Understanding Religions

Eighty percent of the almost one billion people living in India today are Hindu. But Hinduism is practiced and celebrated all over the world. Understanding Religions: Hinduism explores the history, tradition, and culture of this religion, from sacred texts and principles, to the people who practice it today.

This book offers an accessible record of Christianity as a whole. It covers the Trinity and sacraments, Jesus and the Virgin Mary, saints and mystics, and explains the difference between the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Understanding Islam provides a succinct, authoritative, and accessible introduction to one of the world's great religious traditions. The subjects covered include: the Prophet and his teachings; the Quran, Hadith, and Sharia law; the history of the Islamic empire; madrasas and jihad; Shia and Sunni Islam; the Five Pillars; art and divinity; Mecca, mosques, and mihrahs; angels, jinns, and holy men; and secular nationalism and Islamic revivalism. The author is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of History at Miami University of Ohio and a published author and editor. His completed and planned publications include works on Islam and Franco-Arab encounters and on the Turkish community in 9th century Samarra.

This intriguing and informative book provides students with an overview of the great religious tradition of Judaism. Readers learn about the covenant with God, the Bible, the Mishnah, and the Talmud. They also read about sects, messianic movements, mysticism, and the Kabbalah. Rabbinical systems of law and custom are covered, as are various principles and practices, holy days, and contemporary movements in Judaism.

Gracefully blending scholarship and accessibility, Malcolm David Eckel's Buddhism provides a succinct, authoritative introduction to one of the world's great religious traditions. The text covers a wide range of subjects including Buddha's and bodhisattvas, Zen meditation, Tantric scriptures, pilgrimage, temples, and festivals and rites.