A Brief Guide to Beliefs: Ideas, Theologies, Mysteries, and MovementsThis wide-ranging and highly readable introduction focuses on the contemporary fascination with the big questions about God and the supernatural, setting out clearly and fairly what people believe and their reasons for believing it. All the major faiths are covered, along with new and alternative movements, neo-pagan and New Age thought, and spiritualities of human potential and self-enhancement. Offering a wealth of information on key concepts, movements, and thinkers, A Brief Guide to Beliefs will be especially helpful to students of religion or related subjects, and to all who want to know more about the most popular and influencial beliefs in the world today. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 11 |
Postmodernism and the Challenge to Religion 9 | 11 |
The Existence of God | 19 |
The Meaning of Morality | 31 |
Science and Religion | 45 |
The Problem of Evil and Suffering | 55 |
Aspects of Religion | 67 |
Twelve World Faiths | 135 |
Some Alternative and Indigenous Religions | 277 |
A Brief History | 305 |
Some Alternative Christian Movements | 394 |
Pagan Esoteric and Occult Thought | 445 |
Belief in Human Potential | 501 |
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Common terms and phrases
ancient Baha'i became belief Bible bishops body Buddha Buddhism called century Christadelphians Christian claim concept Confucianism Council creation culture death deity divine doctrine Druidry early earth eternal ethical evangelical evil existence experience faith Father festival followers Gnosticism God's Gospel Granth Greek groups Guru Guru Granth Sahib heaven Hindu Hinduism Holy Spirit human Islam Israel Jain Jainism Jesus Jesus Christ Jewish Jews John Judaism Kabbalah Krishna living Lord major meaning meditation modern monks moral Mormon movement Muhammad Muslim mystical nature nirvana occult Orthodox pagan person philosophy Pope practice prayer prophet Protestant Qur'an Rastafarians reality Reformation religion religious revelation ritual Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Church Rosicrucian sacred salvation Satan scriptures Shinto Sikh Sikhism society soul spiritual Taoism teaching temple Testament texts theologians theology theory things thought tion Torah tradition truth unit universe women word worship writings yoga Zoroastrianism