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Comparative Religion For Dummies


Comparative Religion For Dummies


1. Aufl.

von: William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan

17,99 €

Verlag: Wiley
Format: EPUB
Veröffentl.: 31.01.2011
ISBN/EAN: 9781118052273
Sprache: englisch
Anzahl Seiten: 384

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Beschreibungen

<b>Understand the beliefs, customs, and rituals of each faith</b> <p><b>The fun and easy way to know the common elements of these widespread religions</b></p> <p>Want to know more about the faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? This plain-English guide traces their evolution from their commonorigin - Abraham - and explains their different, yet linked, beliefs.You'll see how each religion developed, endured setbacks, and became a fixture in modern society - and you'll learn how members havedeveloped similar approaches to worship.</p> <p><b>Discover:</b></p> <ul> <li>How the belief in one God originated</li> <li>The roots of Abraham's family tree</li> <li>The sacred texts of each faith</li> <li>Major similarities and differences</li> <li>How these religions influenced the world</li> </ul>
<p><b>Introduction 1</b></p> <p>About This Book 2</p> <p>Foolish Assumptions 3</p> <p>Conventions Used in This Book 3</p> <p>How This Book is Organized 4</p> <p>Part I: History is a Happening Thing 4</p> <p>Part II: The Development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 4</p> <p>Part III: Shared Aspects of the Faiths 5</p> <p>Part IV: Shared Ideas Among the Faiths 5</p> <p>Part V: The Part of Tens 5</p> <p>Part VI: Appendixes 5</p> <p>Icons Used in This Book 5</p> <p>Where to Go from Here 6</p> <p>Part I: History is a Happening Thing 7</p> <p><b>Chapter 1: One God, Three Faiths 9</b></p> <p>Holy Toledo! How Many Gods are There? 9</p> <p>Monotheism Develops 10</p> <p>Egypt tries the one-god concept 11</p> <p>Yahweh steps down from the mount 12</p> <p>Following Abraham’s Lead: Judaism 13</p> <p>Josiah and his faith: The beginnings of Judaism 13</p> <p>God becomes universal 14</p> <p>God provides protection and an identity 15</p> <p>Christianity: Crossing in a New Direction 16</p> <p>Paul finds a way to link beliefs 16</p> <p>The Christian message spreads through the empire 16</p> <p>Islam: Submitting to God 17</p> <p><b>Chapter 2: Following Abraham’s Path 19</b></p> <p>What We Do and Don’t Know about the Historic Abraham 19</p> <p>Taking a tour of Father Abraham’s neighborhood 20</p> <p>Following the laws of Abraham’s time 21</p> <p>Speaking Abraham’s language 22</p> <p>Practicing religion before Abraham came on the scene 22</p> <p>Abraham’s Early Years 23</p> <p>The Beginnings of Judaism 24</p> <p>Agreeing to the covenant 25</p> <p>Isaac’s close call demonstrates Abraham’s love for God 25</p> <p>Following the family tree 26</p> <p>In Islam, Ishmael Finds a New Way 27</p> <p>Jesus Joins the Genealogy 28</p> <p>Three Faiths: One Founder 29</p> <p>Part II: The Development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 31</p> <p><b>Chapter 3: Judaism: Oy Vey, What a History! 33</b></p> <p>From Abraham, Judaism Takes the Long Road 34</p> <p>Like father, like son: The leaders after Abraham 35</p> <p>Over the river and through the desert, to Pharaoh’s land we go 35</p> <p>Moses, Receiver of God’s Laws 36</p> <p>Relying on plagues and walls of water to escape slavery 37</p> <p>Counting on the Ten Commandments 38</p> <p>Joshua takes control 38</p> <p>The Days of the Judges 39</p> <p>The Time of Kings 39</p> <p>David starts a dynasty 40</p> <p>Solomon rules wisely 40</p> <p>Splitting into two kingdoms 40</p> <p>Getting Conquered: The Jews Find Themselves in Hot Water 41</p> <p>Monotheism arrives 42</p> <p>Living under foreign rule 42</p> <p>Christianity’s Emergence Puts the Jews on the Defensive (Yet Again) 43</p> <p>How Jews Have Influenced Society 44</p> <p>Emphasizing education 45</p> <p>Inventing languages 46</p> <p>Jewish humor: The joke’s on everyone 46</p> <p>Fulfilling their dreams in America 48</p> <p>Dominating the silver screen 48</p> <p>Flying the Blue and White Banner of Israel 49</p> <p><b>Chapter 4: Judaism Finds God in Everything 51</b></p> <p>A Little of This, A Little of That 52</p> <p>Maintaining Daily Practice 52</p> <p>Let us pray 53</p> <p>Exploring the worship wardrobe 54</p> <p>Keeping kosher 55</p> <p>Remembering the Sabbath 57</p> <p>Observing Jewish Holidays 58</p> <p>High Holy Days: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur 58</p> <p>Passover: Recalling the great escape 59</p> <p>Planting and harvesting holidays 61</p> <p>Purim: A great reason to party 62</p> <p>Hanukkah: In praise of victory and light 62</p> <p>Other holidays 63</p> <p>Understanding Jewish Rituals 64</p> <p>Circumcision: No getting around it 64</p> <p>Bar mitzvah: All grown up in God’s eyes 65</p> <p>Mazel tov! Celebrating a Jewish wedding 66</p> <p>Understanding Jewish Symbols .67</p> <p>The menorah 67</p> <p>The ark 68</p> <p>The Jewish star 69</p> <p><b>Chapter 5: Jesus and the Origins of Christianity 71</b></p> <p>Jesus’s Life and Death 71</p> <p>A remarkable birth 72</p> <p>The few historical records of Jesus’s life 73</p> <p>Preaching and teaching God’s word 74</p> <p>Jesus’s claims stir the pot and create controversy 75</p> <p>A date with the cross 76</p> <p>The First Believers 76</p> <p>What the early followers believed 77</p> <p>The first missionary of Jesus 78</p> <p>A New Religion Grows 79</p> <p>The destruction of the Temple fuels growth 79</p> <p>Christians separate from Judaism 80</p> <p>Christian practices: It’s no mystery 80</p> <p>The big time arrives: Legitimacy in the Roman Empire 81</p> <p>Nicene council sets the belief 82</p> <p>The Greeks split while the Romans grow in influence 83</p> <p>It’s Hard to Keep Everyone Happy 84</p> <p>Martin Luther spells out his displeasure 85</p> <p>Protestants reform, the Church counterreforms, and fighting ensues 86</p> <p>The rise of science in a Christian world 87</p> <p>Conflict revives Armageddon ideas 88</p> <p>Christianity Today 88</p> <p><b>Chapter 6: Christian Beliefs and Practices 91</b></p> <p>The First Noel: Christmas and the Roots of Christianity 92</p> <p>Why a holiday for the Nativity? 93</p> <p>Why December? 93</p> <p>Other Christian Holidays 95</p> <p>Hallelujah! He is risen: Easter 95</p> <p>A solemn and somber season: Lent 97</p> <p>A weekly holy day: The Sabbath 98</p> <p>Happening upon Christianity’s Holy Sites 99</p> <p>Seeing how sites become holy 99</p> <p>Wandering around Rome and the Vatican 99</p> <p>Rituals: Outward Expressions of Faith 100</p> <p>One bread, one body: Communion 101</p> <p>Welcoming new Christians through baptism 102</p> <p>Celebrating additional sacraments 103</p> <p>The Different Symbols of Christianity 103</p> <p>The old rugged cross 103</p> <p>What’s the bright idea behind halos? 106</p> <p>Fish, lamb, doves, and more 106</p> <p>Many Christians, Many Sects 106</p> <p><b>Chapter 7: The Birth of Islam: The Prophet Submits to Allah 109</b></p> <p>Islam, Born in the Desert 109</p> <p>All roads lead to Mecca 110</p> <p>Meccans become traders with the world 111</p> <p>The Prophet Arrives 111</p> <p>Muhammad’s early life 112</p> <p>Starting out as an average guy 112</p> <p>Beginning of a faith 113</p> <p>Solitude leads to action 114</p> <p>The faith develops: Introducing the five pillars 114</p> <p>Writing the Koran 115</p> <p>Muhammad Takes Command 117</p> <p>Spreading the new faith 118</p> <p>The Farewell Sermon 119</p> <p>Breakdown at the Start-Up: Sunnis and Shi’ites Can’t Get Along 119</p> <p>Choosing a leader causes strife early on 120</p> <p>How Sunnis and Shi’ites practice Islam 121</p> <p>The Ottoman Turks Dominate Islam 123</p> <p><b>Chapter 8: Islam: Submission of the Faithful 125</b></p> <p>The Core of Islam: One God with Muhammad as His Last Prophet 125</p> <p>Allah: The Almighty of Islam 126</p> <p>The history of Allah 127</p> <p>Allah’s divine role 128</p> <p>The Pillars of the Faith 129</p> <p>First pillar: Creed (Shahada) 129</p> <p>Second pillar: Prayer (Salat) 130</p> <p>Third pillar: Purifying tax (Zakat) 131</p> <p>Fourth pillar: Fasting (Sawm) 132</p> <p>Fifth pillar: Pilgrimage (Hajj) 133</p> <p>Meeting Some Muslim Sects 133</p> <p>Ahmadiyya 134</p> <p>Ismailis 134</p> <p>Kahrijites 134</p> <p>Kurds 135</p> <p>Sufis 135</p> <p>Wahhabis, or Muwahiddun 135</p> <p>Gender Equality in Islam 136</p> <p>Observing Muslim Holidays 137</p> <p>Ramadan 137</p> <p>Hijra: Turning the page to a new year 137</p> <p>Ashurah: A day of many remembrances 138</p> <p>Id Milad al-Nabi: Marking Muhammad’s birth and death 138</p> <p>Id al-Adha: Honoring Abraham’s dedication to God 138</p> <p>Lailat al-Baraa: Seeking and granting forgiveness 139</p> <p>15th of Sha’ban: Shaking things up 139</p> <p>27th of Rajab: A heavenly holiday 139</p> <p>Getting to Know Saints in Islam 139</p> <p>Common Rituals and Daily Practices 140</p> <p>Getting hitched in Islam 140</p> <p>Other ways of keeping the faith 141</p> <p>Islam’s dietary requirements 142</p> <p>The Story Behind Symbols and Colors 143</p> <p>Part III: Shared Aspects of the Faiths 145</p> <p><b>Chapter 9: Reading the Holy Words 147</b></p> <p>The Hebrew Bible 148</p> <p>Sections of the Hebrew Bible 148</p> <p>When were the books written? 149</p> <p>When did the books become holy? 150</p> <p>Understanding the Bible through JEPD 151</p> <p>It’s all Greek to me 151</p> <p>The Christian Bible 152</p> <p>The structure of the New Testament 152</p> <p>Who wrote the books? 153</p> <p>Where were they written? .153</p> <p>When were the books written? 154</p> <p>Drawing material from many sources 154</p> <p>Jerome gets an assignment: Revise the Bible 155</p> <p>The Koran 156</p> <p>Revealing the Koran’s history 156</p> <p>Outlining the Koran’s organization 157</p> <p>Understanding the Texts 157</p> <p>Translating can be such sweet sorrow 157</p> <p>That’s not what that says 158</p> <p>I can read it, but what does it mean? 159</p> <p>Things get really complicated in the Koran 159</p> <p>Where are the originals? 160</p> <p>Unrolling the Dead Sea Scrolls 161</p> <p>What’s in the Dead Sea Scrolls? 162</p> <p>How do they help us translate the Bible? 163</p> <p>Perusing Other Sacred Books 164</p> <p>The insightful Talmud 164</p> <p>The mysterious Kabbalah 165</p> <p>Christians stick with the original reference book 166</p> <p>The Hadith collects Muhammad’s sayings and teachings 166</p> <p><b>Chapter 10: Houses of Prayer 169</b></p> <p>Early Sacred Sites: Stone Mounds and Altars 169</p> <p>The Many Lives of the Temple in Jerusalem 171</p> <p>The Temple’s significance to the Jews 172</p> <p>The Temple’s destruction 172</p> <p>A new Temple rises 173</p> <p>A battle for the Temple and its rededication 173</p> <p>Romans defile the Temple 174</p> <p>Herod’s version of the Temple 175</p> <p>The Romans’ view of the Temple 175</p> <p>The Romans burn the Temple 176</p> <p>Synagogues become the Jewish houses of prayer 178</p> <p>Christians Choose Churches 179</p> <p>The churches of early Christians 179</p> <p>Church design evolves 180</p> <p>Artistry and music abound 181</p> <p>Byzantine style moves in .182</p> <p>Later styles emerge, but some things don’t change 182</p> <p>Mosques Reflect the Prophet 182</p> <p>How mosques are designed 183</p> <p>Inspecting the interior of a mosque 184</p> <p>Who’s Welcome for Worship? 185</p> <p><b>Chapter 11: Religious Leaders: Keeping the Faith 187</b></p> <p>Great Jewish Leaders of the Past 188</p> <p>Prophets emerge from the shadows 188</p> <p>After the prophets: Sages 189</p> <p>Rise of the Rabbi 189</p> <p>A rabbi’s job description 190</p> <p>Education: The key to leadership 190</p> <p>Modern Jewish leaders 191</p> <p>Christian Leaders 192</p> <p>The pope becomes the point man 192</p> <p>Christianity’s organization 193</p> <p>The requirements and roles of Christian church leaders 194</p> <p>Church Leaders from the Early Days Until Now 195</p> <p>Lighting up in the Middle Ages 195</p> <p>Modern Christian leaders 196</p> <p>Following Muhammad 197</p> <p>Great Muslim leaders in history 197</p> <p>Modern Islamic leaders 198</p> <p><b>Chapter 12: Sacred Sites 199</b></p> <p>Jerusalem: Important to All Three Religions 200</p> <p>A city with a fuzzy origin .201</p> <p>Jerusalem in history 202</p> <p>Jerusalem in symbolism 205</p> <p>Sacred Sites of Judaism 205</p> <p>Bethel: Home of the law .206</p> <p>Shechem: Future home of the Samaritans 206</p> <p>Mount Moriah: Site of the Wailing Wall</p> <p>and the Dome of the Rock 206</p> <p>Mount Zion: A conquered fortress 207</p> <p>Mount Sinai: God and Moses’s chat room 207</p> <p>In Islam, All Roads Lead to Mecca 208</p> <p>Christian Sacred Sites 209</p> <p>Shrine of Thomas Becket 210</p> <p>House of the Virgin Mary .210</p> <p>Assisi, home of Saint Francis 211</p> <p>Lourdes and its healing waters 211</p> <p>The Vatican: Small, but holy 211</p> <p>St. Peter’s Basilica 212</p> <p>Other Catholic sites 213</p> <p><b>Chapter 13: Thy Kingdom Come: The Messiah Concept 215</b></p> <p>The Origins of the Messiah Concept 216</p> <p>Isaiah outlines a role 216</p> <p>Other prophets predict a messiah 217</p> <p>The messianic concept takes shape with King David 218</p> <p>The messiahs disappear 218</p> <p>New messianic duties surface 219</p> <p>The Romans create more fervor 219</p> <p>Two messiahs? 220</p> <p>Later messiahs in Judaism 221</p> <p>Christians Adopt Jesus as the Messiah 222</p> <p>Comparing old messiahs to Jesus 223</p> <p>Other messianic figures around the time of Jesus 225</p> <p>Jesus wins out 228</p> <p>Islam Develops a Messiah: Madhi 228</p> <p>The Shi’ite vision 228</p> <p>Sunnis disagree 229</p> <p>Other Mahdis 229</p> <p>The last Mahdi? 230</p> <p><b>Chapter 14: Holy Catastrophe: End of the World 231</b></p> <p>Where Did the Idea of the End of the World Come From? 231</p> <p>Judaism’s Belief in the End and Its Influence on Christianity 232</p> <p>The end as predicted in the book of Daniel 233</p> <p>Other prophesies predict the end 234</p> <p>The death of Augustus 235</p> <p>The destruction of the Temple: A sign for Jews and Christians 235</p> <p>Other predictions of the final year 236</p> <p>The Christian notion of the “antichrist” 238</p> <p>Islam’s View of the End 238</p> <p>Turning to texts for support 238</p> <p>The end is near 239</p> <p>How the End of the World Will Take Place 240</p> <p>Signs of the end 240</p> <p>How the end will begin, so to speak 242</p> <p>Jesus gets an encore to limited audiences 242</p> <p>Rise and shine for the resurrection 243</p> <p>Standing by during the destruction 243</p> <p>Awaiting the final judgment 243</p> <p>How about stopping in purgatory? 244</p> <p>Part IV: Shared Ideas Among the Faiths 247</p> <p><b>Chapter 15: Dealing with Sin 249</b></p> <p>What is Sin, and Where Does It Come From? 249</p> <p>Sources of sin: The Devil made me do it and other reasons 250</p> <p>Considering human nature 251</p> <p>Judaism: Sinners defy God’s commandments 251</p> <p>Christianity: We’re born with sin 252</p> <p>Islam: Sin comes from straying off the path 254</p> <p>Facing Punishment for Sins 255</p> <p>Judaism: God gets angry but can forgive 256</p> <p>Christianity: Salvation is possible 256</p> <p>Islam: Cleansing by fire 257</p> <p>Receiving Redemption 257</p> <p>When does redemption take place? 258</p> <p>How does someone get redeemed? 260</p> <p>Excommunication: When Redemption Isn’t an Option 264</p> <p><b>Chapter 16: Good Heavens: Life after Death 265</b></p> <p>Where Do Ideas about the Afterlife Come From? 265</p> <p>Early humans: Always be prepared 266</p> <p>Egyptians: Soul men who needed their mummies 266</p> <p>Greeks: Dead on their feet 267</p> <p>Romans: A-wandering we shall go 267</p> <p>Zoroastrians: Choosing between good and evil 268</p> <p>What is Heaven? 269</p> <p>Who you’ll meet in heaven 270</p> <p>Opening up the gates of heaven to the righteous 271</p> <p>What is heaven like? 271</p> <p>Why go to heaven? 273</p> <p>Angels: God’s Helpers 274</p> <p>Early concepts of angels 274</p> <p>Angels in monotheism 276</p> <p><b>Chapter 17: Hell in a Nutshell 279</b></p> <p>Starting with the Roots of Hell .280</p> <p>Revealing the earliest references 281</p> <p>Jews’ souls go to Sheol 281</p> <p>Souls in Gehenna are goners 281</p> <p>Why punishment in hell? .282</p> <p>What is Hell Like? 282</p> <p>Judaism: Hell is distance from God 282</p> <p>Christianity: Hell’s a place of torment 283</p> <p>Islam: Hell features wild climate extremes 287</p> <p>Speaking of the Devil 287</p> <p>Early concepts of hell’s ruler 287</p> <p>Judaism: Satan is God’s adversary 288</p> <p>Christianity: Satan is the deceiver and prince of darkness 288</p> <p>Islam: Satan encourages wrongdoing 290</p> <p>Watching Out for Devilish Assistants 290</p> <p>Judaism: Demons in nature 291</p> <p>Christianity: The witches will get ya 291</p> <p>Islam: Powerful genies aid Iblis 292</p> <p>What Happens to Satan? 293</p> <p>Judaism: God destroys all .293</p> <p>Christianity: Satan puts up a fight 293</p> <p>Islam: Judgment comes 294</p> <p><b>Chapter 18: War and Peace: Why Can’t We All Get Along?  295</b></p> <p>A Shared Heritage 296</p> <p>Belief in one God 297</p> <p>Shared internal conflicts .298</p> <p>Differences, Disagreements, and Conflicts 300</p> <p>Universality versus exclusivity 301</p> <p>Judaism offers a solution 302</p> <p>Christianity closes doors, and Islam follows suit 303</p> <p>War and Not So Much Peace 304</p> <p>Muslims conquer for a time 304</p> <p>Christianity envelops mankind 305</p> <p>Christian missionaries 305</p> <p>The Jews Struggle 307</p> <p>No home anywhere 308</p> <p>The birth of Israel: More strife 308</p> <p>Troubles continue inside Israel 308</p> <p>Finding Solutions in Secularism 309</p> <p>Separation of church and state in the United States 309</p> <p>In the Islamic world, secularism struggles 310</p> <p>Where we are today 312</p> <p>What does the future hold? 313</p> <p>Part V: The Part of Tens 315</p> <p><b>Chapter 19: Ten Misconceptions about Jews, Christians, and Muslims 317</b></p> <p>Judaism Struggles against Anti-Semitism 318</p> <p>Jews belong to a separate race 318</p> <p>Jews want to take over the world 318</p> <p>Jews killed Jesus 318</p> <p>Christianity Focuses on Fundamentals 319</p> <p>Christians think God will solve their problems 319</p> <p>Only good Christians go to heaven 319</p> <p>A person who is “born again” enjoys a miraculous, dramatic feeling 319</p> <p>Islam Emerges to Slow Understanding 319</p> <p>Muslims are violent 320</p> <p>All Muslims are Arabs 320</p> <p>Muslims don’t believe in Jesus or other prophets 320</p> <p>Muslims worship a different God 320</p> <p><b>Chapter 20: Ten Films Drawn from Biblical Accounts 321</b></p> <p>The Ten Commandments 322</p> <p>King of Kings 322</p> <p>The Greatest Story Ever Told 322</p> <p>Jesus Christ Superstar 323</p> <p>The Passion of the Christ 323</p> <p>The Prince of Egypt 324</p> <p>The Last Temptation of Christ 324</p> <p>Solomon and Sheba 324</p> <p>David and Bathsheba 325</p> <p>Samson and Delilah 325</p> <p><b>Chapter 21: Ten-Plus Ways Religion Influences the World 327</b></p> <p>Read All About It: Literature 327</p> <p>Music as an Expression of Faith 328</p> <p>Politics and Religion: Not Always Easy to Separate 329</p> <p>Bringing the Bible to Life through Art 329</p> <p>Recording Biblical Stories on Film 330</p> <p>Spreading the Word through Television 331</p> <p>Seeking Insight into God through Science 332</p> <p>Education: Wearing a Skullcap and a Thinking Cap 332</p> <p>Being Holy Improves Your Health and Well-Being 333</p> <p>Social Welfare: Doing unto Others 334</p> <p>Disagreeing about Environmental Issues 334</p> <p>Part VI: Appendixes 335</p> <p><b>Appendix A: Timelines for Religions 337</b></p> <p>Judaism 338</p> <p>Christianity 340</p> <p>Islam 341</p> <p><b>Appendix B: Genealogies 343</b></p> <p>Judaism and Christianity 344</p> <p>Islam 348</p> <p>Index 351</p>
<p><b>William P. Lazarus</b> has taught religious history courses for 14 years. <b>Mark Sullivan</b> is a writer and editor who has studied comparative religion and philosophy extensively.
<p><b>Understand the beliefs, customs, and rituals of each faith</b> <p><b>The fun and easy way<sup>®</sup> to know the common elements of these widespread religions</b> <p>Want to know more about the faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? This plain-English guide traces their evolution from their common origin — Abraham — and explains their different, yet linked, beliefs. You'll see how each religion developed, endured setbacks, and became a fixture in modern society — and you'll learn how members have developed similar approaches to worship. <p><b>THE DUMMIES WAY<sup>®</sup></b> <p>Explanations in plain English<br/> "Get in, get out" information<br/> Icons and other navigational aids<br/> Online cheat sheet<br/> Top ten lists<br/> A dash of humor and fun <p><b>Discover:</b> <p>How the belief in one God originated<br/> The roots of Abraham's family tree<br/> The sacred texts of each faith<br/> Major similarities and differences<br/> How these religions influenced the world <p><b>Get smart!<br/>@www.dummies.com</b> <ul> <li>Find listings of all our books</li> <li>Choose from many different subject categories</li> <li>Sign up for eTips at <b>etips.dummies.com</b></li> </ul>

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