RELG: World [with Religion CourseMate + eText Access Codes]

by Robert E. Van Voorst

Created through a "student-tested, faculty-approved" review process with over 500 students and faculty, WORLD is an engaging and accessible solution to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of today's learners at a value-based price. Brief, clear, inexpensive, and intensely visual, WORLD is the first 4LTR Press text in this market. The price and visually engaging 4LTR Press treatment will attract students (without repelling instructors), and the tear-out Chapter in Review cards will encourage retention. If instructors wish to cover further primary sources , they have the option of creating a custom edition incorporating selections from Van Voorst's best-selling ANTHOLOGY OF WORLD SCRIPTURES. The eBook will also include numerous annotated links to interactive maps, videos, audio pronunciations, Google Earth explorations, and primary sources. Professors are always looking for ways to make religions practiced in distant places and times "come alive" for their students. WORLD's framing of different religions as encounters between the religions' adherents and individuals like their students resonates with their needs. In both content and design, WORLD aims to meet course challenges of lower cost, brevity, and relevance to students.

Genres: Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2011

Reviews

[MsChris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic introduction to the world religions. In a magazine-like format which is not something I appreciate in an academic type book. Doesn't go very in depth and many of the concepts are not well explained.

[Toya Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has a worldly view on how to look at each religion.
Gives a general description of each to help better understand the similarities and differences between each of is.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty decent text - good coverage on the religions it does cover.

[Ashton Herrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly unbiased book about religions. It was very informative and a good basis for a beginning study of world religions. It is also refreshing compared too many Western books in it's fields today in that it espouses religion as a normal part of being human. Many other books today see religion as a crutch that only those who are not learned use. This book sheds a positive light on religion in general and it's very refreshing. As a Christian myself, I am glad that I read this.

It seems highly accessible to a lot of people as well, not only academics.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some religions were described noticeably deeper than others (guess which?), but this book is filled with good information and its bias is never distracting or manipulative. I like the idea of a magazine-style quick read with lots of pictures and good links to interesting videos, but I wish the purchase came with a permanent digital copy of the text.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a textbook for religion class. I like how it presented each religion, giving a broad scope of it, then pointing out certain bits. The pictures are pretty, and it uses more or less up to date examples, which almost never happens in textbooks. It also has a section online, however that didn't work very well for me, although other people had no issues with it.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on world religions! Although it is a textbook, I found it to be enlightening and fascinating to read. I learned lots of new stuff. My church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) was portrayed fairly.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very basic introduction to religions around the world. Easy to read, no obvious bias, lots of related pictures. The online extras are helpful and interesting.