Understanding World Religions

Understanding World Religions
Author: Irving Hexham
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2011-03-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310314488

Globalization and high-speed communication put twenty-first century people in contact with adherents to a wide variety of world religions, but usually, valuable knowledge of these other traditions is limited at best. On the one hand, religious stereotypes abound, hampering a serious exploration of unfamiliar philosophies and practices. On the other hand, the popular idea that all religions lead to the same God or the same moral life fails to account for the distinctive origins and radically different teachings found across the world’s many religions. Understanding World Religions presents religion as a complex and intriguing matrix of history, philosophy, culture, beliefs, and practices. Hexham believes that a certain degree of objectivity and critique is inherent in the study of religion, and he guides readers in responsible ways of carrying this out. Of particular importance is Hexham’s decision to explore African religions, which have frequently been absent from major religion texts. He surveys these in addition to varieties of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Home

Home
Author: Efa E. Etoroma
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2024-03-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1039187692

Where are you from? Where is your home? Do you miss home? These are questions that Efa E. Etoroma—born in Nigeria—has frequently been asked since moving to Canada in 1978. In this autoethnography, the Concordia University of Edmonton professor examines his views on what home really is and his struggles to feel a true sense of belonging anywhere he has lived. Explained with candor and occasional vulnerability, Home: Reflections on Marginality and Belonging is told from the perspective of a marginalized Black, Christian immigrant, but his story is relatable to anyone who has felt alienated or had a crisis of identity. Efa shares his personal experiences of growing up in post-colonial northern Nigeria, raised Anglican amongst mostly Muslims, and fleeing to the southern region as a child, shortly after the start of the Nigerian Civil War. Then he recounts moving to Canada to attend school but staying upon meeting his future Canadian-born wife. He explores his connection with Black Pentecostal churches as well as his thoughts on grieving, death, and aging away from his homeland. Supporting these experiences, Efa incorporates an abundance of research for a wider cultural and social context. Home: Reflections on Marginality and Belonging is part snapshot of the author’s life—a way of identifying who he is and where he is from—part answer to the questions, “Where are you from” and “Where is your home,” and part exploration of the micro-level contradictions of social change brought about by modern society.