Archimandrite Pavel Stefanov

World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction

By: Paul Gwynne (University of New South Wales, Australia)

Oxford, Blackwell, May 2008

Format

233 x 189 mm , 9.17 x 7.5 in

Details

448 pages, 74 illustrations.

Reviews

Description

World Religions in Practice introduces five of the world’s great religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - and explores how they are lived and expressed in custom, ritual, and symbol.

• A major new textbook exploring the world’s great religions through their customs, rituals and everyday practices - by focusing on this ‘lived experience’ it goes beyond many traditional introductions to religious studies
• Adopts a directly comparative approach to develop a greater understanding of the nature of religion
• Each chapter engages with an individual theme, such as birth, death, food, pilgrimage and ethics, to illustrate how religious practices are expressed
• Broadens students’ understanding by offering an impartial discussion of the similarities and differences between each religion
• Includes chapter-by-chapter opening themes and summaries, and will be accompanied by a website at www.blackwellpublishing.com/gwynne featuring additional resources and study questions.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Beyond Time and Space
1. Image
The Second Commandment (Judaism)
Shirk (Islam)
Incarnate Son (Christianity)
Murti (Hinduism)
The Three Bodies (Buddhism)
2. Book
Shruti and Smriti (Hinduism)
The Three Baskets (Buddhism)
New Testament (Christianity)
Tanach (Judaism)
Qur’an (Islam)

Part II: Within Time and Space
3. Ethics
Dharma (Hinduism)
Pancasila (Buddhism)
The Ten Words (Judaism)
A New Commandment (Christianity)
The Greater Jihad (Islam)
4. Birth
Baptism (Christianity)
B’rit Milah (Judaism)
Aqiqah (Islam)
Birth Samskaras (Hinduism)
The Buddhist Exception (Buddhism)
5. Death
The Wheel of Rebirth (Buddhism)
The Last Sacrifice (Hinduism)
Resurrection of the Body (Judaism)
Salat al Jenazah (Islam)
First-fruits (Christianity)
6. Marriage
Nikah (Islam)
Under the Huppah (Judaism)
Householder and Forest-Dweller (Hinduism)
Bride of Christ (Christianity)
The Renunciation (Buddhism)
7. Food
Ahimsa and Samadhi (Buddhism)
Blessed Leftovers (Hinduism)
Bread and Wine (Christianity)
Kosher (Judaism)
Halal (Islam)
8. Clothing
The Veil of Modesty (Islam)
Kippah, Tefillin and Tallith (Judaism)
The Thread and the Mark (Hinduism)
Vestments and Habits (Christianity)
The Three Robes (Buddhism)

Part III: Time and Space
9. Day
Uposatha (Buddhism)
Tithi (Hinduism)
Sabbath (Judaism)
The Lord’s Day (Christianity)
Salat (Islam)
10. Year
Four Seasons (Christianity)
Full Moons and Monsoons (Buddhism)
Day of Brahma (Hinduism)
Harvests, History and High Holy Days (Judaism)
Lunar Year (Islam)
11. Building
Mosque (Islam)
Synagogue (Judaism)
Church (Christianity)
Mandir (Hinduism)
Temple Complex (Buddhism)
12. Journey
The Sacred Ford (Hinduism)
Traces of Tathagata (Buddhism)
The Quest of the Magi (Christianity)
Aliyah (Judaism)
Hajj (Islam)

Conclusion
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index