Based on the best-selling two-volume World Religions: Eastern and Western Traditions, this concise text traces the origins and evolution of the major religious traditions, explains their essential teachings, outlines their practices, and examines their interactions with modern culture andsociety, while insightful introductory and concluding essays suggest avenues for further reflection and study.

Based on the best-selling World Religions: Eastern Traditions and World Religions: Western Traditions, A Concise Introduction to World Religions, Fourth Edition, is ideal for single-semester courses. Renowned contributors trace the origins and evolution of the major traditions, explain their essential teachings, outline their practices, and examine their interactions with modern culture and society, while insightful introductory and concluding essays suggest countless avenues for further reflection and study.

In addition to abridging the contents of the two best-selling World Religions volumes (Eastern Traditions and Western Traditions), contributors to this concise-volume text have reworked the original material to focus on six specific areas of analysis: the major origins of the movement; thecrystallization of its teachings; the major divisions within the tradition; how adherents practice their faith; cultural expressions; and how the tradition has responded to the various changes - intellectual, social, technological - of modern times. This more structural approach will make it easierfor students to compare and contrast traditions, resulting in a solid, well-rounded introduction to the study of world religions.

a href="http://www.oupcanada.com/ebrochure/oxtoby/index.html"img src="/images/hed/closer_look_btn.gif"/aThis concise, contributed second edition is a survey of faiths throughout the world, based on the best-selling two-volume World Religions: Eastern and Western Traditions. Recognized scholars trace the origins and evolution of the major traditions, explain their essential teachings, outline theirpractices, and examine their interactions with modern culture and society, while insightful introductory and concluding essays suggest countless avenues for further reflection and study. With extracts from each tradition's most important thinkers, both ancient and modern, as well as timelines, maps,glossaries, guides to key geographic sites, annotated reading lists, rich colour photographs, handy 'Tradition at a Glance' summaries, and a brand new chapter on new religious movements, this concise volume offers a rich introduction to world religions.

The World’s Religions, by beloved author and pioneering professor Huston Smith (Tales of Wonder), is the definitive classic for introducing the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as regional native traditions. This revised and updated edition provides sympathetic descriptions of the various traditions, explaining how they work “from the inside,” which is a big reason why this cherished classic has sold more than two million copies since it first appeared in 1958.