The differentiated approach to religion-by-religion teaching
Gr 5-8-These thoughtfully organized overviews provide essential information on the faith, careful looks at festivals and important rites of passage, clear and beautifully reproduced photographs, and expansive glossaries. The authors provide references to important scriptures as well as quotations from important teachers or contemporary believers. The books stand out for their inclusion of the religion's approach to contemporary issues, from the status of women in Islam to Hinduism's opposition to abortion to Sikhism's environmental concerns. Hinduism contains the frank admission that-despite the faith's strong traditions in pacifism, religious tolerance, and the ultimate unity of all faith-the existence of the caste system has often led Hindus to be less loving to each other than to adherents of other religions. On the other hand, Islam's look at jihad focuses so intently on the traditional view of jihad as, first, the believer's internal struggles, that non-Muslim readers may feel that the author is dodging the term's more recent usage as "war against infidels." Likewise, readers may find it difficult to reconcile the normative position that imams and other prominent Muslims do not tell other Muslims how to think or behave, given media reports of the involvement of imams in political matters. Even with these caveats, however, the books will be useful for reports, and should encourage cross-faith understanding and a lessening of suspicion across the lines of religion.-Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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