PEARSON EDUCATION Anatomy of the Sacred: An Introduction to Religion

For one-semester, undergraduate courses in Introduction to Religion and Comparative Religion, and more advanced courses dealing with issues in the theoretical study of religion. This comprehensive introduction to the nature and variety of religious phenomena, belief, and practice: 1) explores the issues in the study of religion, 2) examines the universal forms of religious experience, 3) offers a cross-cultural study of a broad range of classic types of religious belief and practice in terms of the seven basic concepts of a religious world view, and 4) surveys the challenges faced by religions today. Review "Three strengths (of the text are): 1) The global perspective, incorporating examples from many world religions and setting them side by side to consider in relation to one another without making any judgments; 2) The clear, comprehensive, beautifully written prose in the areas of summary and general commentary on religions and religious phenomena; 3) The introductory material with a fascinating and thorough coverage of various definitions of religions, perspectives on religion, and ways of studying religion. This material is extremely helpful." ― Linda J. Tessier, Youngstown State University "...It (Anatomy of the Sacred) is the best text in the field." ― Steven W. Godby, Broward Community College "It (Anatomy of the Sacred) covers some of the basic theories of religion and then illustrates these theories by delineating various themes in the global history (phenomenology) of religion. This is a very helpful way to construct an introductory textbook... I am impressed by Professor Livingston's erudition ...Livingston is respectful of all Religions." ― Winston Davis, Washington and Lee University From the Back Cover Jim Livingston's Anatomy of the Sacred: An Introduction to Religion is a comprehensive introduction to the nature and variety of religious belief and practice. The text explores the issues inherent in the study of religion, examines the universal forms of religious experience, offers a crosscultural study of a broad range of classic types of religious belief and practice in terms of the seven basic concepts of a religious world view, and surveys the challenges faced by religions today. New to the Fifth Edition: Entirely new chapter on the response of religion to Modernity, drawing examples from Islamic and American Protestant Fundamentalism Extensive discussion of gender and the role of women, using examples largely from Roman Catholicism and Islam A new discussion of recent New Age religious movements More illustrative material from contemporary religious life, including an expanded discussion of science and religion Pedagogy, including Key Words, Review Questions, and Suggestions for Further Reading have been revised and updated.