The Religion Toolkit - A Complete Guide toReligious Studies - Softcover

"The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies is a unique one-stop resource. Although religion continues to be a powerful source of personal faith and a significant factor in domestic and international politics, astonishingly studies show that most people are religiously illiterate. Morreall and Sonn's tool kit will prove essential for all (students, media, policymakers and the general public) who want to understand religions and their impact today." ?John L. Esposito, Georgetown University "A decade after 9/11, the world still seems to be torn between competing religious and political ideas. John Morreall and Tamara Sonn provide us a road-map based on objective analysis and scholarly research that offers us a method of understanding the nature of our world. Most important, they give us hope. Anyone interested in making sense of our times should be reading this book." ?Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University "An invaluable guide for students of religion! The overview of Religious Studies theory is one of the clearest I have read." ?Ravi M. Gupta, College of William and Mary "This is a highly intelligent, accessible and thoughtful contribution to religious studies by two of the most respected and accomplished scholars of religion working in the field today." ?Mumtaz Ahmad, International Islamic University, Islamabad

This complete overview of religious studies provides students with the essential knowledge and tools they need to explore and understand the nature of religion. * Covers the early development of religion, with overviews of major and minor religions from Islam to Scientology * Considers recent developments including secularization; the relationship between religion and science; and scientific studies on religion, health, and mystical experience * Uses humor throughout, allowing students to remain open-minded to the subject * Explains what it means to study religion academically, and considers the impact of the study of religion on religion itself * Contains numerous student-friendly features including photos, maps, time lines, side bars, historical profiles, and population distribution figures * Provides classroom users with a lively website,www.wiley.com/go/religiontoolkit, including questions, quizzes, extra material, and helpful primary and secondary sources