The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World - Hardcover

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Exploring the religious traditions of the world, this volume puts readers in the place of the people who live by each faith, opening windows onto their unique worlds through their sacred stories, views about reality, ritual and ethical practices, and ideas about quality of life. Author Theodore M. Ludwig combines historical discussion with a thematic approach based on some general questions that arise out of human experience, such as personal identity, the meaning of human existence, wholeness, and the right way to live.

Thoroughly revised, The Sacred Paths, Third Edition, includes the following features:

• Up-to-date information and scholarly perspectives, including extensive suggestions for reading from recent publications.
• A new chapter on Zoroastrianism, filling out the portrait of religions arising in the Mediterranean world.
• Coverage of the world's many diverse religions in clear family groupings based on geographical and historical connections.
• A thematic and empathetic approach that encourages exploration of the personal meanings and experiences of people of different faiths.
• Extensive quotations from the sacred scriptures of each religion, helping students to get a sense of the power and meaning of these sacred texts.
• Significant material on artistic expressions in the different religious traditions.
• Incorporation of women's experiences and leadership roles within the various religious traditions.
• A chapter devoted to the rise of new religious movements.

Maps, timelines, discussion questions, and suggestions for further readings are some of the study features included in this book to help students understand the highly complex nature of the various religious traditions.