UNDERSTANDING RELIGION IN GLOBAL SOCIETY is an accessible and timely introduction to religion that encourages
students to explore actively the breadth and depth of the religious within the context of the current geo-political
outlook. Using the phenomenological method, major religious traditions are analyzed in light of the opportunities
and challenges posed by the forces of globalization. Organized topically, this textbook fosters deeper levels of
understanding via engaging commentary and pedagogy and a robust website. Above all, this text assists students
in questioning, exploring, and analyzing diverse religious contexts and in comparing the beliefs, rituals, texts,
art, and individual and social aspects of religion.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Studying Religion in Global Society.
2. What is Religion?
3. The Absolute, the Ultimate, the Holy.
4. Origins and Founders.
5. World Scriptures.
6. Myths, Stories, and History.
7. Suffering and Evil.
8. Religion and Art.
9. Ritual.
10. Religion, Morality and Ethics.
11. Religious Experience.
12. Salvation and the Meaning of Life.
13. Religion, Personality, and the Individual.
14. Religion and Society in a Global Age.
