Many people search for spiritual meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace in their personal lives. The most common path to spirituality around the world is through religion. Although the variety of religions may seem endless, many similarities exist among the major religions of the world, including the belief in one or more gods and the honoring of rituals, stories, ceremonies, codes of conduct, and doctrines, or sets of teachings. In this well-balanced report, respected authors Margaret O. Hyde and Emily G. Hyde take an honest look at religion in the lives of young people. This book explores the many different religions around the world, from the ten most common religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Baha’ism, Confucianism, Jainism, and Shintoism—to modern expressions of spirituality and more. It also offers fascinating information on a field of research known as neurotheology, the study of the neurobiology of the brain and religion. Scientists are learning more about where in the brain religious thoughts take place and what it means to be human.

Tests, rules, team tryouts, dating, injuries, illnesses, bullies—stress is with young adults every day. This highly readable book looks at the causes and consequences of stress, covering topics such as the health effects of stress, stresses specifically faced by teens, and practical advice on how to manage stress.

This book provides information about the key influences, spiritual figures, sacred stories, traditions, doctrines, and dogmas of each of the world's major religions.

Can one man’s religious experience change the whole world? In the A.D. 600s, in the Arabian city of Mecca, a merchant named Muhammad began to receive and share messages from God. Muhammad attracted many followers. Eventually the revelations formed the basis for a new religion, Islam. By the time of Muhammad’s death, the Islamic religion had spread across the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad’s successors continued to bring Islam to surrounding lands. Often, they used peaceful means to win converts. Other times, they imposed the religion through forceful conquests. Within one hundred years of Muhammad’s death, Arab Muslim armies had achieved stunning victories over two major empires, the Persians and the Byzantines. By the mid-700s, Islam was established from India to North Africa and Spain. Converts adopted the Arabic language, studied Arab poets and scholars, and built grand mosques for worship. Today more than one billion people worldwide practice Islam. The Arab conquests of the Middle East, which introduced a new world religion across geography and cultures, is one of world history’s pivotal moments.

Is religion the same as culture? How does it fit with life in the modern world? Do you have to 'believe' to be part of one? From televangelism in the American South to the wearing of hijab in Britain and Egypt; from the rise of paganism to the aftermath of September 11th, this accessible guide looks at the ways in which religion interacts with the everyday world in which we live. A comprehensive introduction to the world of religion, it includes: * religion and culture * how power operates in religion * gender issues * the role of belief, rituals, and religious texts * religion in the contemporary world Religion: The Basics offers an invaluable and up-to-date overview for anyone wanting to find out more about this fascinating subject.

Gathers together material on six of the world's most influential faiths, with readings drawn from a broad range of historical and contemporary sources.

The new edition has been fully revised and updated, and includes new discussions of: the study of religion and culture in the 21st century texts, films and rituals cognitive approaches to religion globalisation and multiculturalism spirituality in the West popular religion.

Ninian Smart came to public prominence as the founding Professor of the first British university Department of Religious Studies in the late 1960s. His pioneering views on education in religion proved hugely influential at all levels, from primary schools to academic teaching and research. An unending string of publications, many of them accessible to the general public, sustained a reputation that became worldwide.Here, for the first time, a selection of Ninian Smart's wide-ranging writings is organised systematically under a set of categories which both comprehend and also illuminate his varied output over a career spanning half a century. The editor, John Shepherd, was Principal Lecturer in Religion and Philosophy at the University of Cumbria. He first met Smart as a postgraduate student, and recently helped establish the Ninian Smart Archive at the University of Lancaster.

Foucault, Christianity and Interfaith Dialogue develops a new model for interfaith dialogue using the work of the French historian of ideas, Michel Foucault. The author argues that it is the injustice done to the 'Other' by Roman Catholic, Protestant and other centred and unitary models of religious pluralism that allows the introduction of Foucault's de-centring of transcendence and human reason as an alternative model for understanding religious diversity and the role it ought to play, in the constitution of the self and the making of society. This Foucaultian approach provides a new direction for interfaith dialogue in the modern world and leads to an ethical rather than a nihilistic position while fostering a non-unitary theology of religious pluralism and an open-textured process of self-transformation. The author's original and imaginative application and expansion of Foucault's concept of the 'More' from The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969) makes important and original contributions to academic work on Foucault and contemporary theology.

A Christian’s Guide to the World’s Most Prominent Religions Meeting people from other religions is an incredible blessing and a unique challenge. As Christians, what do we need to know about their beliefs to effectively interact with them? And how can we share about Jesus with sensitivity for someone’s relationship to their current faith? A compilation from some of today’s top religion scholars, The Popular Handbook of World Religions is a clear and insightful guide to understanding and conversing with followers of the world’s major belief systems. You will… gain a balanced, nuanced comprehension of what followers of other religions believe, and see how those beliefs compare with those of Christianity develop deeper respect for different cultures and appreciate their unique traditions and ideas learn how to share about Christ with true compassion and a recognition of other people’s individuality and heritage Featuring the writings of Dr. Douglas Groothuis, Dr. Paul Copan, Dr. Winfried Corduan, and more, The Popular Handbook of World Religions is designed to help you gain the wisdom you need to interact with people of other faiths, from atheism to Judaism, Buddhism to Islam, Jainism to Sikhism, and more.