World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Author), Geoffrey Parrinder (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books (August 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081601289X
• ISBN-13: 978-0816012893
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an encyclopedia of religions, October 13, 2000

By 

BErdogan (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present (Paperback)

This book follows the religious history of the world. It starts from ancient times, continues with religions of Egypt, India, Greece, China and Japan, and concludes with Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It gives the sense that religion almost everywhere arose as a result of a particular need, and evolved in a certain way to address those needs. I found the section on Chinese religions (Confucianism, Buddism and Taoism) especially well-written. (I am no content expert; I mean this section was interesting and easy to read). Some sections are packed with information, and one does not remember much after a few days (such as the section on religions of Greece where several gods are mentioned one after another without going into much detail). I didn't like the organization of pictures. There are quite a few black and white photographs, but instead of being scattered in the book close to the place where they are mentioned, the pictures are gathered on a few pages throughout the book. This makes it difficult to match them with their mention in the text. I think it could have been written in a less formal way to make it easier to read. It seems that it was aimed to be an encyclopedia, a book of reference, and that is what it is.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Outdated and unclear, May 19, 2003

By 

Avid Reader "AR" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present (Paperback)

I've only read the first six chapters of this book and I am already frustrated with it. It was first published in 1971 and in the chapters I've completed so far, it does not appear that the reference information was updated in the 1983 edition. They still refer to population statistics from the 1966 Australian Census as a viable purview of Maori religious distribution. In addition,I am disappointed as the chapters provide virtually no framework for time periods, religion origins, establishment of the Gods and adaptions through the religion life spans. In addition, they do not coherently link the religious practices with the Gods and their evolution and modification from evolving populations. If you are hoping to get a basic understanding of the religions discussed book without reading other world religion books, you will be disappointed. My advice is not to waste your money.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Non-sectarian View of Religion, June 6, 2011

By 

Mike Robinson "Mike A Robinson: Apologetic An... (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present (Hardcover)

"World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present" edited by Geoffrey Parrinder is a simple non-sectarian view of important religions of the past and present. It is a useful textbook but offer little challenge to the religious precommitments that the reader may hold.

This volume is a bit dry as it covers religious antiquity, classical times, and modernity. It lays out in a straightforward manner the religions of Egypt, China, India, Greece, Near East, Far East, and the West. The volume finishes with the great monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There is a lot of discussion of essential doctrines, rituals, and culture within this acceptable introduction to comparative religions.

Herein one will learn about vital elements of:

- Prehistoric religion

- Tribal religions in Asia

- Early Australasia

- Traditional Africa

- Aztecs and Mayas

- Andean religion

- Northern Europe in the Iron Age

- Mesopotamia

- Ancient Egypt gods

- Ancient Greece pantheon of gods

- Ancient Rome

- Ancient Iran

- Hinduism in its diversity

- Jainism

- Sikhism

- Buddhism

- Judaism

- Christianity

- Islam

I as a stout Christian do not endorse its assumptions. I affirm an exclusive view of the person and work of Christ. Carroll noted: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there" (Lewis Carroll).

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I would add: A tale is told of a very artistic spider that built a beautiful and awe-inspiring web; it was a wonderful work of art. Many came to see its magnificence and symmetrical splendor. It was engineered with great precision and complexity. The little spider was glad that his work astonished so many. This motivated him to keep good and exact maintenance over it. Correspondingly, he would tighten a cord here and there, and then strengthen a string on the other side. One day, he noticed a large thread that didn't look useful. So, he cut it with his fangs, and as he bit through it, the whole web collapsed; and the little bug fell to the ground. The thread that he had just cut was the one essential thread that the whole web depended on. Once cut, it collapsed. Similarly, the Triune God is the grounding thread for a coherent web of beliefs (presuppositions). Those who reject Christian theism will tumble down into absurdity. The God of the Bible alone provides the foundation to attach a worldview that is both beautiful and enduring.

I contend that Christianity alone provides the rational and moral necessities for intelligibility. That Christianity must be presupposed to make sense out of human experience. The non-Christian world religions deny Christian truth and leave the adherent into irrationality and disapproval. All men behave in rational and moral ways. However, only Christianity can account for the laws of reason and moral absolutes on which morality depends.

The only ground for the necessary pre-essentials of the transcendent, atemporal, universal, and immutable laws of logic would have to be able to account for these pre-essentials by furnishing a ground, as Yahweh does, that is transcendent, atemporal, universal in knowledge, and immutable. A capricious monad god, Vishnu within polytheism or Poseidon within the college of gods do not offer these pre-essentials; and all the false deities fail to provide the rational and moral preconditions that Christianity delivers.

"What do I love when I love my God? Not the sweet harmony of song, not the fragrance of perfumes, not manna or honey, but when I love my God, I love a certain light." (Augustine).

An epistemological ground that contains universals, changeless forms, and moral law cannot be overturned by appeals to experience. It deals with the required pre-environment to make experience intelligible. Since the laws of logic and fixed moral law are necessary to make experience intelligible, one cannot appeal to experience that is in constant flux to undermine them. Intelligible experience presupposes the laws of logic. Thus, A is A (Law of Identity) and A cannot be A and Non-A at the same time in the same manner (Law of Non-contradiction). What can supply the preconditions for these laws? Yahweh alone. No other deity has the attributes, the ontological essence, and epistemic credentials to supply these preconditions.

"I believe that all roads lead to the same place. We're taking different ways to get there, but we all end up in the same place. It's kind of like Kinky Friedman's statement, "May the God of your choice bless you"' (singer Willie Nelson).

"Ned, have you thought about one of the other major religions? They're all pretty much the same (Lovejoy from" The Simpsons).

The vital task of the thinking person is the task of criticism of falsehoods and rational inconsistencies. Many in the West believe that all religions are wacky myths or that they are all basically the same. This is prima facie not true and is self-refuting. Even the ultra-tolerant Newsweek magazine in 2007 admitted that "it is a fantasy to imagine that the world's two largest faiths (Christianity and Islam) are in any meaningful sense the same." Hindus, Newagers, Buddhists, and multifarious atheists believe that all religions are essentially alike; on the contrary, the religions disagree on almost every religious question. Christianity teaches that one is a sinner in need of a Savior and one is saved by grace through faith alone. Buddhists and Hindus believe that this world is an illusion. Buddhists focus on liberation from suffering and the self. Islam believes that the Trinity is false and that one must obey Allah to gain Paradise. Religion and anti-theism have fueled many wars and conflicts in history. Most multiculturalists deny that religions and cultures are dissimilar and incompatible. They insist that tolerance is the key to everyone "getting along." Some aspects and doctrines in diverse religions are similar. The entire field of world religions, but one (Christianity), profess that one has to work to merit his salvation or religious goals. It is believed to be possible through God's grace conjoined with the contribution of religionists. Christianity is the only religion that denies this proposition. The Christian faith alone contravenes the notion that salvation is grace plus works. One is saved by grace alone inasmuch as Jesus died on the cross for His people's sins and rose from the dead on the third day. All of the architects of various religions died and stayed in their graves, except for Christ. Newsweek added that it is a shibboleth that "all religions are the same."This magnificent volume explains the doctrines, myths, symbolism, and rituals of religions past and present.