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For all who want to understand the religious faiths of their neighbors and coworkers, Winfried Corduan offers an introduction to the religions of the world. His survey covers major and minor religions including Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, African traditional religions, Native American religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Chinese popular religion, and Shinto and Japanese religions. Neighboring Faiths emphasizes not just formal religious teachings but also how each religion is practiced in daily life. Dozens of photographs, charts and maps help illustrate how the faiths are lived out in contemporary culture. Moving beyond mere description, Corduan offers specific suggestions for how Christians can avoid giving unnecessary offense to followers of these faiths while engaging them in constructive dialogue. This edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded, with a new chapter on Islam after 9/11 and additional material throughout.

Featuring more than sixty brand new maps, photographs, diagrams and charts, the Atlas of World Religions is an essential companion to any study on the key religions of the world. The concise, helpful text written by acknowledged authorities guides the experience and helps readers to interpret the visuals. Consciously written for students of all levels, this volume is perfect for individual or course-based study.

It has long seemed very desirable that a brief, comprehensive, and readable narrative of the origin of Christianity, and of its struggles and triumphs, should be prepared and adapted to the masses of the people. This narrative consists of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth; the adventures of Paul and the apostles; and the most interesting events in the progress of Christianity from the earliest period to the present time.

Examining the entire span of Jewish history by focusing on thirty pivotal moments in the Jewish people's experience from biblical times through the present--essentially the most important events in the life of the Jewish people--Turning Points in Jewish History provides "the big picture": both a broad and a deep understanding of the Jewish historical experience. Zeroing in on eight turning points in the biblical period, four in Hellenistic-Roman times, five in the Middle Ages, and thirteen in modernity, Marc J. Rosenstein elucidates each formative event with a focused history, a timeline, a primary text with commentary as an intimate window into the period, and a discussion of its legacy for subsequent generations.

Reflecting recent developments and expanding its coverage of key issues, this book is a concise and absorbing account of Islamic history and of Islam's role in today's global society. This book spans Islamic history from the life of Muhammad and the birth of Islamic ideals, through Islam's phenomenal geographical expansion and cultural development, to the creation of modern states and its role in today's global society.

Is the history of Hinduism the history of Brahmanas from Rigdevic times to the present? Or, does the story of Hinduism begin with the descriptions of the ancient roots as revealed by archaeological findings and the evidence from present day tribal, village and regional cultures? This book looks at both.

Over its long history, Buddhism has never been a simple monolithic phenomenon, but rather a complex living tradition--or better, a family of traditions--continually shaped by and shaping a vast array of social, economic, political, literary, and aesthetic contexts across East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Buddhisms in Asia offers a guide to Buddhism's rich variety of traditions and cultural expressions

Harold D. Roth explores the origins and nature of the Daoist tradition, arguing that its creators and innovators were not abstract philosophers but, rather, mystics engaged in self-exploration and self-cultivation, which in turn provided the insights embodied in such famed works as the Daodejing and Zhuangzi. In this compilation of essays and chapters representing nearly thirty years of scholarship, Roth examines the historical and intellectual origins of Daoism and demonstrates how this distinctive philosophy emerged directly from practices that were essentially contemplative in nature.

Founded by Bahá'u'llah in Iran in the 19th century, the Bahá'í Faith is one of the youngest of the world's major religions. Though it has over 5 million followers worldwide, it is still little understood outside of its own community. The Bahá'í Faith explores the utopian vision of the Bahá'í Faith including its principles for personal spiritual transformation and for the construction of spiritualized marriages, families, Baha'í; communities, and, ultimately, a spiritual world civilization.

This introduction covers the history of Mormonism and an analysis of Mormon beliefs, beginning with their prophet, Joseph Smith. It examines how the religion has adapted and changed since its founder's death, and answers some of the common questions people have about Mormonism.