World Religions (Elements of) [Paperback]

Liz Flower (Author)

Book Description

Series: Elements of | Publication Date: December 1997

Over the centuries, a rich diversity of faiths has arisen throughout the world, some deeply contemplative and meditative, others joyously communual in their worship. This text present a comprehensive guide for each religion including information providing: a brief history of the religion and the founder(s); the evolution of the faith, its origins and dissemination ;the doctrines, beliefs, scriptures, rituals and fetivals, and where appropriate the panthenon of gods and goddesses.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A writer, editor, and owner of a bookstore specializing in Eastern and Western religions, Flower has added another book to the plethora of materials summarizing the great religions of the world. The book is separated into four broad groupings, such as "Monotheism" (containing Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha'i, and Zoroastrianism) and the "Religious Legacy of India" (containing Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism). There is nothing particularly bad about this work; however, there is nothing particularly exceptional, unusual, or outstanding about it either. It is the usual dry summary of the basic elements of these faiths with the facts following facts. This book is not comprehensive enough to be used as a college textbook nor is it accessible enough in presentation, manner, or tone to be an introduction to the uninitiated. Its best use would be to a scholar fairly well familiar with a few world religions who wants detailed descriptions of other religions. Marginally recommended for large public libraries.?Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Element Books (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862041288
• ISBN-13: 978-1862041288
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,479,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't finish., April 25, 2001

By A Customer

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

I admit that I only got through two and a half chapters or so of this book before tossing it in the garbage. For starters, in the Christianity section Flower misquotes the Lord's Prayer. While "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever" is part of the prayer for many Christians, it's not in the Bible. Flower, however, cites the add-on as a quote from the Bible! While your average Joe on the street might be excused for the error, I can't see how the same allowance can be made for an author of a book on religions. She also writes on Christianity, "In countries like Africa it is one of the fastest growing of all religions." The last time I checked, Africa was a continent. Such a quote should not be tolerated in a high school term paper, much less a published book. I'm circular-filing this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good introductory resource with brief summaries, June 5, 2000

By 

M. Miller (Bellingham, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

The coverage of this book predominantly focuses on the major religions of the world, with a very brief synopsis of "other" religions. Whereas the book does provide enough information to tantalize the interested reader, its focus is specific on very basic principles and rarely scratches the surface of each faith. In addition, I found some of the information included to be either questionable or at least summarized too vaguely (such as claiming the believers of Jain to be atheistic in nature).

I was hoping it would spend equal time discussing both the well-known popular religions as it did with the lesser known faiths, but I was disappointed (which is, unfortunately, seemingly typical of many "religious encyclopedias"). If you are looking for a simple overall portrait of what a relgion based on, how people worship, and the religious precepts which direct the faith, then this is a quick and easy resource. But if you are interested in getting a fuller grasp of some of the more esoteric, lesser-known beliefs out there, then I wouldn't get this book.