"A comprehensive outline of spiritual concepts from prehistory to the present"--Cover.

More comprehensive than any other single volume reference on this subject, the dictionary covers all the world's major religions and beliefs, both current and historical. With 2,900 concise and informative entries, the dictionary spans all periods and places. It provides coverage of today's Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, along with the rites of ancient civilizations, as well as less mainstream beliefs such as scientology and pantheism. Supplements include a subject index, a calendar of festivals, and a chart detailing the population distribution of the major faiths.

This book is intended for the average reader who would like a general introduction to the world's major religions with an emphasis on Islam. All organized religions assume the existence of God as the Creator of the universe and all things in it. The first chapter, Is There a God?, inclines toward this belief and sets the stage for the next five chapters, each on a major world religion. The chapters Angels, Miracles, and Reincarnation reflect mainly the viewpoints of these religions. The main focus, however, is on Islam. Toward this end the penultimate chapter, Is the Qur'an God's Word? attempts to answer this question in the affirmative, while the final chapter is devoted to two views within Islam regarding the all-important topic of Life after Death. The first is the majority-held view regarding belief in a soul-body dualism, while the second view holds that there is no soul, only a body. Overall, the intent is to provide a springboard for further reading and discussion by the interested reader.

This updated textbook unravels the complex issues related to methodology and theory in the study of religion. It equips students with the knowledge needed for the academic study of religion, explaining the history of the methodology, including ideas of key theorists, and discusses key issues in the field, such as gender, phenomenology, and the insider/outsider discourse. Updated throughout, additional material includes: -New chapter on colonialism and post-colonialism -New chapter on insider/outsider discourse -Coverage of 'cyber-religion' and the internet as a research tool in religious studies Study and classroom features in each chapter include: -Chapter outlines -Case studies -Boxed key concepts -Discussion questions -Chapter bibliographies The text is illustrated throughout with 35 images, and extra resources can be found online, including additional coverage of 'levels of religion'.

A newly reorganized, up-to-date overview of key reference works in philosophy, reflects a veritable explosion of reference sources, both print and online, published over the past decade. Nearly 300 of the 700+ entries consist of new material, with an additional 50 entries substantially revised and updated. English-language sources are emphasized, but important non-English works are also well represented. For professional philosophers, philosophy educators, students from beginning to graduate, and librarians. This guide represents a substantial updating and complete re-organization of the author's 1997 Philosophy: A Guide to the Reference Literature, 2nd edition (1st edition, 1986). It reflects a veritable explosion of reference sources, both print and online, in the field of philosophy over the past decade. Nearly 300 entries (or 40 percent) are entirely new. An additional 50 or so entries have substantial revisions recording new editions, changes in serial publications, series, and websites, or additional volumes completed in multi-volume sets. In addition, it has been entirely re-organized along topical lines. Each of its twenty-three chapters is divided into four sections: (1) general sources, (2) history of philosophy, (3) branches of philosophy, and (4) miscellanea. This new arrangement accords better with the greatly expanded range of philosophy reference sources and makes it easier for the user to identify related sources of different types (bibliographies, dictionaries, web gateways, etc.) on the same topic. Like its predecessor Guide to Reference Sources in Philosophy, the 3rd edition aims to serve a diverse audience of professional philosophers, philosophy educators, students from beginning to graduate, and librarians. All entries include generous annotations that are often evaluative as well as descriptive. English-language sources are emphasized, but non-English works important to researchers or of interest to users with facility in other languages are also well-represented.

What is the meaning of life? Where does everything come from? Why is anything? In Authentic Knowing, Imants Baruss shows us how we might transform ourselves so that we can come closer to answering these existential questions. Baruss argues persuasively that our knowledge is limited by the interpretations of experiences provided by the society around us. These include the materialistic explanations belonging to a traditional scientific worldview, which can account for neither the nature of matter nor anomalous phenomena, such as near-death experiences. However, authenticity, the effort to act on the basis of one's own understanding, can form the basis for answers to existential and scientific questions.