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The World's Religions, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (January 2, 2013) © 2013

  • William A. Young Westminster College

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The World’s Religions provides an orientation to the study of religion.

Surveying the stages of development, worldviews, and current situations of the major world religions, this text discusses the ways these religions respond to contemporary ethical issues. It also presents a sampling of new religious movements and looks to the possible ways the world's religions may interact in the 21st century. Its distinctive “framework for understanding” religious worldviews allows readers to compare and contrast the teachings of religions objectively.

Teaching and Learning Experience

  • Personalize Learning— MyReligionLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. 
  • Improve Critical Thinking- The “framework for understanding” allows students to think critically about varying religious worldviews. 
  • Engage Students — Contemporary ethical issues make studying world religions relevant to students today.  
  • Support Instructors - Teaching your course just got easier!  You can create a Customized Text or use our Instructor’s Manual, Electronic “MyTest” Test Bank or PowerPoint Presentation Slides.
  • The introductory section addresses the key issues for studying religion in the twenty-first century and sets up the "framework for understanding".
  • A chapter on New Religious Movementssurveys twenty-one new religious movements, including well-established movements such as Christian Science, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and the Nation of Islam, as well as movements recently in the news such as Satanism, International Raelian Religion, and Falun Dafa (Falun Gong).
  • A full chapter on the religions of indigenous peoples focuses on the Yoruba of Africa and the Oglala Lakota of North America, exposing students to the challenges of studying indigenous religions.
  • Contemporary Ethical Issues introduces some twenty-first century ethical issues (the ecological crisis, the economic crisis, war, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, gender roles, and sexual orientation) and surveys the responses of major religions as well as a sampling of new religious movements to them.

In this Section:

1) Overall Changes

2) Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

1) Overall Changes

  • Discussions based on interviews with students about their experiences with religion have been added throughout the text.
  • Ethical issues and religions’ responses to these issues have been updated.
  • The histories and worldviews of religions have been clarified and updated so students will have a better understanding of religions today.
  • New illustrations and revised questions for reflection and discussion have been added throughout.
  • Sources have been updated to provide students with the most up-to-date information.

 2) Chapter-by-Chapter Changes

Chapter One

  • Enhanced discussion of methods of studying religion (adding postmodern approaches), atheism as a religion, and the relationship between science and religion.

Chapter Two

  • Revision of the survey of Yoruba religion and clarified presentations of the worldviews of the Yoruba and Oglala Lakota peoples

Chapter Twelve

  • A much fuller account of the history of Christianity from Jesus through developments in the twenty-first century

Chapter Fourteen

  • Addition of an introduction to Scientology and a more complete discussion of “parody” religions (adding “Dudeism”)

Chapter Nineteen

  • Addition of recent developments in interfaith dialogue, the search for common ground among religions in addressing the ecological crisis, and the world’s religions after September 11, 2001; and inserts based on interviews with students on the future of the world’s religions

Brief Table of Contents

Part 1. Introduction

  1. An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion

Part 2. The World's Religions—Histories and Worldviews

  1. Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
  2. Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
  3. Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
  4. Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
  5. Daoism—The Way of Nature
  6. Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
  7. Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
  8. Shinto—The Way of Kami
  9. Judaism—The Way of Torah
  10. Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
  11. Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
  12. Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
  13. The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation

Part 3. The World's Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues

  1. The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
  2. War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
  3. Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
  4. Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity

Part 4. Conclusion

  1. The Future of the World's Religions

Detailed Table of Contents.

Part 1. Introduction

  1. An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion
    • What Is Religion?
    • Why Are People Religious?
    • Why So Many Religions?
    • Why Is the Study of Religion So Important in the Twenty-First Century?
    • What Is the Relationship Between Science and Religion?
    • How Might Religion Be Studied?
    • How Will We Study the World's Religions?
    • Looking Ahead. An Overview of the Rest of the Text

Part 2. The World's Religions—Histories and Worldviews

  1. Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
    • An Orientation to Indigenous Peoples and Their Religions
    • The Yoruba of West Africa
    • The Oglala Lakota (Souix) of the Great Plains of North America
    • The Continuing Impact of Indigenous Religions in the Twnty-First Century
  2. Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
    • An Orientation to South and Southeast Asia
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Hindu Worldview
    • Hinduism in the Twenty-First Century
  3. Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Theravada Buddhist Worldview
    • Theravada Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
  4. Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Jain Worldview
    • Jainism in the Twenty-First Century
  5. Daoism—The Way of Nature
    • An Orientation to East Asia
    • Daoism. The Way of Nature
  6. Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Confucian Worldview
    • Confucianism and Other Religions in the People's Republic of China
  7. Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
    • A Brief History of Korea and Japan
    • Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in East Asia
    • Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada Buddhism Contrasted
    • Major Mahayana Schools in East Asia
    • Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet
    • Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
  8. Shinto—The Way of Kami
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Shinto Worldview
    • Religion in Twenty-First-Century Japan and Korea
  9. Judaism—The Way of Torah
    • An Orientation to the Middle East
    • Judaism. The Way of Torah
  10. Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Christian Worldview
    • Christianity in the Twenty-First Century
  11. Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Islamic Worldview
    • Islam in the Twenty-First Century
  12. Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
    • Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
    • The Sikh Worldview
    • Sikhism in the Twenty-First Century
  13. The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation
    • Preparing for the End: Apocalyptic New Religious Movements
    • Faith and Spirit: New Religious Movements of Healing and Awareness
    • Reviving the Church: Christian New Religious Movements of Renewal
    • Nature and Spirit: Earth-Based and Ecological New Religious Movements
    • Liberation and Enlightenment: New Religious Movements with Asian Roots
    • African-American and Afro-Caribbean New Religious Movements
    • Native American New Religious Movements
    • Focusing on the Human and the Natural: Secular New Religious Movements
    • The Quest for Unity: Universalist New Religious Movements

Part 3. The World's Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues

  1. The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
    • The Ecological Crisis: Is the Balance of Life on Planet Earth in Jeopardy?
    • The Economic Crisis: Why Hunger and Abject Poverty in a World of Plenty?
  2. War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
    • War: When, If Ever is War Justified
    • Capital Punishement: When May the State Take a Criminal's Life?
  3. Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
    • Abortion: Right to Life or Right to Choose?
    • Euthanasia: A "Good Death" or "Playing God"?
  4. Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity
    • The Changing Roles of Women: Liberation or Confusion?
    • Homosexuality: Orientation, Preference, or Perversion?

Part 4. Conclusion

  1. The Future of the World's Religions
    • How the World's Religions Will Relate to One Another: Three Possible Futures
    • The Search for Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis
    • The World's Religions after September 11, 2001

William Young is Professor of Religious Studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In addition to The World's Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Ethical Issues (3rd edition, 2009) he is co-author (with Christian Hauer) of the widely-adopted textbook An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds (Prentice Hall, 7th edition, 2008) and author of Quest for Harmony: Native American Spiritual Traditions (Hackett Press, 2006). During a thirty-five year teaching career, he has introduced generations of students to the world's religions and taught a wide variety of special topic courses ranging from Religion and Politics to Spiritual Ecology: Religion and Nature.

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