Interpreting the Sacred: Ways of Viewing Religion

by William E. Paden

William Paden's classic exploration in religious studies, with a new introduction

In the current climate, Interpreting the Sacred provides a fresh, thorough way to consider and compare various religious belief systems. Paden puts forth the idea that our understanding of religion influences our understanding of ourselves and our world. Updated with a new introduction, this book is for anyone who wants to consider and discuss religious beliefs.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

172 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

Reviews

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this lying around since my PG days and decided finally to see what it is about. Points to Paden for trying to be balanced, but I couldn't avoid the feeling that the primary market for the book is religious adolescents who come to college to study religion (in the academic sense). It has little to offer in terms of sociology of religion, and even less in psychology of religion--that section is only about Jung, which, I'd guess (and hope...), is a minority interest in the subfield today. Oxfam, here we come...

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

More when I'm done. It's quite verbose and academic, so it is taking some time to read and truly digest the contents, but it is very enlightening and profound.