Living Religions (8th Edition) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Living Religions presents a highly readable and stimulating survey of the modern religious world though an emphasis on the personal consciousness of believers and their own accounts of their religion and relevance in contemporary life. "Religion is not a museum piece. Religion is a vibrant force in the lives of many people around the world, and many religions are presently experiencing a renaissance." - Mary Pat Fisher, Preface to Living Religions Along with a team of specialist consultants in each faith, and drawing on a wealth of scholarly research and firsthand source material, Mary Pat Fisher provides a fresh and challenging insight into the historical development and teachings of traditional faiths, indigenous religions, and new religious movements. She considers how the contemporary beliefs and practices of each of these traditions have evolved, and explores the changing nature of each religion; particularly the role of women, and the issues and controversies such as fundamentalism, violence, globalization, and interfaith initiatives.
Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Prentice Hall; 8th edition (October 10, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0205835856
ISBN-13: 978-0205835850
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #54,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #21 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion #100 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History #122 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion
I teach world religions and have used many different textbooks. This book has always been among the best, and the fourth edition is definitely the best--has made a lot of substantial improvements over earlier editions. Fisher is sympathetic, engaging, accessible and yet scholarly, up-to-date, thorough, and accurate. Many great pictures and side box interviews really help students understand the material, and so does the website with on-line tests and web links associated with the book chapters. If you saw an earlier edition and weren't terribly impressed, you need to take a new look at the 4th edition! Finally, a world religion survey to please both students and professors! Hard to improve on.
This textbook not only looks at the history of different religions, but it also shows you the contemporary version/manifestation of each religion. As an instructor, I found this very easy for my students to understand and relate to.One of the strongest points of this text is the interviews with different contemporary people to explain religious belief. An example of this would be an interview with Ann-Ping Chin on Confucianism in today's society. This is much easier for students to relate to than using discussions of ancient religious leaders only.Each chapter has a list of suggested readings, which I found very useful in preparing discussions. The publisher also has a web-site with exercises and links for each chapter to assist students in studying the different religions.I would recommend this book.
I had to get this textbook for a class I was taking and I really enjoyed reading it. It wasn't very detailed on the Christianity chapter but the other chapters (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and others) where very easy to follow and you wanted to keep reading and find out about the other religious beliefs and cultures. I am very happy that my instructor chose this book to help us learn about different religions.
I opted for the rental option then realized i no longer needed this book. Not sure if i prefer the rental option as the book seems somewhat dirty. Who knows whose hands have been on the book before you? At the same time i hate the price of buying text books in general. I would recommend an ebook option whenever possible. You can also ask your professor if having the text is 100% necessary bc most don't even use text books.
I found Living Religions to be very interesting and informative. Before reading this book, I knew very litte about religions other than my own. After reading this text, I discovered the beauty in each religion presented and was able to erase the stereotypes and stigmas that I once held. I recommend this book to anyone who has little understanding of world religions and would like to become educated or for someone who may just need a reminder. It is an easy read, with the exception of some of the vocabulary associated with the different religions.
Fisher has certainly improved and expanded upon her "Living Religions" book. It has become standard fare at universities for world religion, and its reputation for its thorough, well-developed chapters is well-deserved. Students should be served well by this textbook in world-religion classes. I would give it 5 stars, except for a few reservations. Gandhi is given short shrift here, and is a fairly major Hindu figure. He appears in bits and scattered pieces. The chapter on indigenous religions I have always found to be a bit wandering and rambling, and still find this to be the case. Overall the book is intensely comprehensive, but perhaps too long. These are not major flaws, however, as I still find this a very commendable work on world religions.
i've read up a few of these book's editions and they all have the same materials i know it's how the marketing system works for these books but it's shady to make students buy newer expensive edition for same old crap
Living Religions is an easy read, with photos. There is a lot of information regarding each religion, but it is an easy read in my opinion. I would recommend this textbook as a resource for school, or to have in your library collection. I hope this review serves you well.
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