In The Presence Of Mystery: An Introduction To The Story Of Human Religiousness

Rating:
Summary: A great introduction to the study of religion!
Review: In the Presence of Mystery is a great book for introducing the study of religion to college students. I used this text for several years and I appreciated its accessibility to a wide variety of students.

The most valuable function of the book is that its evolutionary interpretation provides students with a set of non-subjective categories to use as tools. Students apply these categories to many expressions of religion and discover that they can analyze religions without feeling compelled to compare other religions to their own sets of beliefs and practices.

Paradoxically, the freedom to be objectively analytical in their approach to religion provides many students with opportunities to revisit their own sense of religiousness. It supplies a useful and safe context for meaningful class discussions and for individual papers.

Both the young-adult college students and the older students seem to find a lot to identify with in In the Presence of Mystery. The younger students tend to be open to (and opened by) the book's perspective. The older students tend to be enthusiastic about interpreting their own life experiences through the book's themes and categories.

The style of the book is engaging and informal. I have not found another text that can do as much as well and I highly recommend it as an introduction to religion.