Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher

Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher

Living Religions presents a highly readable and stimulating survey of the modern religious world though an emphasis on the personal consciousness of believers and their own accounts of their religion and relevance in contemporary life.   "Religion is not a museum piece. Religion is a vibrant force in the lives of many people around the world, and many religions are presently experiencing a renaissance." - Mary Pat Fisher, Preface to Living Religions   Along with a team of specialist consultants in each faith, and drawing on a wealth of scholarly research and firsthand source material, Mary Pat Fisher provides a fresh and challenging insight into the historical development and teachings of traditional faiths, indigenous religions, and new religious movements.  She considers how the contemporary beliefs and practices of each of these traditions have evolved, and explores the changing nature of each religion; particularly the role of women, and the issues and controversies such as fundamentalism, violence, globalization, and interfaith initiatives.

"Mary Pat Fisher's Living Religions is the best introduction to world religions for students without any prior knowledge of the subjectThis book is well researched and written, with broad coverage of historical, phenomenological and doctrinal aspects of each world religions, as well as many captivating color photos/illustrations. In short, this book is a student-friendly text that also maintains a high standard of content and discussion." -- Jonathan Tan, Xavier University

 

"[Living Religions] is very well done. It serves as a clear and comprehensive introduction that is not only appropriate for college-level religion courses but is also helpful for scholars who are not expert in all religious traditions. It accomplishes what few texts have been able to do: balance the scholarly concern to 'complicate' and 'nuance' extraordinarily complex religious traditions with the student need to simplify at least long enough to learn effectively. It also insists, with its many pictures, stories, and examples from life, that religions are not mere scholarly constructs, but they are alive and real and fascinating." -- Samuel Thomas, California Lutheran University

 

"[Living Religions] is a scholarly, up-to-date, objective, and inclusive (broadly-covered) introduction to the major world religious traditions in the world today. Included in/with the text are helpful items such as glossaries of terms, review questions, maps and illustrations, pictures, personal stories, teaching stories, and CD and Internet resources." -- Clifford Cain, Franklin College

 

"[Living Religions] is a terrific resource for students interested in learning about the history, beliefs, and trends of the various world religions. It reflects a dedication to solid research." -- Daniel Rieger, Broward College

 

"It is a beautiful book. The text contains a good overview of the major world religions; it is comprehensive and very readable." -- Santos Roman, Riverside Community College

 

"Beautifully illustrated with incredibly inclusive discussions of each religion." -- Mary Thurlkill, University of Mississippi

 

"An excellent overview of the world's leading religions." -- Sam Hughes, Mt. San Jacinto College

 

"Highly readable and engaging. Takes a fresh approach compared to many other texts." -- Garry Morgan, Northwestern College

 

"I was impressed with the variety of materials available, and the manner in which they were keyed to sections of the book. I was pleased with [what] was offered." -- Wayne Brouwer, Hope College

  

In This Section:

I. Author Bio

II. Author Letter

I. Author Bio

Mary Pat Fisher writes about all religions, not only from academic research, but also from her experiences with religions around the world. Much of her knowledge comes from the unique interfaith community in India, Gobind Sadan, where she has lived since 1991. In addition to eight editions of Living Religions, she has written other textbooks about religions and also about art. Religion is not a museum piece. Religion is a vibrant force in the lives of many people around the world, and many religions are presently experiencing a renaissance. - Mary Pat Fisher

II. Author Letter

Dear Colleague,

I am very happy to have had the chance to prepare a third edition of Living Religions: A Brief Introduction, for even though the eternal values embedded in religions remain the same, the social and historical circumstances surrounding them as well as the scholarship pertaining to them are changing rapidly. To update the text I've taken the help of many reviewers and a new team of excellent special consultants from a variety of academic institutions. I've also continued to travel, speak with, and worship with people of all faiths around the world, including the continual flow of people of all religions through our Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religion in New Delhi. In this unique interfaith, international community I am privileged to meet scholars of all traditions and to live among Russian Orthodox and Protestant Christians, Tibetan Buddhist nuns, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus.

This edition includes perspectives gleaned from another visit to China, where I met Daoist nuns, Christian pastors, and the national leaders of thriving Buddhist organizations.

In Turkey, I witnessed the revival of religious interest but also the contemporary tensions between religious beliefs and the government's officially secular policy. Muslim friends took me to the well-preserved ruins of Ephesus, and the grotto nearby where Mary, mother of Jesus, is believed to have been brought by John the Beloved Disciple to live her last years.

Religions are so lively today that there is much to share. This new edition therefore includes new material on the encounter between science and religion, the impact of globalization on indigenous religions and more material on African religions as well as the Great Reversal in Christianity. It includes increased coverage of Buddhism in China, the latest in academic debates about the Indus Valley Civilization and the origin of the Vedas. There is more on socially engaged Buddhism, the latest scholarship on organized and folk Daoism in China and the interactions between Shinto, Buddhist, and Confucian ways in Japan as well as updated material on contemporary Israel.

I have extensively revised the chapter on Christianity using new historical and biblical scholarship and more coverage of developing trends such as Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. Looking deeper into the past as well as the present, I have revised the text on pre-Islamic Arabia, Islam in the West, and Islam in politics and offered a new feature box on the courageous Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi of Iran. Among the many changes in the chapter on new religious movements I've developed a section on the recently deceased charismatic leader Sathya Sai Baba and prepared a new interview box featuring a German practitioner of Transcendental Meditation. New material in the last chapter includes expanded discussions of globalization, secularism, and religions' engagement with social issues.

I hope that your students will find this new edition of Living Religions: A Brief Introduction accurate, informative, and thought-provoking, and that it will increase their awareness and appreciation of all religions, including their own.

Sincerely,

Mary Pat Fisher

Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religion, New Delhi

Marypfisher@hotmail.com

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780205835850
ISBN 10	0205835856
Title	Living Religions
Author	Mary Pat Fisher
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Prentice Hall
Year published	2011-05-16
Number of pages	576
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable