Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change

by Molloy, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780767420433
• ISBN10: 0767420438
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill College

Summary

Experiencing the World's Religions is a leading seller because it successfully addresses what a person should know about religions, and why. Michael Molloy provides an exceptionally clear and compelling account of the teaching of the world's religions. The text covers all the essential material and goes beyond traditional approaches to personally connect students with the vitality of the great religions.

Table of Contents

Preface	xvi
Understanding Religion	1	(26)
First Encounter	1	(1)
Why is There Religion?	2	(8)
Speculations on the Sources of Religion	3	(2)
Key Characteristics of Religion	5	(2)
The Sacred	7	(1)
Religious Symbolism	8	(2)
Patterns Among Religions	10	(4)
First Pattern: Focus of Beliefs and Practices	11	(1)
Second Pattern: Religious Views of the World and Life	12	(2)
Box: Is Goddess Worship Still Alive?	14	(2)
Third Pattern: Religious Views of Male and Female	15	(1)
Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Religion	16	(1)
Key Critical Questions	17	(3)
Why Study the Major Religions of the World?	20	(1)
Box: Exploring Religion Through Travel	21	(1)
The Pilgrimage	22	(2)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	24	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	24	(1)
Related Readings	24	(1)
Key Terms	25	(2)
Oral Religions	27	(32)
First Encounter	27	(2)
Discovering Oral Religions	29	(4)
Past Obstacles to the Appreciation of Oral Religions	29	(2)
The Modern Recovery of Oral Religions	31	(2)
Studying Oral Religions: Learning From Patterns	33	(4)
Human Relationships with the Natural World	33	(3)
Sacred Time and Sacred Space	36	(1)
Box: An Iroquois Story of Origins	37	(2)
Respect for Origins, Gods, and Ancestors	37	(2)
Sacred Practices in Oral Religions	39	(1)
Box: The Elima: Bambuti Girls Come of Age	40	(1)
Life-Cycle Ceremonies	40	(1)
Box: The Vision Quest	41	(4)
Taboo and Sacrifice	42	(2)
Shamanism, Trance, and Magic	44	(1)
Box: Isaac Tens Becomes a Shaman	45	(5)
Artifacts and Artistic Expression in Oral Religions	47	(3)
Box: Halloween: ``Just Good Fun'' or Folk Religion?	50	(1)
Personal Experience: Gods in Hawaii	51	(3)
Oral Religions Today	54	(1)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	55	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	56	(1)
Related Readings	56	(1)
Key Terms	57	(2)
Hinduism	59	(46)
First Encounter	59	(2)
The Origins of Hinduism	61	(5)
The Earliest Stage of Indian Religion	62	(1)
The Aryans and Their Religion	63	(2)
The Vedas	65	(1)
The Upanishads and the Axis Age	66	(6)
The Origin of the Upanishads	66	(1)
Important Concepts of the Upanishads	67	(5)
Living Spiritually in the Everyday World	72	(6)
The Bhagavad Gita	72	(2)
The Caste System	74	(1)
The Stages of Life	75	(1)
The Goals of Life	76	(1)
The Yogas	76	(2)
Box: Hindu Meditation: More Than Emptying the Mind	78	(2)
Devotional Hinduism	80	(10)
The Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva	81	(5)
Worship of the Divine Feminine: Devi	86	(1)
The Guru as Object of Devotion	87	(1)
Devotion to Animals	88	(1)
Other Forms of Religious Devotion	89	(1)
Box: Hindu Celebrations	90	(1)
Personal Experience: Gazing into the Mother's Eyes	90	(1)
Hinduism and the Arts	91	(2)
Hinduism: Modern Challenges	93	(8)
Mohandas Gandhi	95	(2)
Hindu Influence beyond India	97	(4)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	101	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	102	(1)
Related Readings	102	(1)
Key Terms	102	(3)
Buddhism	105	(62)
First Encounter	105	(1)
The Beginnings of Buddhism: The Life of the Buddha	106	(5)
The Basic Teachings of Buddhism	111	(5)
The Three Marks of Reality	111	(2)
The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path	113	(3)
The Influence of Indian Thought on Early Buddhist Teachings	116	(3)
Ahimsa: ``Do No Harm''	117	(1)
The Soul and Karma	118	(1)
Nirvana	118	(1)
Box: Was the Buddha an Atheist?	119	(1)
The Early Development of Buddhism	119	(3)
Theravada Buddhism: The Way of the Elders	122	(2)
Box: Buddhism in Thailand	124	(3)
Theravada Teachings and Literature	124	(1)
Theravada Art and Architecture	124	(3)
Mahayana Buddhism: The ``Big Vehicle''	127	(9)
New Ideals: Compassion and the Bodhisattva	127	(2)
Mahayana Thought and Worldview	129	(3)
Mahayana Literature	132	(2)
Mahayana in China	134	(1)
Mahayana in Korea	135	(1)
Box: Buddhist Festivals	136	(7)
Mahayana in Japan	137	(1)
Some Major Schools of Mahayana	138	(5)
Zen Buddhism: Enlightenment Through Experience	143	(7)
Zen Techniques for Enlightenment	144	(2)
Buddhism and the Arts of Japan	146	(4)
Vajrayana Buddhism: The ``Diamond Vehicle''	150	(6)
Origins, Practice, and Literature of Tibetan Buddhism	151	(2)
Ritual and the Arts	153	(3)
Personal Experience: Visiting the Dalai Lama	156	(2)
Buddhism, the West, and Modern Challenges	158	(4)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	162	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	163	(1)
Related Readings	163	(1)
Key Terms	164	(3)
Jainism and Sikhism	167	(24)
First Encounter	167	(1)
Shared Origins	168	(1)
Jainism	169	(1)
Background	169	(1)
Mahavira and the Origins of Jainism	169	(2)
Worldview	171	(1)
Jain Ethics	172	(2)
Box: Jains and Gentle Suicide	174	(1)
The Development of Jainism and its Branches	175	(1)
Digambaras	175	(1)
Shvetambaras	175	(1)
Sthanakavasis	176	(1)
Terapanthis	176	(1)
Jain Practices	176	(2)
Jain Scriptures	178	(1)
Jain Art and Architecture	178	(2)
Sikhism	180	(1)
Background	180	(1)
Nanak and the Origins of Sikhism	180	(1)
The Worldview and Teachings of Nanak	181	(1)
The Development of Sikhism	182	(2)
Box: The ``Five K's'' of the Sikh Khalsa	184	(1)
Sikh Scriptures	184	(1)
Sikhism and the Modern World	185	(1)
Personal Experience: A Visit to the Golden Temple	186	(2)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	188	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	188	(1)
Related Readings	188	(1)
Key Terms	188	(3)
Taoism and Confucianism	191	(46)
First Encounter	191	(1)
Basic Elements of Traditional Chinese Beliefs	192	(3)
Taoism	195	(1)
The Origins of Philosophical Taoism	195	(4)
Laozi (Lao Tzu)	195	(1)
The Tao Te Ching	195	(4)
Box: The Seasons of Life	199	(1)
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)	199	(1)
The Basic Teachings of Philosophical Taoism	200	(1)
Taoism and the Quest for Longevity	201	(1)
Religious Taoism	202	(2)
Taoism and the Arts	204	(3)
Box: The Chinese Garden---Bridge to the Infinite	207	(2)
Taoism and the Modern World	209	(1)
Confucianism	209	(1)
The Tao in Confucianism	209	(1)
Box: Confucianism: Philosophy or Religion?	210	(1)
The Life of Confucius	210	(1)
Living According to Confucian Values	210	(2)
Box: The Ideal Human Being	212	(7)
The Five Great Relationships	213	(3)
The Confucian Virtues	216	(3)
Confucian Literature	219	(1)
Box: The Five Classics and the Four Books	220	(1)
The Development of Confucianism	220	(6)
Schools of Philosophy	220	(3)
The Development of Confucianism as a Religious System	223	(3)
Box: Friends from Far Away	226	(1)
Confucianism and the Arts	226	(2)
Personal Experience: At a Confucian Temple	228	(2)
Confucianism and the Modern World	230	(3)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	233	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	233	(1)
Related Readings	234	(1)
Key Terms	235	(2)
Shinto	237	(28)
First Encounter	237	(1)
The Origins of Shinto	238	(4)
The Historical Development of Shinto	242	(3)
Accommodation with Buddhism and Confucianism	242	(2)
Shinto and Japanese National Identity	244	(1)
Box: Kamikaze Pilots and Shinto	245	(1)
Essentials of Shinto Belief	246	(1)
Box: Shinto Ethics: Basic Rules for the Twenty-First Century?	247	(1)
Shinto Religious Practice	247	(8)
Worship at Shrines	248	(3)
Celebration of the New Year	251	(1)
Observances of the Seasons and Nature	252	(1)
Other Practices	252	(3)
Personal Experience: A Temple High Above Kyoto	255	(1)
Shinto and the Arts	255	(3)
Architecture	256	(1)
Music and Dance	257	(1)
Shinto Offshoots: The New Religions	258	(2)
Shinto and the Modern World	260	(2)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	262	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	262	(1)
Related Readings	262	(1)
Key Terms	263	(2)
Judaism	265	(56)
First Encounter	265	(2)
An Overview of Jewish History	267	(2)
The Hebrew Bible	269	(1)
Box: Books of the Hebrew Bible	270	(1)
Biblical History	271	(9)
In the Beginning: Stories of Origins	271	(3)
The World of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs	274	(3)
Moses and the Law	277	(3)
Box: The Ten Commandments	280	(3)
The Judges and Kings	281	(2)
Box: What's in a Name?	283	(1)
Exile and Captivity	283	(1)
Box: Zoroastrianism	284	(1)
Return to Jerusalem and the Second Temple	285	(1)
Cultural Conflict During the Second-Temple Era	285	(4)
The Seleucid Period	286	(1)
Responses to Outside Influences	286	(3)
The Development of Rabbinical Judaism	289	(5)
The Canon of Scripture and the Talmud	289	(1)
Islam and Medieval Judaism	290	(1)
The Kabbalah	291	(1)
Christianity and Medieval Judaism	292	(2)
Questioning and Reform	294	(1)
Judaism and the Modern World	295	(4)
Hitler and the Holocaust	295	(2)
Creation of the State of Israel	297	(2)
Personal Experience: A Visit to Anne Frank's House	299	(1)
Jewish Belief	299	(1)
Religious Practice	300	(7)
The Jewish Sabbath	301	(1)
Holy Days	301	(4)
Jewish Dietary Practices	305	(1)
Other Religious Practices	305	(2)
Divisions Within Contemporary Judaism	307	(5)
Culturally Based Divisions	307	(2)
Observance-Based Divisions	309	(3)
The Contributions of Judaism	312	(3)
Jewish Identity and the Future of Judaism	315	(1)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	316	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	317	(1)
Related Readings	317	(1)
Key Terms	318	(3)
Christianity	321	(84)
First Encounter	321	(2)
Box: The Christian System of Chronology: B.C. and A.D.	323	(1)
The Life and Teachings of Jesus	323	(7)
Jesus in the New Testament Gospels	326	(3)
The Two Great Commandments	329	(1)
Early Christian Beliefs and History	330	(5)
Paul and Pauline Christianity	331	(3)
The New Testament: Its Structure and Artistry	334	(1)
Box: The Books of the New Testament	335	(5)
The Christian Canon	339	(1)
The Essential Christian Worldview	340	(4)
The Early Spread of Christianity	344	(3)
Influences on Christianity at the End of the Roman Empire	347	(3)
Augustine	347	(1)
Benedict and the Monastic Ideal	348	(2)
The Eastern Orthodox Church	350	(4)
Early Development	351	(1)
Monasticism in the Eastern Church	351	(2)
Eastern Orthodox Beliefs	353	(1)
Box: Inside a Greek Orthodox Church	354	(1)
Personal Experience: Inside the Monasteries on Mount Athos	355	(2)
Christianity in the Middle Ages	357	(5)
Christian Mysticism	358	(1)
The Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Founding of Religious Orders	359	(2)
The Late Middle Ages	361	(1)
The Protestant Reformation	362	(2)
Martin Luther	363	(1)
Forms of Protestantism	364	(1)
Box: Emphases of Protestant Christianity	364	(4)
The Development of Christianity Following the Protestant Reformation	368	(2)
The Catholic Reformation (Counter Reformation)	368	(2)
Box: Emphases of Catholic Christianity	370	(2)
The International Spread of Christianity	370	(2)
Box: Martin Luther King, Jr.	372	(6)
Nontraditional Christianity	373	(5)
Christian Practice	378	(7)
Sacraments and Other Rituals	378	(3)
The Christian Year	381	(2)
Devotion to Mary	383	(2)
Christianity and the Arts	385	(10)
Architecture	385	(5)
Art	390	(3)
Music	393	(2)
Christianity Faces the Twenty-First Century	395	(5)
The Challenges of Science and Secularism	395	(2)
Contemporary Influences and Developments	397	(3)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	400	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	401	(1)
Related Readings and Musical Recordings	402	(1)
Key Terms	402	(3)
Islam	405	(52)
First Encounter	405	(1)
The Life and Teachings of Muhammad	406	(5)
Essentials of Islam	411	(9)
The Five Pillars of Islam	414	(6)
Box: The Islamic Religious Calendar: Festivals and Holy Days	420	(2)
Additional islamic Religious Practices	420	(2)
Box: Women in Islam: Contrasting Notions of Liberation	422	(4)
Scripture: The Qur'an	423	(3)
The Historical Development of Islam	426	(5)
Expansion and Consolidation	426	(2)
The Shiite and Sunni Division within Islam	428	(3)
Sufism: Islamic Mysticism	431	(4)
Sufi Beliefs	431	(2)
Al-Ghazali and Sufi Brotherhoods	433	(1)
Sufi Practice and Poetry	433	(2)
Personal Experience: Ramadan in Morocco	435	(3)
Islamic Law and Philosophy	438	(3)
Islamic Law and Legal Institutions	438	(1)
Islamic Philosophy and Theology	439	(2)
Islam and the Arts	441	(7)
Architecture	441	(5)
Fine Art	446	(2)
Islam and the Modern World	448	(4)
Islam and Contemporary Life	448	(3)
Islam in the West and Beyond	451	(1)
Box: Malcolm X	452	(2)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	454	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	454	(1)
Related Readings	455	(1)
Key Terms	455	(2)
Alternative Paths	457	(34)
First Encounter	457	(1)
Origins of New Religions	458	(1)
Box: ``Cults,'' ``Sects,'' and New Religious Movements	459	(1)
Neo-Paganism: WICCA and Druidism	460	(1)
Box: WICCA's Eight Seasonal Celebrations	461	(3)
Religions of the Yoruba Tradition: Santeria, Voodoo, and Candomble	464	(3)
Box: Major Orishas (Ochas) of Santeria	467	(1)
Theosophy	468	(3)
Scientology	471	(2)
Falun Gong	473	(1)
Cao Dai	474	(3)
Rastafarianism	477	(3)
Baha'i	480	(4)
New Religious Movements: A Special Role	484	(1)
Personal Experience: Celebrating the Goddess	484	(3)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	487	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	487	(1)
Related Readings	487	(1)
Key Terms	488	(3)
The Religious Search in the Modern World	491	(36)
First Encounter	491	(1)
Modern Influences on the Future of Religion	492	(3)
The New World Order	493	(2)
Box: Religion and Rock Music	495	(16)
Multiculturalism and Interfaith Dialogue	495	(3)
Women's Rights Movements	498	(2)
Reassessment of Human Sexuality	500	(3)
Science and Technology	503	(4)
Secularism	507	(2)
Environmental Challenges	509	(2)
The Recurring Challenge of Change	511	(2)
Naturism: A New Religious Phenomenon?	513	(4)
Eclectic Spirituality	517	(1)
Box: Religion and Movies	518	(2)
Interrelatedness	519	(1)
Box: Religion and Pop Culture	520	(5)
Reverence and Respect	522	(1)
Contemplative Practices	523	(2)
Personal Experience: 2001 and Beyond	525	(1)
Religion Beyond the Classroom	525	(1)
For Fuller Understanding	526	(1)
Related Readings	526	(1)
Notes	527	(10)
Credits	537	(2)
Index	539