World Religions Reader

This new edition of Markham's popular World Religions Reader has been revised and updated to take account of teachers' and students' comments, and to make it even more useful in the classroom. For this second edition:The selection of texts has been revised to ensure those most useful in teaching are included. The commentary surrounding each text has been reviewed to ensure it is completely up-to-date. The bibliography has been annotated and expanded. The readings have been cross-referenced with Markham's introductory text Encountering Religion, to provide a complete teaching and learning package.The Reader brings together primary material from the major religions of the world. It combines passages from the scriptures with classic statements from major thinkers and institutions, ranging from the Bhagavad Gita to John Lennon and Martin Luther King. To enable cross-religious comparison, each chapter is organised around five headings: The Religious Mind, World Views, Institutions and Rituals, Ethical Expression, and Modern Expression. At the end of each chapter fact sheets are provided to give a clear summary of major beliefs, significant historical events and festivals, and a glossary. The volume also includes summary statistics, and discussion and essay questions.

Review: "This is the Reader I have long been looking for. This Reader will enhance and enliven any standard textbook by enabling students not just to understand but to feel, not just to study but to pass over to, what these religious communities have been and what they offer our contemporary world." Paul Knitter, Xavier University, Ohio (of the previous edition). "This will be an invaluable source for those in Religious Studies who need access to some central texts in translation. The commentaries, lists of data and questions for reflection will be particularly useful for those beginning a study of religions." Professor J. S. K. Ward, University of Oxford