William Young is Professor of Religious Studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In addition to The World’s Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Ethical Issues (3rd edition, 2009) he is co-author (with Christian Hauer) of the widely-adopted textbook An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds (Prentice Hall, 7th edition, 2008) and author of Quest for Harmony: Native American Spiritual Traditions (Hackett Press, 2006). During a thirty-five year teaching career, he has introduced generations of students to the world’s religions and taught a wide variety of special topic courses ranging from Religion and Politics to Spiritual Ecology: Religion and Nature.
In this Section:
1. Brief Table of Contents
2. Full Table of Contents
1. Brief Table of Contents
Part One: Introduction
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion
Part Two: The Wold’s Religions—Histories and Worldviews
Chapter 2: Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
Chapter 3: Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
Chapter 4: Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
Chapter 5: Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
Chapter 6: Daoism—The Way of Nature
Chapter 7: Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
Chapter 8: Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
Chapter 9: Shinto—The Way of Kami
Chapter 10: Judaism—The Way of Torah
Chapter 11: Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
Chapter 12: Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
Chapter 13: Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
Chapter 14: The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation
Part 3: The World’s Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues
Chapter 15: The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
Chapter 16: War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
Chapter 17: Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
Chapter 18: Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity
Part 5: Conclusion
Chapter 19: The Future of the World’s Religions
FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Part One: Introduction
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Religions and the Study of Religion
What Is Religion?
Why Are People Religious?
Why So Many Religions?
Why Is the Study of Religion So Important in the Twenty-First Century?
What Is the Relationship Between Science and Religion?
How Might Religion Be Studied?
How Will We Study the World’s Religions?
Looking Ahead: An Overview of the Rest of the Text
Part Two: The Wold’s Religions—Histories and Worldviews
Chapter 2: Indigenous Religions—Quest for Harmony
An Orientation to Indigenous Peoples and Their Religions
The Yoruba of West Africa
The Oglala Lakota (Souix) of the Great Plains of North America
The Continuing Impact of Indigenous Religions in the Twnty-First Century
Chapter 3: Hinduism—Many Paths to the Summit
An Orientation to South and Southeast Asia
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Hindu Worldview
Hinduism in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 4: Theravada Buddhism—The Middle Way
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Theravada Buddhist Worldview
Theravada Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 5: Jainism—The Way of Noninjury
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Jain Worldview
Jainism in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 6: Daoism—The Way of Nature
An Orientation to East Asia
Daoism: The Way of Nature
Chapter 7: Confucianism—The Way of Virtue
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Confucian Worldview
Confucianism and Other Religions in the People’s Republic of China
Chapter 8: Mahayana Buddhism (The Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana Buddhism (The Thunderbolt Vehicle)
A Brief History of Korea and Japan
Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in East Asia
Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada Buddhism Contrasted
Major Mahayana Schools in East Asia
Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet
Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 9: Shinto—The Way of Kami
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Shinto Worldview
Religion in Twenty-First-Century Japan and Korea
Chapter 10: Judaism—The Way of Torah
An Orientation to the Middle East
Judaism: The Way of Torah
Chapter 11: Christianity—The Way of Jesus Christ
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Christian Worldview
Christianity in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 12: Islam—The Way of Submission to Allah
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Islamic Worldview
Islam in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 13: Sikhism—The Way of the Guru
Stages of Development and Sacred Texts
The Sikh Worldview
Sikhism in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 14: The New Religious Movements—Renewal and Innovation
Preparing for the End: Apocalyptic New Religious Movements
Faith and Spirit: New Religious Movements of Healing and Awareness
Reviving the Church: Christian New Religious Movements of Renewal
Nature and Spirit: Earth-Based and Ecological New Religious Movements
Liberation and Enlightenment: New Religious Movements with Asian Roots
African-American and Afro-Caribbean New Religious Movements
Native American New Religious Movements
Focusing on the Human and the Natural: Secular New Religious Movements
The Quest for Unity: Universalist New Religious Movements
Part 3: The World’s Religions and Contemporary Ethical Issues
Chapter 15: The Ecological and Economic Crises—Humans and Resources
The Ecological Crisis: Is the Balance of Life on Planet Earth in Jeopardy?
The Economic Crisis: Why Hunger and Abject Poverty in a World of Plenty?
Chapter 16: War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence
War: When, If Ever is War Justified
Capital Punishement: When May the State Take a Criminal’s Life?
Chapter 17: Abortion and Euthanasia—Life and Death
Abortion: Right to Life or Right to Choose?
Euthanasia: A “Good Death” or “Playing God”?
Chapter 18: Gender and Sexual Orientation—Roles and Identity
The Changing Roles of Women: Liberation or Confusion?
Homosexuality: Orientation, Preference, or Perversion?
Part 5: Conclusion
Chapter 19: The Future of the World’s Religions
How the World’s Religions Will Relate to One Another: Three Possible Futures
The Search for Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis
The World’s Religions after September 11, 2001
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