Understanding the Religions of the World

A comprehensive, visually rich introduction to the world's major religious traditions

Now in its second edition, Understanding the Religions of the World: An Introduction provides an essential framework for analyzing and understanding the world's major religions. Rather than simply presenting a series of facts, this innovative textbook provides an insightful lens through which students examine how and why religions appeal to their followers. Contributions from leading scholars who have conducted fieldwork in the traditions they discuss focus on the contemporary beliefs and practices of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Chinese Religion, and others.

Each chapter contains detailed analysis, up-to-date scholarship, review and discussion questions, and multiple informational boxes that discuss topics in greater depth across five analytical categories. More than 150 carefully curated images, diagrams, and maps that enhance student comprehension and retention are integrated throughout. This edition features two entirely new chapters on the development of the study of religion and indigenous religions of the Americas.

Helping students appreciate the complex systems of belief that shape human experience, Understanding the Religions of the World:

• Provides a current and relevant perspective on religion across the globe
• Analyzes how religions operate as systems for achieving human aspirations
• Helps students strengthen critical thinking skills and cultural awareness
• Draws on the latest research and academic insights in the area of Religious Studies
• Covers traditions not typically addressed in introductory texts, such as indigenous religions of Africa and Oceania

Supplying the tools necessary for exploring global faith traditions, Understanding the Religions of the World: An Introduction, Second Edition is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and elite high school honors courses on religious studies, anthropology, comparative religion, and theology.

WILL DEMING, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theology at the University of Portland, where he taught introductory courses in Religious Studies to undergraduates for 25 years. He specializes in Pauline Studies with primary academic interests in New Testament, early Christian literature, Second Temple Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture. His major publications include Rethinking Religion: A Concise Introduction, and Paul on Marriage and Celibacy: The Hellenistic Background of 1 Corinthians 7, Second Edition.