ORIGIN. . . . . Daoism and Chinease Community Traditions. . . . . Confucianism, The Literati, and Chinese Imperial Tradition. . . . . ShintoUnder each religion, several questions are posed, having answers that serve to explain the traditions, philosophies, and religious practices of each. A few typical questions are: How does Jewish tradition interpret history? What is Christian Fundamentalism? and Do Muslims believe in miracles. These are just a sampling of the hundreds of subjects covered.In addition to the information given for each of the various religions, there is a General Information section which includes a CHRONOLOGY OF MAJOR EVENTS covering a period of from 4000 BCE to 2001 AD and a section of DEFINITIONS AND METHODSIf you want a good overview of the major religious traditions of our world, you can't go wrong with __ THE HANDY RELIGION ANSWER BOOK __. Of course if you want to go into any subject more deeply, there is a list of resources included which will lead you to more in depth information.