RLST 100 - The Comparative Study of Religion

The Bhagavad Gita, the "Song of the Lord," is an ancient Hindu scripture about virtue. A selected bibliography is included.

Contains the New and Old Testaments.

The central religious text of Islam, collecting the divine revelations passed down to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel over many years. In 114 chapters, or suras, the Qur'an provides the rules of conduct that remain fundamental to Muslims today.

Selections from the Talmud and brief sketches of the men who made and commented upon it.

Reminds readers of the oddities and complications in the Bible, suggesting that those uncomfortable spots can offer remarkable opportunity for spiritual growth.

A concise and illuminating portrait of Allah, depicted as a god of both mercy and vengeance, one who transcends simple classification.

A new and expanded edition of a highly successful textbook on world religions with a comparative approach which explores how six major religions are lived and expressed through their customs, rituals and everyday practices.

Brings together essays drawing on different Christian traditions of learning, Judaism and Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, the wisdom of senior scholars, and also insights from a younger generation of scholars who have studied theology and religion in new ways, and are more attuned to the language of the "spiritual but not religious."

This book is an extended, critical reflection on the state of interrelgious dialogue in its modern version. The volume seeks to understand how to learn from multiple religions in a way that is truly open to those religions on their own terms, while yet being rooted in the tradition/s that we bring to our interreligious study.

With a God-focused theory, Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies.

Argues that American Catholicism developed as transnational Catholics creatively adapted their devotional and ideological practices in particular American regional contexts.