Religions of the World [Paperback]

Lewis M. Hopfe (Author), Lavinia R. Hopfe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994 | ISBN-10: 002356931X | ISBN-13: 978-0023569319 | Edition: 6th

For introductory courses in World Religions.Widely adopted for its accessible style and comprehensive, yet concise, presentation, this best-selling introduction to world religions is ideal for students with no previous exposure to the subject. It offers accurate, comparative descriptions of a broad range of religions. In addition to background material on religious theory and study, this text explores 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. Primary source readings with specific representative samples are provided in each chapter.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hopfe did an incredible job of making the material readable and flow in a logical fashion…Even with a recent flood of introductory-level texts dealing with the subject, it remains the best introductory text dealing with religions of the world.”

-Michael Krogman, Chattanooga State Technical College

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

The sixth edition of Hopfe's popular Religions of the World has been updated to include a calendar of major holy days unique to each of the world's major religions, new sections on myths and rituals common to basic religions, as well as additional material devoted to Medieval Judaism. Written for the beginning student, this comprehensive text begins with an exploration of the almost universal concepts found within the Native American and African religions. Hopfe's remaining chapters cover a complete history of all living religions from their inception to the present, including those which originated in India, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Coll Div; 6th edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 002356931X
• ISBN-13: 978-0023569319
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and concise historical review of world religions, March 24, 1999

By 

2nd Lt David Andrews, USAF, MSC ([e-mail]) (Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Religions of the World (Paperback)

Outstanding book! I used this book to study for the DANTES exam "Introduction to World Religions." I received a "substantially above the minimum ACE recommendation" score, and I highly recommend it to anyone else taking the exam. It provides a very concise and non-biased review of the world's religions from a mainly historical perspective. The book provides the basic facts of the religions without becoming bogged down in all the dogma commonly found in such books. It will definitely get you a passing score on the exam without requiring a tremendous amount of effort. Well written.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From One Instructor to Another . . ., August 29, 2004

By 

R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Religions of the World, Ninth Edition (Paperback)

I use this text to teach my college class on World Religions (REL 101). It is a nice little text. As with all works it has some advantages and some disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES:

1. An Instructor's Manual With Tests is available. I don't use most of the tests because I prefer class participation and lots of written papers, but the manual helps me keep on target and helps me design questions for class discussion time.

2. A free multimedia cd "The Sacred World" is available to instructors who mass order the text. This is a $60 value and contains 60 short video clips. I like to use these to add accent to class times.

3. The text itself is well written and time tested (This is the 9th edition). It is easy for the student to read. I usually expect them to read the chapters and be prepared for discussion. My lectures bring additional material to the class.

4. All in all these materials are easy to teach from.

DISADVANTAGES:

1. As one can read from previous reviews, the text has limited depth. It must be assumed that the instructor will have the capability to bring additional material to the classroom.

2. The book contains a huge gap in its lack of a chapter on "New Age" religions. This needs to be corrected as any casual trip to a book store will affirm. I usually add the following topics to those which the book covers:

a. Atheistic philosophies

b. The advent of the post modern mind

c. New age religion

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for An Introduction To Religions, August 22, 2004

By 

Douglas E. Krueger "Philosopher" (Fayetteville, AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Religions of the World, Ninth Edition (Paperback)

I have been using Hopfe's book since the fourth edition, and I have found it to be very useful and reliable in my classes. The book shows an awareness of the nuances relevant to the various topics (including definition, contra the claim by a previous reviewer who didn't seem to read past the first page) and Woodward's updating and website keep the book up to date. Yes, the glossary could be more extensive, but I tend to work from the book and not just within the confines of the book (as I'm sure the other reviewer does as well), so this is not a serious impediment. Many more terms are defined in the text than appear in the glossary. A nice little book.