The Handy Religion Answer Book

John Renard

Description

An engaging question-and-answer guide to the world's major religions.

Why do conflicts in the name of God persist—even though religious scholars agree that all great religions are based on love, not carnage? What do different faiths have to say about God? About the afterlife?

The spiritual world we live in today is a diverse and sometimes highly individualized mixture of religious practices and beliefs. The physical world is a much smaller place, often secular in appearance but still very much fueled by religious beliefs and conflict in the name of God. The Handy Religion Answer Book is an easy-to-use comparative guide for anyone seeking a greater understanding of the world's religious beliefs, customs, and practices. It provides solid descriptions of major beliefs and rituals worldwide, affording the reader an understanding of contemporary religion.

This book contains detailed descriptions of the history, beliefs, symbols, rituals, observations, customs, membership, leaders, and organization of the world’s eight major religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto.

Clearly and eloquently written by a scholar with over 40 years of study and teaching experience, The Handy Religion Answer Book is an engaging guide for anyone seeking basic religious literacy and intellectual history.

This handy primer contains a wealth of information and answers more than 1,000 questions, such as ...

What is the significance of the Star of David?

How did so many different Christian churches come into being?

What is the importance of the month of Ramadan?

What is an ayatollah?

Do Taoists believe in heaven and hell?

What are the main Islamic notions of the afterlife?

Who is the Dalai Lama and why is he important to so many Buddhists?

Plus, it includes questions concerning religion and violence and suborganizations that claim affiliation with the major faith communities. A glossary of religious terminology and maps of the general coverage areas for each religion are also included.

Enlightening and educational, The Handy Religion Answer Book clears up misinformation and misconceptions, and helps explain cultural and historical differences, providing the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the world’s great religions.

Sujets

• Comparative Religion
• Philosophie et théologie
• Theological Studies
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578593927
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

About the Author

Photo by Michael Harter.
J ohn Renard received his doctorate in Islamic Studies from Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1978. Since then he has been teaching courses in Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, religion and the arts, and comparative theology in the Department of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. Earlier publications include All the King’s Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation (SUNY, 1994); Seven Doors to Islam and Windows on the House of Islam (California, 1996, 1998); and Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Literature and the Visual Arts (Mercer, 1999), as well as volumes on Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism in Paulist Press’s "101 Questions" series. His most recent books are Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood (California, 2008), Tales of God’s Friends: Islamic Hagiography in Translation (California, 2009), and Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective (California, 2011).
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THE HANDY RELIGION ANSWER BOOK
Copyright © 2012 by Visible Ink Press®
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or web site.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd., #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleinkpress.com , or 734-667-3211.
Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Marco Di Vita Proofreaders: Sharon R. Gunton and Shoshana Hurwitz Indexing: Shoshana Hurwitz
ISBN 978-1-57859-379-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Renard, John, 1944-
The handy religion answer book / by John Renard. 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) index.
ISBN 978-1-57859-379-8
1. Religions Miscellanea. I. Title.
BL80.3.R47 2012
200 dc23
2011050804
Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I NTRODUCTION
JUDAISM
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
CHRISTIANITY
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
ISLAM
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
HINDUISM
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
BUDDHISM
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
DAOISM AND CCT
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
CONFUCIANISM, THE LITERATI, AND CHINESE IMPERIAL TRADITIONS
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals
SHINTO
History and Sources
Religious Beliefs
Signs and Symbols
Membership, Community, Diversity
Leadership, Authority, and Religious Roles
Holidays and Regular Observances
Customs and Rituals

M APS
G LOBAL R ELIGION T IMELINE
G LOSSARY
F URTHER R EADING
I NDEX
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to scholars too numerous to mention by name here, although the works listed in the "further reading" section offer some idea of the throng of dedicated specialists on whose work this volume relies on. Any errors of fact are, of course, my responsibility. My deepest gratitude goes, as always, to my spouse, Mary Pat, for her unfailing good humor through the project. Special thanks go to David Vila, then a graduate student at Saint Louis University, for his advice on an early draft, to Darius Makuja for his assistance early in the project, and to Elizabeth Staley Evans for her editorial and research assistance in preparing the final draft of the first edition. For their suggestions as to how to revise for the present edition, I thank graduate students in Comparative Theology courses in Fall 2009 and 2010: Alden Bass, Chih-Yin Chen, Jared Goff, Robert Munshaw, Alison Rose, Andrew Russell, and Caitlin Stevenson. To Alex Giltner and Jacob van Sickle, both of Saint Louis University, I am very grateful for their extensive assistance in various stages of the preparation and completion of this revised edition.
I thank also VIP publisher Roger Jänecke for requesting a revised edition, managing editor Kevin Hile, page and cover designer Mary Claire Krzewinski, typesetter Marco Di Vita, indexer Shoshana Hurwitz, and proofreader Sharon R. Gunton.
I am grateful also to Michael Harter, SJ, Beata Grant of Washington University, David Oughton of Saint Louis University, and the St. Louis Art Museum for kindly allowing me to use their photos. Unless otherwise credited, all photographs are by the author.
Photo Credits
Photos provided by Shutterstock, or by David Oughton, David Edwards, Beata Grant, and Michael Harter, S.J., where credited in the caption, except as indicated below.
Photos provided by Dr. John Renard: pp. 9 , 10 , 12 , 15 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 39 , 44 , 60 , 67 , 81 , 88 , 90 , 92 , 93 , 105 , 110 , 116 , 117 , 119 , 129 , 131 , 134 , 142 , 150 , 153 , 157 , 167 , 175 , 176 , 178 , 182 , 241 , 245 , 251 , 255 , 261 , 262 , 263 , 264 , 267 , 275 , 285 , 290 , 300, 311 , 313 , 321 , 323 , 326 , 336 , 341 , 344 , 345 , 346 , 351 , 354 , 357 , 363 , 369 , 371 , 380 , 381 , 383 , 384 , 390 , 401 , 404 , 408 , 412 , 422 , 430 , 431 , 432 , 434 , 435 , 437 , 443 , 444 , 446 , 452 , 454 , 458 , 462 , 463 .
Photos provided by the St. Louis Art Museum. p. 124 : purchase, 32 :1948; p. 186 : Vishnu statue, purchase, 2 :1964; p. 186 : Shiva statue, Friends Fund, 70 :1962; p. 193 : W. K. Bixby Oriental Art Purchase Fund, 26 :1984; p. 208 : statue of the goddess Parvati, funds given by Merrill Trust Foundation, 146 :1966; p. 210 : Shiva Nataraja, purchase 16:1978; p. 304 : Daoist deity, purchase, 169 :1919; p. 337 : Daoist female Immortal He Xian’gu, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick O. Schwartz, 207 :1977; p. 379 : "Pavilion in a Landscape," bequest of Leona J. Beckmann, 23 :1985.
Wikimedia Commons: image of Imam Ghazali, p. 162 , published in the US before 1923 and public domain in the US.
Introduction
P ersistent predictions of the virtually certain demise of religion continue to run afoul of the facts. During the decade since the first edition of this volume appeared, religion and spirituality have only become more influential forces in the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the