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World Religions a Guide To7 the Essentials Thomas A SECOND EDITION WORLD RELIGIONS A GUIDE TO7 THE ESSENTIALS THOMAS A. ROBINSON A ND HILLARY P. RODRIGUES K Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd iii 9/29/14 3:55 PM © 2006, 2014 by Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, record- ing—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data World religions : a guide to the essentials / Thomas A. Rob- inson & Hillary Rodrigues, editors. — 2nd edition. pages cm. — (World religions) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8010-4971-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Religions—Textbooks. I. Robinson, Thomas A. (Thomas Arthur), 1951– II. Rodrigues, Hillary, 1953– BL80.3.W645 2014 200—dc23 2014027504 Bible quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd iv 9/29/14 3:55 PM This book is dedicated to the religious studies students at the University of Lethbridge. Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd v 9/29/14 3:55 PM Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd vi 9/29/14 3:55 PM Contents Maps and Illustrations ix Preface xi 1. Studying World Religions 1 2. Ancient Religions 17 Western Religions 3. Judaism 39 4. Christianity 75 5. Islam 109 Eastern Religions 6. Hinduism 145 7. Buddhism 177 8. Jainism 209 9. Sikhism 225 10. Chinese Religions 243 11. Japanese Religions 269 12. Other Religions and Major Religious Subgroups 295 Spelling Guide to Terminology 317 Index 321 vii Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd vii 9/29/14 3:55 PM Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd viii 9/29/14 3:55 PM Maps and Illustrations Maps Major Sites of Western Religions 37 Religions of India 143 Distribution of Western Religions 74 Distribution of Eastern Religions 176 Illustrations Sphinx and Pyramid 22 Friday Noon Prayer 132 Egyptian Hieroglyphic Carving 25 Prambanan Temples 151 The Parthenon 28 Massive Shiva Statue 160 Torah Scroll 42 Ganesha, Son of Shiva 161 The Arch of Titus 46 Hindu Priest at Worship 168 The Auschwitz Gate 52 Cremation Grounds 173 The Western Wall and the Dome Buddha Image at Borobudur 179 of the Rock 57 Ancient Buddhist City 185 A Jewish Man at Prayer 70 Potala Palace 189 Mosaic of Jesus 77 Theravada Buddhist Temple 197 Constantine 80 Buddha Monolith 206 Hagia Sophia 83 Jain Temple 212 St. Peter’s Basilica 85 Jain Statue 215 Adam and Eve 92 Golden Temple Complex 230 Mecca: The Old and the New 110 Reading of the Sikh Scriptures 236 The Great Mosque-Cathedral Confucius Statue 251 of Cordoba 115 Confucian Temple 253 The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmed Temple of Heaven 257 Mosque) 118 Incense Sticks 259 Whirling Dervishes 130 Budai Statue 263 ix Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd ix 9/29/14 3:55 PM Maps and Illustrations Guanyin Statue 264 Aztec Calendar 297 Torii at Miyajima 270 Early Mesoamerican Temple Kobo Daishi Statue 274 Complex 298 State Shinto Shrine 278 Christian Apocalyptic Chart 304 Torii and Temple 287 Nika Yuko Japanese Gardens (Lethbridge, Canada) 292 x Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd x 9/29/14 3:55 PM Preface This project was conceived some years ago The second edition incorporates various by professors Tom Robinson and Hillary revisions, in particular the addition for each Rodrigues of the Department of Religious chapter of a “Quick Facts” box, a section Studies at the University of Lethbridge in on women, and a list of suggested readings. Alberta, Canada. As the project neared The chapter “Other Religions and Major completion, the department hired two new Religious Subgroups” has been extensively faculty members, James Linville and John expanded, and the new edition includes Harding, who contributed to the project. about fifty photos and maps. Summary The final product is a joint e!ort by all boxes of key points have been retained members of the department, including con- since students have found these to be e!ec- tributions from our newest faculty member, tive tools for quick review. Atif Khalil. xi Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd xi 9/29/14 3:55 PM Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd xii 9/29/14 3:55 PM 1 Studying World Religions What Is Religion? relevance. Surely an afterlife must be im- portant in religion. No, for some religions Religion is a characteristic of the human either deny an afterlife or do not divide pres- species, stretching from antiquity to the ent and future existence in this way. Perhaps present, from simple societies to the most a moral code of some kind captures a com- complex, from the unlearned to the edu- mon element in religion. No, for in some cated, from the weak to the powerful, from societies morality is primarily dealt with the young to the old, from the peripheral by philosophers rather than priests, by the to the centers of power. Yet religion is no- academy rather than the temple, and among toriously di"cult to define. Some scholars some peoples codes of behavior provide so- would argue that no definition can be ade- cial order and create stable societies without quate, since religion as expressed through- appeal to religious motives or motifs. Per- out the world and throughout human his- haps the common feature among religions tory is simply too diverse and complex to is some sense of the “Other”—an awareness be neatly captured in a short definition that of a dimension beyond the visible and the identifies a common condition. Indeed, ordinary. But that definition, even if true, most of the common assumptions about is too vague, open ended, and without suf- religion fail when we try to apply them to all ficient content to provide substance to our traditions we normally think of as religious. definition of religion. Surely gods must be present in religion, Another problem makes it di"cult one might think. No, for some religions to find a precise definition of religion. It deny either the existence of gods or their is sometimes not possible to distinguish 1 Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2006, 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) RobinsonRodriquez_WorldReligions_BKB_djm.indd 1 9/29/14 3:55 PM World Religions World Religions Christianity: A reform movement growing out of Judaism in the first Coined in the 1800s, the term world spective of the Hebrew Bible (Old century CE; became the religion religions originally included only Bud- Testament). The primary Western re- of the Roman Empire in 300s; ex- dhism, Christianity, and Islam. Later ligions are Judaism, Christianity, and panded globally, particularly from it was expanded to include Hindu- Islam. Sometimes these are called the 1500s. ism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Abrahamic religions. Islam: A reform movement
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