World Religions in America: An Introduction

Rating:
Summary: A good look at world religions from a U.S. perspective
Review: Anyone who wants to better understand world religions as they are practiced in America needs this book. So often religions are practiced differently from country to country, and I think this is especially true when it comes to America. We have a way of liberalizing the religions, so that when we travel abroad, we can be often amazed at the difference in styles and beliefs. Neusner takes writers from different points of view and allows them to give a quick history/background and sociological analysis of how the religions look here. (Don't expect these chapters--which usually are approx. 20 pages--to be the best overview of any of the religions. Choose another book for this purpose.) Sometimes their opinion is outright ridiculous. I'm still amazed at John Esposito's comment on page 173 that "Muslims worship the same God who is revered by Christians and Jews" as I know of no Christian, Jew, or Muslim for that matter who would agree--Trinity, anyone? But except for some comments like this--and there's more than one--the book does a good job with both world religions as well as the 19th century American religious movements like JWs, Mormons, and Christian Science. Overall, a very worthwhile book that ought to be studied by anyone interested in how religions are practiced.

Rating:
Summary: A superbly written multicultural, American religion survey.
Review: Jacob Neusner's World Religions In America provides a revised, expanded edition of a classic introduction to world religions. From Judaism to Buddhism and Hispanic-American religion, this provides an important multicultural focus on religions across the country, assuming no prior familiarity and making for an easy introduction to a wide range of religious beliefs and practices. It's the multicultural focus which sets this apart from others.

Rating:
Summary: A holy melting pot...
Review: The third edition of 'World Religions in America', edited by Jacob Neusner, expands the text to include 20 chapters about the various aspects of religious experience and practice in America. As there is always a danger in any one person reading too lightly over the religious practices of another written by yet another, I enlisted the assistance of several other readers for reactions to this text. Not being Orthodox, or Christian Scientist, or Muslim, I enlisted readers from each of these faith traditions to read the chapters relating to their religions for their response. Each reader rated the relevant section 'very good' to 'excellent'.

As I read over the various chapters, I found the style engaging, entertaining and enlightening. Most writers write from their experience, either direct or long-standing academic. Andrew Greeley, who writes on the Catholic experience, is himself a Roman Catholic. Jacob Neusner, the editor, also wrote the chapter on Judaism, and is himself a Jew. The contributors read like a who's who of modern religious studies scholarship, and include Sam Gill (Native American religions), Martin Marty (Protestantism), Peter J. Paris (African-American experience), Justo L. Gonzalez (Hispanic religious experience), Jaroslav Pelikan (Orthodox), Gerald James Larson (Hinduism), Malcolm David Eckel (Buddhism), Robert S. Ellwood (East Asian religions), John Esposito (Islam), Dell deChant (World Religions made in the USA), Danny Jorgensen (Scientology, Nature religions, and Mormonism), Mike McMullen (Baha'i), Elizabeth Fox-Genovese (Women in religion), and William Scott Green (religion and society). One might notice directly the scarcity of female contributors.

This book is meant to be a textbook for introductory world religion courses. As such, the chapters each end with study questions, essay topics, and word/vocabulary lists. There is a glossary in the back, as well as a useful index (always a plus!). The writing is accessible to any with a high school education, given that there is a minimum of jargon and technical terms, and such as is used gets clearly defined and highlighted in lists and again in the glossary.

Neusner writes in his introduction that there are four different ways of exploring other religions: exclusivist (my way is the right way and you are all wrong); inclusivist (my way is right for me and your way is right for you); pluralist (every religion tells us something true); and empathetic interest (the primary focus of this book - looking at the ways in which religions are interesting and important historically and culturally, but not looking for theological truth). Neusner contends that this book will have been successful to the reader if the reader is able to understand important aspects of other religions and appreciate the importance of those aspects for the other person if meeting someone of another religion. In America, that is likely to happen. Almost all religions of the world are represented among the population of America, and certainly all 'world religions' are present.

Perhaps the one drawback of the text is that there is no section on who the authors are - usually a text of this sort will have at least a one-paragraph synopsis of the qualifications and background of the contributing authors, but none is to be found here.

Overall, this is an excellent introductory text to world religions as they manifest in America. It could be used for parish-based studies on other religions, in adult classes in churches or colleges, or as a basic text for undergraduate students or seminarians to broaden the perspective, not only of the religious experience abroad, but the religious experience right next door.

Rating:
Summary: A holy melting pot...
Review: The third edition of `World Religions in America', edited by Jacob Neusner, expands the text to include 20 chapters about the various aspects of religious experience and practice in America. As there is always a danger in any one person reading too lightly over the religious practices of another written by yet another, I enlisted the assistance of several other readers for reactions to this text. Not being Orthodox, or Christian Scientist, or Muslim, I enlisted readers from each of these faith traditions to read the chapters relating to their religions for their response. Each reader rated the relevant section `very good' to `excellent'.

As I read over the various chapters, I found the style engaging, entertaining and enlightening. Most writers write from their experience, either direct or long-standing academic. Andrew Greeley, who writes on the Catholic experience, is himself a Roman Catholic. Jacob Neusner, the editor, also wrote the chapter on Judaism, and is himself a Jew. The contributors read like a who's who of modern religious studies scholarship, and include Sam Gill (Native American religions), Martin Marty (Protestantism), Peter J. Paris (African-American experience), Justo L. Gonzalez (Hispanic religious experience), Jaroslav Pelikan (Orthodox), Gerald James Larson (Hinduism), Malcolm David Eckel (Buddhism), Robert S. Ellwood (East Asian religions), John Esposito (Islam), Dell deChant (World Religions made in the USA), Danny Jorgensen (Scientology, Nature religions, and Mormonism), Mike McMullen (Baha'i), Elizabeth Fox-Genovese (Women in religion), and William Scott Green (religion and society). One might notice directly the scarcity of female contributors.

This book is meant to be a textbook for introductory world religion courses. As such, the chapters each end with study questions, essay topics, and word/vocabulary lists. There is a glossary in the back, as well as a useful index (always a plus!). The writing is accessible to any with a high school education, given that there is a minimum of jargon and technical terms, and such as is used gets clearly defined and highlighted in lists and again in the glossary.

Neusner writes in his introduction that there are four different ways of exploring other religions: exclusivist (my way is the right way and you are all wrong); inclusivist (my way is right for me and your way is right for you); pluralist (every religion tells us something true); and empathetic interest (the primary focus of this book - looking at the ways in which religions are interesting and important historically and culturally, but not looking for theological truth). Neusner contends that this book will have been successful to the reader if the reader is able to understand important aspects of other religions and appreciate the importance of those aspects for the other person if meeting someone of another religion. In America, that is likely to happen. Almost all religions of the world are represented among the population of America, and certainly all `world religions' are present.

Perhaps the one drawback of the text is that there is no section on who the authors are - usually a text of this sort will have at least a one-paragraph synopsis of the qualifications and background of the contributing authors, but none is to be found here.

Overall, this is an excellent introductory text to world religions as they manifest in America. It could be used for parish-based studies on other religions, in adult classes in churches or colleges, or as a basic text for undergraduate students or seminarians to broaden the perspective, not only of the religious experience abroad, but the religious experience right next door.