Today, with all of the controversies surrounding religion in the schools and in the public sphere, it would seem more important than ever that teachers and librarians have a quick source of up-to-date, correct, unbiased information to give to patrons and students. The authors of this book (all are or have been professors of religion at various well known universities) offer just that. The book is arranged to cover most all of the known (and little known) religions in America. Today, with all of the controversies surrounding religion in the schools and in the public sphere, it would seem more important than ever that teachers and librarians have a quick source of up-to-date, correct, unbiased information to give to patrons and students. The authors of this book (all are or have been professors of religion at various well- known universities) offer just that. The book is arranged to cover most of the known (and little-known) religions in America. Each section includes: Origins, Beliefs, Sacred Book/Scriptures, Practices, Main Subgroups, Common Misunderstandings and Stereotypes, Classroom Concerns, Population Data, and Further Readings. Though there are many guides to religions, this book has the unique advantage of looking at each religion as it may affect the classroom and other student groups and activities.

Empathic Teaching: Promoting Social Justice in the Contemporary Classroom is written for those who are committed to employing social justice practices in the classroom. The intent is to educate the next generation to value tolerance and to have respect and empathy for others in society. While this tome will largely focus on understanding the role that equity should play in P-12 education, it will do so with an acute awareness that there are myriad factors that influence student engagement and the motivation to learn. Although some of the subjects under consideration have been written about elsewhere broadly, this tome will offer a unique contribution by examining each from a social equity perspective. As schools move to ensure a more inclusive and well-rounded student body, this book will be a substantial asset to anyone interested in advancing a social justice agenda.

This masterful six-volume encyclopedia provides comprehensive, global coverage of religion, emphasizing larger religious communities without neglecting the world's smaller religious outposts. Religions of the World, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices is an extraordinary work, bringing together the scholarship of some 225 experts from around the globe. The encyclopedia's six volumes offer entries on every country of the world, with particular emphasis on the larger nations, as well as Indonesia and the Latin American countries that are traditionally given little attention in English-language reference works. Entries include profiles on religion in the world's smallest countries (the Vatican and San Marino), profiles on religion in recently established or disputed countries (Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh), as well as profiles on religion in some of the world's most remote places (Antarctica and Easter Island). Religions of the World is unique in that it is based in religion "on the ground," tracing the development of each of the 16 major world religious traditions through its institutional expressions in the modern world, its major geographical sites, and its major celebrations. Unlike other works, the encyclopedia also covers the world of religious unbelief as expressed in atheism, humanism, and other traditions.

Today, with all of the controversies surrounding religion in the schools and in the public sphere, it would seem more important than ever that teachers and librarians have a quick source of up-to-date, correct, unbiased information to give to patrons and students. The authors of this book (all are or have been professors of religion at various well known universities) offer just that. The book is arranged to cover most all of the known (and little known) religions in America.

Because spiritual life and religious participation are widespread human and cultural phenomena, these experiences unsurprisingly find their way into English language arts curriculum, learning, teaching, and teacher education work. Yet many public school literacy teachers and secondary teacher educators feel unsure how to engage religious and spiritual topics and responses in their classrooms. This volume responds to this challenge with an in-depth exploration of diverse experiences and perspectives on Christianity within American education. Authors not only examine how Christianity – the historically dominant religion in American society – shapes languaging and literacies in schooling and other educational spaces, but they also imagine how these relations might be reconfigured. From curricula to classroom practice, from narratives of teacher education to youth coming-to-faith, chapters vivify how spiritual lives, beliefs, practices, communities, and religious traditions interact with linguistic and literate practices and pedagogies. In relating legacies of Christian languaging and literacies to urgent issues including White supremacy, sexism and homophobia, and the politics of exclusion, the volume enacts and invites inclusive relational configurations within and across the myriad American Christian sub-cultures coming to bear on English language arts curriculum, teaching, and learning. This courageous collection contributes to an emerging scholarly literature at the intersection of language and literacy teaching and learning, religious literacy, curriculum studies, teacher education, and youth studies. It will speak to teacher educators, scholars, secondary school teachers, and graduate and postgraduate students, among others.