Anthology of Living Religions, An

Rating:
Summary: A Great Survey of Religions of the World
Review: In "An Anthology of Living Religions," Fisher and Bailey provide the reader with a great survey of the religions of the world. Each of the traditional religions, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, and Sikhism are explained in great detail through contemporary writers who are experts in the religion they are writing about. Other religions, such as New Religious Movements and The Interfaith Movement, are also dealt with generally. This is a great text if you are looking for a survey of religions. It also satisfies the needs of those who wish to have a reference guide which outlines the basics of world religions readily available for easy reference. After explaining the basics of each religion, and including writings of those familiar with the religion, Fisher and Bailey include a reference to pertinent terms, holy days, a historical outline, and a section listing further readings. There is also a chapter which specifically deals with The Religious Response, defining the philosophy of religion and the need to have religion in our world today. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: it has good selections from various religions... but
Review: In "An Anthology of Living Religions," Fisher and Bailey provide the reader with a great survey of the religions of the world. Each of the traditional religions, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, and Sikhism are explained in great detail through contemporary writers who are experts in the religion they are writing about. Other religions, such as New Religious Movements and The Interfaith Movement, are also dealt with generally. This is a great text if you are looking for a survey of religions. It also satisfies the needs of those who wish to have a reference guide which outlines the basics of world religions readily available for easy reference. After explaining the basics of each religion, and including writings of those familiar with the religion, Fisher and Bailey include a reference to pertinent terms, holy days, a historical outline, and a section listing further readings. There is also a chapter which specifically deals with The Religious Response, defining the philosophy of religion and the need to have religion in our world today. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: it has good selections from various religions... but
Review: It is baptized in feminist views. That would be okay except it isn't supposed to be a platform for feminists; it is suppose to show the richness of the various religions.

It is overly concerned with defending or proving the importance of women; this often takes up to much space pushing out writing that would be more informative of the actual heart of the religion (which would be better then the dispute over women which is such a small fraction of what religion is about. I would be just as unnerved if it focused on how important men where to religions.... it seems to miss the point; the point being the religion itself be it female or male.)

That said; it does have some good excerpts. Many worth reading again and again. But there is to much of it that comes across as feminist propaganda (can you be truly sympathetic to a religion if you take modern feminist propaganda to say Islam or past Christian monasteries where women were not allowed or where at least kept separate from the males?)

The book is corrupted by (as written on the back of the book)"Coverage of important issues such as the role of women and the relationship between religion and politics."

Your expecting a loving look into religion on the religions own terms... then why, I ask, is their a reading included dedicated to the idea of God as a female within the Christian Religion? It might as well be including excerpts from the writings of Martin Luther as representative of Catholicism; they are clearly not apart of the Religion except as fringes that are better understood as protesting what is taught in the religion itself.