The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource
Review: I bought this book in 1991 (it has been re-published since then, apparently) as the textbook for a world religions course. It is still on my shelves while others have come and gone. By constraining itself to only the major religions, it gives each religion a full treatment explaining the significance of the principal characters in the context of history and its indigenous culture as well as the dogma itself. This is an excellent book if you are looking for a "survey" of the most widely practiced religious beliefs.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource
Review: I bought this book in 1991 (it has been re-published since then, apparently) as the textbook for a world religions course. It is still on my shelves while others have come and gone. By constraining itself to only the major religions, it gives each religion a full treatment explaining the significance of the principal characters in the context of history and its indigenous culture as well as the dogma itself. This is an excellent book if you are looking for a "survey" of the most widely practiced religious beliefs.

Rating:
Summary: Religion From All Six Dimensions
Review: I teach comparative religion at a college level and I have found this book to be one of the best I have ever found. Ludwig gives the reader a comprehensive view of the major religions of the world from a spiritual as well as academic perspective. As far as I can see the book is organized around the six dimensions developed by Ninian Smart. Each religion can be analized from the experiential, the mythical, the ritual, the doctrinal, the ethical and the social dimensions, although Ludwig uses some other terms. This is a great resource to get more than a superficial understanding of the worlds sacred paths.