Sourcebook of the World’s Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality

Sourcebook of the World's Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality





Now in its third edition, this is the most comprehensive work available on the rich variety of paths available to today's spiritual seekers. More than a reference work, it explores how religions can collaborate to help the world. Essays explore interfaith community and spiritual practices such as theosophy, wicca, and indigenous religions. Portraits of all the major religious traditions are also included. This revised text offers an unparalleled look at where spirituality is headed in the coming millennium.This anthology of interfaith articles, essays, and resources has a multifold mission: First off, it is a well-presented primer, introducing readers to 20 of the world's religions and spiritual beliefs--Hinduism, Christianity, African Traditional Religion, Taoism, Wicca, and Nature Spirituality among them. Second, this carefully edited collection offers suggestions for becoming a more unified community, one that tolerates and respects the diversity of spiritual beliefs on the planet. Finally, it addresses the common ground amid all this diversity, such as respect for human rights, environmental responsibility, and creating a culture of peace.

Although the material is heady (e.g., discussions on "Scared Community at the Dawn of the Second Axial Age" and "Objectives of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions"), the essays are mostly written by accessible writers, such as Wayne Teasdale and Thomas Keating. Also, the editor, Joel Beversluis, offers excellent introductions to each submission, grounding readers in plenty of background, context, and insider's information. --Gail Hudson









List Price: $ 29.95



Price: $ 9.26



Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America (Religion and Politics)





Is the 'private' experience of religion counterproductive to engagement in public life? Does the 'public' experience of religion contribute anything distinctive to civic engagement? "Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America" offers a fresh approach to key questions about what role religion plays in fostering civic responsibility in contemporary American society. Written by five prominent scholars of religion and politics, led by Calvin College's Corwin Smidt, the book brilliantly articulates how religion shapes participation in a range of civic activities - from behaviors (such as membership in voluntary associations, volunteering, and charitable contributions) to capacities (e.g., civic skills and knowledge), to virtues (e.g., law-abidingness, tolerance, and work ethic).In the course of their study the authors examine whether an individual exhibits a diminished, a privatized, a public, or an integrated form of religious expression, based on the individual's level of participation in both the public (worship) or private (prayer) dimensions of religious life. They question whether the privatization of religious life is counterproductive to engagement in public life, and they show that religion does indeed play a significant role in fostering civic responsibility across each of its particular facets."Pews, Prayers, and Participation" is a bold and provocative clarion call to the continuing importance and changing nature of religion in American public life. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of religion and politics, and culture and politics, as well as general readers with an interest in the impact of religion in the public sphere.









List Price: $ 26.95



Price: $ 26.38