An Introduction to Five Great Faiths
In the period from around 800 B.C. to A.D. 650 religion took a giant swing. Then arose the five great faiths we follow today: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. In the National Geographic book Great Religions of the World we are introduced to these five great faiths.
The opening chapter of this multi-authored and lavishly illustrated volume makes comparisons and contrasts of these great world religions. The subsequent chapters present the historical, cultural, and philosophical underpinnings of the five major religions of the world. Significant places such as the Ganges River in India and Mecca in Saudi Arabia are portrayed as well. There are also two special sections entitled Sacred Writings of the East and Sacred Writings of the West. These sections feature excerpts from The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Analects of Confucius, Lao Tzu, The Torah, The Talmud, The Gospels, the Apostle Paul, St. Augustine, The Koran, The Hadith, and more. The book includes a bibliography and a time line featuring milestones of faith across the ages.
Even though this book was written in the 1970s I found it quite informative and useful. If you are looking for a single volume which introduces the great religions of the world then this book is for you. Highly recommended.
