The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies

This unique introductory textbook is a complete overview of Religious Studies, providing students with the essential knowledge and tools they need to explore and understand the nature of religion.

In a lively and engaging way, the authors draw together the main elements of Religious Studies, allowing the reader to develop an integrated understanding of religion. The book provides:

an overview of the roles of religion in society; an account of the historic development of Religious Studies, and an introduction to some of the major theories and methods – the tools – used in the study of religion; an exploration of the diversity of world religions through overviews of some of the early religions; the family of Western monotheisms (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam); Indian traditions (Hinduism and Buddhism); Chinese traditions (Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist); and less familiar religions such as Zoroastrianism, Shinto, and Native American religion; the impact of Religious Studies and the natural sciences on religion, exploring issues such as developments in scriptural studies, feminist and liberation theology, evolutionism vs. creationism, and ongoing debates about the future of religion in modern society.

 The attractive design, lively text, numerous illustrations, sidebars, text boxes, questions, and activities all make The Religion Toolkit an exciting and thought–provoking book to use.

List of Figures and Maps xiii

Timeline xvi

Acknowledgments xxii

Credits xxiii

1 Introduction: Prepare to Be Surprised 2

PART I THE TOOLS 15

2 An Overview of Religion: Making Sense of Life 16

3 The Early Development of Religious Studies 44

4 Religious Studies in the 20th Century 76

PART II USING THE TOOLS: SURVEYING WORLD RELIGIONS 103

5 Early Traditions 104

6 The Family of Western Monotheisms: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions 124

UNIT I Judaism 126

UNIT II Christianity 151

UNIT III Islam 167

UNIT IV The Impact of Religious Studies on the Western Monotheisms 183

7 330 Million Gods or None: Two Traditions from India 206

8 Balancing and Blending: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in China 246

9 Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Baha i, Scientology, Wicca, and Seneca Traditions: What Makes a World Religion ? 274

10 Closing Questions 308

Glossary 338

Index 344

John Morreall is Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. He has published widely in the philosophy of religion, and on the comic dimensions of world religions. His book Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion (1999) won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book 2000. He is also the author of Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (2009), published by Wiley–Blackwell.

Tamara Sonn is the Wm. R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. Her books include Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam (with J. Neusner, 1999) and Islam: A Brief History, 2nd edition (Wiley–Blackwell, 2010). She was senior editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003), and associate editor of The Islamic World Past and Present (2004). She is currently an editor of Oxford Islamic Studies Online, and of Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (2009). In addition, Sonn is editor–in–chief of Oxford Bibliographies Online: Islamic Studies, and co–editor–in–chief of Wiley–Blackwell′s Religion Compass.