Customer Reviews

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford Paperback Reference)

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For pure bulk of information on anything and everything having to do with religion, this is the 800-lb. gorilla of dictionaries.

There's just so much jammed into this small, yet thick dictionary. It's filled with so many tidbits and details about the world's major religions that (if you're interested) you'll keep turning page after page. Sometimes the multiple cross-references can overwhelm you, though. It would have been nice to have something to tie everything together; the information can be as diffuse as it is profuse. The dictionary presupposes one has some knowledge of the religions already.

Regrettably, I noted that several definitions are shaded in a very snarky, mean way against the Roman Catholic Church. I cannot account for the negativity, but its presence is there . . . and, it doesn't occur for other Christian denominations or religions.

Otherwise, a fine addition to anyone's library.

I have searched for a straightforward, clear cut explanation of the world's major religions. Like many people, I tend to give weight to prestigious names like "Oxford" mistakenly believing that the name lends credibility and accuracy to the product.

I am by no means a Holy Roller. I have problems with Christianity myself, but the anti-Christian rhetoric in the book is inescapable and vile. The author undoubtedly has an agenda and it's not to present a well balanced, unopinionated view of faiths in the world.