The Illustrated Guide to World Religions

by Michael D. Coogan (Editor)

Graced with rich illustrations and written by a team of eminent scholars, The Illustrated Guide to World Religions presents a wealth of information on faiths around the world.
Each chapter in this volume examines one of seven major world religions--from Judaism to Christianity and from Islam to Buddhism--and contains information about its holidays and festivities, key historical and mythological figures, architectural styles, calendars, language, and important
texts. The book deals with such issues as the afterlife, the role of women, the importance of saints, and the quest for higher wisdom. We discover, for instance, that Pure Land Buddhism--found mainly in China, Japan, and Tibet--holds that meditation on a particular deity at the moment of death will
help insure rebirth into that deity's celestial domain. In Judaism, on the other hand, the concept of an afterlife has never played a central role. Uniquely organized in a manner that encourages comparative analysis, the book's lavish full-color art, maps, and photographs all focus on faith in
practice, in both elaborate ritual and everyday life.
Religion continues to be a monumental force in a rapidly changing world. Whether tracing the origins of your own faith or attempting to satisfy a curiosity about religious practices an ocean away, The Illustrated Guide to World Religions will be a fascinating and indispensable guide to the
complexity of the world's living religions.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Spirituality

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Michael David Coogan is Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum and Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College. For several decades, he has taught an introductory course on the Hebrew Scriptures at Harvard University, as well as at Wellesley College, Boston College, and Stonehill College. One of the leading biblical scholars in the United States, he is the author of The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures, and editor of the acclaimed third edition of The New Oxford Annotated Bible.

Reviews

[Miguel Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luego de leer "Entender el Judaísmo" me percaté de que había una colección, y que ella había sido tomada de este libro, que trata de exponer los fundamentos básicos de las 7 religiones con más adeptos en el mundo. Me tardé bastante en leerlo por diferentes actividades que se me juntaron, y ahora que lo termino puedo decir que me agradó bastante porque al tener la oportunidad de acercarse al fenómeno religioso desde diversas perspectivas en espacios geográficamente separados, uno identifica ciertas diferencias, pero de fondo, encuentra las grandes semejanzas entre las distintas fes, y las interrelaciones entre una forma básica de pensamiento o creencia con los alcances que tiene en la vida cotidiana.

Todo el libro me pareció de interés, pero rescato especialmente las formas semejantes de religión entre los "pueblos del Libro" y por otro lado, los devenires y la convivencia pacífica entre distintas creencias, derivados en el sincretismo de las religiones del lejano oriente.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, my opinion of this book is that it is an interesting read with good attention to detail. Interesting to read, and had some info that wasn't featured in other books of a similar nature. Very good!

[Ethan Unklesbay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. It provides a quick surface level skimming of the world's religions.
Written by various authors of various levels of clarity and knowledge, it's occasionally oversimplified.
More on the blog:
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[Denese · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very brief overview. OK but not what I wanted.