An essential and concise introduction to eight of the world's major religions. For the Christian, there's value in learning about different religions and unfamiliar expressions of belief. First of all, it gives us a greater understanding of the world we live in. But a study of other faiths can also deepen our own while making us more effective witnesses to those who don’t share a belief in Christ. In World Religions , Gerald R. McDermott explains what you need to understand about major world religions so that you can be equipped to engage people of other faiths. McDermott offers an overview of the central beliefs of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto. Features include: Insights from members of each religious community. - Discussions of each religion's major traditions, rituals, and leaders. - A glossary of important terms. Gerald R. McDermott (PhD, University of Iowa) is the Anglican professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School. McDermott has been the author, co-author, or editor of more than twenty books. An Anglican priest, he is teaching pastor at Christ the King Anglican Church, and is married to Jean. Together they have three sons and twelve grandchildren. World Religions An Indispensable Introduction By Gerald R. McDermott Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2011 Gerald R. McDermott All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4185-4597-0 Contents Acknowledgments.............................................................................viiWhen Did the Religions Start?: A Timeline...................................................viiiIntroduction: Why Study the World Religions?................................................11. Hinduisms: The World's Oldest Set of Religions...........................................92. Judaism: Christianity's Mother and Older Brother.........................................253. Buddhism: The West's Favorite Non-Christian Religion.....................................394. Confucianism and Daoism: Two of the Biggest Nation's Three Religions.....................575. Christianity: What You Believe but Have a Hard Time Explaining...........................776. Shinto: The National Religion of Japan...................................................957. Islam: The World's Most Important Religion Geopolitically................................1058. Two Common Questions.....................................................................123Notes.......................................................................................131Glossary....................................................................................133Bibliography and Additional Resources.......................................................136 Chapter One Hinduisms The World's Oldest Set of Religions There is no such thing as Hinduism. (You now know more than the average Christian and will immediately stand out in your next theological debate.) The term Hinduism implies a religion in which the parts are consistent with one another. But such a religion does not exist. That will no doubt surprise you, but consider this: the word Hinduism is a word the British coined as a catchall term for the innumerable and often contradictory religions they found on the Indian subcontinent. I say contradictory because, for example, some Indian religions are theistic (they believe in a personal god) and others aren't. The latter think the divine is an it, not a Someone. This it includes everything and contains everything (this is called pantheism), but it most certainly is not a Person who created the world or to whom we can pray. That's the reason I say some Indian religions contradict others. Theistic Indian religions contradict pantheistic Indian religions. And these pantheistic religions can actually be called atheistic because their adherents don't believe in a personal god who created the world or who can save us. They are religious (they have a reverence for the mystery and spiritual essence of the world) but atheistic (there is no personal god who created or rules the world). Now, most Hindus probably would not agree that these different religions are contradictory. They would say either that it doesn't matter because religious practice is most important, or that what seems contradictory to us is really harmonious at the "highest" level of reality. (I will explain "levels of reality" in just a bit.) Some Hindus talk about Hinduism as a journey in which they progress from worshiping a god to realizing that the god is merely an image of ultimate reality in which there are no personal gods. But back to my first point. Instead of one religion called Hinduism, there are many religions in India, often contradictory and wildly conflicting in beliefs. That's the reason I have titled this chapter "Hinduisms: The World's Oldest Set of Religions." A more accurat