Gain a deeper understanding of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths! A wise and witty road map for exploring life's big questions
Why are we here? How should we live? What happens after we die? Why does evil exist? This lively and informative reference explains how the world's great religions answer these questions - and shows how religious beliefs and rituals give meaning to life and help us cope with conflict, adversity, marriage, and much more!
The Dummies Way
- Explanations in plain English
- "Get in, get out" information
- Icons and other navigational aids
- Tear-out cheat sheet
- Top ten lists
- A dash of humor and fun
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Introduction 1
Part I: In the Beginning: Religion Basics 7
Chapter 1: Holy Smoke! Defining Religion 9
Chapter 2: Four Big Mysteries and a Couple of Recent Conundrums 31
Chapter 3: The God Questions: Does He Exist and What's He Like? 43
Chapter 4: When Good Religions Go Bad 61
Part II: Religious Beliefs 73
Chapter 5: The Foundations of Faith 75
Chapter 6: The Amazing Variety of Spiritual Beings 99
Part III: Religious Rituals 113
Chapter 7: Rituals of Communal Worship 115
Chapter 8: Rituals of Individual Devotion 137
Chapter 9: Holy Days in Our Lives: Rites of Passage 149
Part IV: Religious Ethics 179
Chapter 10: Personal Virtues 181
Chapter 11: Public Virtues 199
Chapter 12: Religion and Some Really Hot Ethical Issues 221
Part V: All (Other) Things Holy 237
Chapter 13: Holy Books 239
Chapter 14: Holy People 263
Chapter 15: Holy Places 293
Chapter 16: Holy Houses 307
Chapter 17: Holy Days on the Calendar 323
Part VI: The Part of Tens 335
Chapter 18: Ten (or so) Jobs for the Devoted 337
Chapter 19: Ten Tales for Your Reading Enjoyment 347
Appendix: A Few Religions of the World 355
Index 375
