Encountering Religion: An Introduction to the Religions of the World

This comprehensive, user–friendly text introduces students to the principal world faiths. Along with the substantial content and information, each chapter includes classroom exercises that are designed to generate certain skills, such as teamwork, evaluation and analysis. Teachers will also welcome the inclusion of a full glossary, annotated bibliography, fact sheets, revision questions and comparative questions. A helpful introduction looks at ways the teacher can use the book in the classroom and explains its structure and purpose.

This text is cross–referenced to and can be used in conjunction with Markham′s World Religions Reader, Second Edition as a complete teaching package for comparative religion courses. The two texts follow a similar structure, so that for each religion they look at the Spirit of a Tradition, Worldviews, Institutions and Rituals, Ethical Expression and Modern Expressions. This structure enables cross–religious comparison. Each chapter of Encountering Religion also includes a substantial historical survey so the student understands the origins of the beliefs, rituals, and ethics which are then described. To set the scene for examining different religious traditions, initial chapters look at what religion is and at different approaches to studying religion.

List of Contributors.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Studying Religion: Issues in Definition and Method (Elizabeth Ramsey and Shannon Ledbetter).

Religion and Sociology (Julie F. Scott and Irene Hall).

Religion and Psychology (Carl Williams).

Religion and Scripture: The Function of the Special Books of Religion (Alex Smith).

Religion, Ritual, and Culture (Sean McLoughlin).

Religion and the Arts (Shannon Ledbetter).

Secular Humanism (J annine Jobling).

Hinduism (Tinu Ruparell).

Buddhism (David Torevell).

Sikhism (John Parry).

Chinese Religion (Jack Leung).

Judaism (Elizabeth Ramsey).

Shintoism (Ian Markham).

Christianity (Alex Smith).

Islam (Victoria La Porte).

Bibliography.

Index

Ian S. Markham is Professor of Theology at Liverpool Hope University College. His previous publications include Plurality and Christian Ethics (1994), and also numerous articles and reviews. In 1993 he was appointed to the Council of the Advertising Standards Authority.

Dr Tinu Ruperell is Lecturer in Theology at Liverpool Hope University College.