Table of Contents

Each chapter ends with Study Questions, Further Reading, and Online Resources.
Preface:
Chapter 1. The Beginning of Understanding
First Look:
Religious Questions and Answers:
Studying Religions:
Key Terms
READINGS
Identifying Religions
The Nature of Religion, Ninian Smart
Comparative Studies
Comparing Religions, Will Deming
The Sacred and the Profane
The Sacredness of Nature and Cosmic Religion, Mircea Eliade
Subjective Belief
Religious Experience: The Root of Religion, William James
Religion as Human Invention
Religion Is "the Opium of the People," Karl Marx
Religion as Illusion
The Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud
The Goddess
When God Was a Woman, Merlin Stone
Chapter 2. Indigenous Religions: North America and Africa
Indigenous North American Religions:
Indigenous African Religions:
Key Terms
READINGS
Indigenous North American Religions
Thunder Rides a Black Horse, Claire R. Farrer
Basic Call to Consciousness, Iroquois Nation
Iroquois Myth: The Creation:
Cherokee Myth: How the World Was Made:
Cherokee Myth: Origin of Disease and Medicine:
Sioux Genesis:
Native American Spirituality, Evan T. Pritchard
Sacred Ways of a Lakota, Wallace Black Elk
The Gift of the Sacred Pipe, Wallace Black Elk
Misunderstanding Native Americans, Frederick W. Turner
Indigenous African Religions
Women in African Traditional Religions, Joseph Akinyele Omoyajowo
Traditional Religions in Contemporary Africa, Wande Abimbola
African Traditional Religions: Worldviews and Cosmology, Jacob K. Olupona
Chapter 3. Hinduism
Hindu Beliefs:
Hindu Ritual:
Hindu Philosophies:
Hindu Beginnings:
Hindu Scriptures: The Vedic Period:
Hindu Scriptures: After the Vedas:
--The Epics
--The Puranas
--The Legal and Moral Codes
Major Monotheisms
Challenges to Hinduism
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
Selections from the Rig Veda
Selections from the Upanishads
Selections from the Bhagavad-Gita
Selection from the Crest-Jewel of Discrimination, Advaita Vedanta
The Path of Devotion: Bhagavata Purana
Shiva Purana
The Goddess Durga, David R. Kinsley
The Spirit of Indian Philosophy, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Selections from The Secret Garland
Practices
Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, Barbara Stoler Miller
Chanting the Sacred Syllable Om, Chandogya Upanishad
Bhakti Yoga, Bhagavad Gita
Hindu Ritual: Cremation, Rig Veda
Domestic Worship, Vasudha Narayanan
Darsan: Seeing the Sacred, Diana L. Eck
Contemporary Challenges
The Case of Uma Bharati, Katherine K. Young
Untouchability, Mohandas Gandhi
Chapter 4. Jainism
Jain History
Teachings and Practices
Jain Scriptures
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
Nonviolence, Sutrakritanga
Wise and Foolish Men, Acaranga Sutra
Moral Verses, Naladiyar
There Is No Creator God, Mahapurana
Be Watchful, Uttaradhyayana Sutra
Practices
The Eternal Law, Acaranga Sutra
Sinning Against the Earth, Acaranga Sutra
The Five Great Vows, Akaranga Sutra
Life of a Jain Nun, N. Shanta
Contemporary Challenges
Jains Today, Vasudha Narayanan
Chapter 5. Buddhism
Buddhist Complexities:
The Buddha's Life:
The Buddha's Teachings:
Modern Challenges to Buddhism:
--Women and Buddhism
--Socially Engaged Buddhism
Buddhist Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Awakened One:
The Five Precepts:
The Enlightenment:
The Recollection of Death, Buddhaghosa
The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra:
The Lotus Sutra: A Parable:
Buddha Nature, Peter Harvey
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Chogyam Trungpa
Guidelines for Studying the Way, Eihei Dogen
Practices
A Buddhist-American Monk, Heng Sure
Meditation, Damien Keown
No Need for Precepts, Bankei
The Koan Exercise, D.T. Suzuki
When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron
Rules for Zazen, Master Dogen
Contemporary Challenges
Freedom in Exile, The Dalai Lama
Thich Nhat Hanh on Engaged Buddhist Ethics, Sallie B. King
Women in Buddhism, Roy C. Amore and Julia Ching
Chapter 6. Sikhism
Beginnings:
Beliefs:
Sikh Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
Hymns of Guru Gobind Singh:
Hymns of Guru Amar Das:
Hymns of Guru Ram Das:
The Death of Guru Nanak:
The Rahit: Code of Conduct:
Selections from the Japji:
Practices
The Rite of Khalsa Initiation, Hew McLeod
Devotions: The Prakaash, Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa
Contemporary Challenges
Feminine Dimensions of Sikh Faith, Willard G. Oxtoby
Chapter 7. Confucianism
Life of Confucius:
Confucian Teachings:
The Confucian Canon:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
Selections from The Analects
Selections from The Book of Mencius
Human Nature Is Evil, Xunzi
Confucianism as Religious Humanism, Julia Ching
The Confucian Way of Being Religious, Tu Wei-Ming
Practices
Sacred Space, Jennifer Oldstone-Moore
Confucian Holy Rite, Herbert Fingarette
Contemporary Challenges
The Revival of Confucian Values, Xinzhong Yao
Chapter 8. Daoism
Teachings:
Practices:
The Daoist Canon:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
Selections from the Daodejing:
Selections from the Zhuangzi:
The Dao of Ecology, Huston Smith
Practices
T'ai Chi, Al Chung-liang Huang
Quiet Sitting with Master Yinshi, Jiang Weiqiao
Qingjing Jing:
The Lady of Great Mystery:
Contemporary Challenges
Daoism in the Twenty-First Century, William A. Young
Chapter 9. Shinto
Beliefs and Practices:
Sacred Writings:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Nihongi: The Kami Create Japan:
Nihongi: The Kami of the Sun and Moon:
Kojiki: Kami, the Netherworld, and the Eclipse of the Sun:
Life Is Transitory:
Mount Fuji:
Practices
Rituals, Shrines, and Festivals, Ian Reader
Contemporary Challenges
Japanese Religion in Modern Times, Howard W. French
Chapter 10. Zoroastrianism
Zarathustra and His Teachings:
Zoroastrian Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Zoroastrian Creed:
To Ahura and the Fire:
Hymn to Ahura:
Resurrection and Final Judgment:
Good and Evil:
Fate of the Soul at Death:
Practices
The Four Main Prayers
Burial of the Dead:
Zoroastrian Ceremonies, Rustom Masani
Contemporary Challenges
Zoroastrianism's Biggest Worry: Membership, Ariane Sherine
Chapter 11. Judaism
History:
Beliefs:
Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Creation Story:
The Covenant with Noah:
The Covenant with Abraham:
The Exodus:
The Mosaic Covenant:
The Holiness Code:
The Entry into Canaan:
Psalms of David:
The Babylonian Conquest and Exile:
Mishnah: The Ethics of the Fathers:
Maimonides: Thirteen Principles of the Jewish Faith:
Reform Judaism: The Pittsburgh Platform, 1885:
To Be a Jew, Elie Wiesel
God in Search of Man, Abraham Joshua Heschel
Practices
Observing the Sabbath, George Robinson
Yom Kippur, Herman Wouk
The Seder, George Robinson
Contemporary Challenges
Meaning from Suffering, Viktor Frankl:
Jewish Feminism, Judith Plaskow
Chapter 12. Christianity
History:
--Story of Jesus
--Divisions
--From Empire to Schism
--Augustine
--The Middle Ages
--The Reformation
Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Sermon on the Mount:
Healing the Blind and Casting Out Demons:
The Good Samaritan:
Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection:
The Women at the Tomb:
The Word Made Flesh:
The Ascension and Pentecost:
Paul: Life After Death:
The Gnostic Gospel of Mary:
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas:
Augustine's Confessions:
The Five Ways, Thomas Aquinas
Orthodox Christianity, Ernst Benz
The Apostles' Creed:
The Nicene Creed:
Practices
Prayer and Fasting:
The Eucharist:
Baptism:
Anointing the Sick:
The Didache: Teaching of the Apostles:
The Prayer of Union, St. Teresa of Avila
Contemporary Challenges
Women in the New Testament:
Women and Christianity, Linda Woodhead
Chapter 13. Islam
Beginnings:
Practice:
Scriptures:
Key Terms
READINGS
Teachings
The Quran, Suras 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 17, 53, 75, 96, 97, 100, 102, 103, 104, 107
Hadith: Jihad, How Divine Revelation Came to the Holy Prophet, Divorce:
Sunni Beliefs (al-Ash'ari):
Shi'a Beliefs (Ibn Babuya al-Saduq):
The Sufi Path: Doorkeeper of the Heart:
Al-Ghazali: The Classes of Seekers:
Practices
The Quran: The Cow (The Five Pillars), The Cow (Laws):
Hadith: Charity:
Contemporary Challenges
Reforming Islam, John L. Esposito
Passages About Women: The Quran, Sura 4:
Women and the Quran: Problematic Verses, Ruth Roded
Women and the Shari'a, Malise Ruthven
Tolerating the Beliefs of Others, Michael Cook
Chapter 14. New Religious Movements
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
Christian Science:
Baha'i:
Wicca
Key Terms
READINGS
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Joseph Smith's Introduction to the Book of Mormon:
Christ Appearing in America:
Statement of Beliefs:
Vision and Conversion of Joseph Smith:
Christian Science
Science and Health, Preface, Mary Baker Eddy
Science and Health, Recapitulation, Mary Baker Eddy
Baha'i
Baha'u'llah and Basic Baha'i Teaching:
Baha'i Laws: Kitab-I-Aqdas:
The Bab on Islam and Christianity:
World Peace:
Wicca
Drawing Down the Moon (1949):
Power (1953):
Credits:
Index:

About the Author

Lewis Vaughn is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Power of Critical Thinking, Fifth Edition (2015), Philosophy Here and Now, Second Edition (2015), and Living Philosophy (2014), all published by Oxford University Press.

Reviews

"A comprehensive and expansive collection that allows for endless comparison and discovery, within and between faith traditions, and that assists students in understanding the development of those traditions across time as reflected in their own documents."--Dereck Daschke, Truman State University
"Within the cacophony of religious voices throughout history and today, Vaughn's Anthology of World Religions is a steady guide. Anyone seeking to orient themselves to one of the most pervasive aspects of the human condition would be well served by this book."--James Joiner, Northern Arizona University