Religions of the World by Lewis M Hopfe
Conceived for students with little or no background in the academic study of religions, Religions of the World offers the most broad coverage of world religions supported by primary source documents, coverage of religions as they exist today, and integrated media resources. In preparing the eleventh edition of Religions of the World, Mark Woodward drew on his experience in teaching an introductory course on the religions of the world to thousands of undergraduates over the last two decades, living and working in Buddhist, Muslim and Chinese cultures for extended periods and on conversations with friends and colleagues in the Arizona Native American community. In this edition, he has edited the text closely for clarity and readability and made other changes to keep it up to date and accurate including updating all sections on religion today for each tradition. Religions of the World is comprehensive, readable, and engaging for all students.
In This Section: I. Author Bio II. Author Letter I. Author Bio Mark Woodward is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University and Visiting Professor of Comparative Religion at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies at Gadjah Madah University and Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, both in Yogyakarta Indonesia. He conducted ethnographic research in Indonesia, Burma and Thailand, and is also author of the books, Islam in Java and Java, Indonesia and Islam. II. Author Letter Dear Colleague, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the new edition of Religions of the World. This is the twelfth edition, and the book has gone through many changes over the years. It was originally authored by Lewis Hopfe, a dedicated teacher and scholar whose vision for teaching the World Religions course combined a sense of history with an appreciation of keeping the subject alive by focusing on contemporary trends in religions and the role of religion in world affairs. In the editions I have edited, and sections of the book that I have rewritten, I have done the best that I can to retain this perspective. I continue to include both primary texts and first hand accounts of what is now called lived religion or somewhat less pretentiously religion and everyday life. In fact, I explore these living religions in terms of the historical and cultural factors that produced them, the lives of their founders, their basic teachings, and their historical development and current status in the world. I have been fortunate enough to have lived in many parts of the world and to have had the chance to interact with people from most of the religious traditions discussed in the book. These experiences have had a major impact on almost every chapter, especially those concerned with contemporary religious life. It is also apparent in original photographs that I have used whenever possible. Another unique feature of this book is frank and honest discussion of the issue of religion and violence. I think that there is no escaping this issue and that our students will hold us accountable if we do not help them to understand how it is that people of many, indeed almost all, faiths can use religion to motivate or excuse violence and the dehumanization of others. Please do let me know what you think of the new edition of Religions of the World. If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions about the book, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail at MARK.WOODWARD@asu.edu. I look forward to hearing from you! Best regards, Mark Woodward Arizona State University
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780136061779 |
| ISBN 10 | 013606177X |
| Title | Religions of the World |
| Author | Lewis M Hopfe |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pearson Education (US) |
| Year published | 2009-02-25 |
| Number of pages | 432 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |