THEO 255 - Religions in America: Home

"This excellent source furnishes students and scholars with information on contemporary religion, personalities, and popular topics from Fundamentalist Christianity to feng shui."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries

An Excellent set.

"Native Americans practice some of America's most spiritually profound, historically resilient, and ethically demanding religions. Joel Martin draws his narrative from folk stories, rituals, and even landscapes to trace the development of Native American religion from ancient burial mounds, through interactions with European conquerors and missionaries, and on to the modern-day rebirth of ancient rites and beliefs. The book depicts the major cornerstones of American Indian history and religion--the vast movements for pan-Indian renewal, the formation of the Native American Church in 1919, the passage of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act of 1990, and key political actions involving sacred sites in the 1980s and '90s. Martin explores the close links between religion and Native American culture and history. Legendary chiefs like Osceola and Tecumseh led their tribes in resistance movements against the European invaders, inspired by prophets like the Shawnee Tenskwatawa and the Mohawk Coocoochee. Catharine Brown, herself a convert, founded a school for Cherokee women and converted dozens of her people to Christianity. Their stories, along with those of dozens of other men and women--from noble warriors to celebrated authors--are masterfully woven into this vivid, wide-ranging survey of Native American history and religion."

"How can Christians meaningfully engage with interfaith questions? Grounded in the author's experience of developing interfaith programmes at one of the world's leading universities, this book carves a fresh perspective on the challenges of religious difference by placing them within the broader currents of belief and scepticism in today's society. It sets out the local challenges presented by religious difference within the global picture, and explores the implications of global religious resurgence for Western secularist assumptions, both in our communities and in how we relate the rest of the world. Combining theory with examples of practical engagement, Walters offers an imaginative Christian theological approach to responding to religious difference without resorting to relativism. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of religion in the modern world. "

Includes bibliographical references and index.--"Parts One and Two are a history--in maps and text--of American religions. Part Three focuses in-depth on Lutherans, Mormons, and Roman Catholics. Part Four examines the political, cultural, and social aspects of religion in American public life. Lavishly illustrated with full-color maps, charts, and diagrams, the new Atlas is an essential resource for all readers--students, teachers, scholars, and everyone seeking to understand the remarkable religious history of the United States."

"Introduces the Avesta scriptures of Zoroastrianism, plus the creation stories from seven other religions and seven apocalypses, showing them all to be derivatively based on Vedic-Zoroastrian originals."