National Geographic Concise History of World Religions : An Illustrated Time Line

"Religion lies at the heart of the human experience. The great faiths--Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism--together may account for up to six billion of the world's nearly seven billion people. For all the differences between their beliefs--or between them and followers of Japanese Shinto or animistic faiths in Africa--these adherents seek the same fulfilment from their religious experience: a feeling of connection with the universe, an understanding of their purpose, a moral code, a sense of fellowship, and a sense of the supernatural. As Concise history of world religions shows, such human yearning has inspired many different forms of faith, from the myths of the ancient Egyptians to the storefront churches of San Francisco in the 1960s. The majority of the world's faiths have disappeared; as the timelines reveal, even those that have survived have done so in a constant state of change as the world itself has changed. The universal truths of scripture have undergone review and reinterpretation. Visionary individuals have changed the direction of many churches. Political events have dragged even faiths that profess peace and universal brotherhood into visceral violence and bitterness. Churches have split and formed splinter congregations (some destined to be short-lived, such as the Shakers of 19th-century America, who insisted on celibacy, or the Russian Skoptsy, who reinforced biblical injunctions against lust by practicing male castration). Generations of believers have attempted torevive what they see as purer forms of religious practice from the past. Artists, architects, composers, and writers have been inspired to celebrate their gods. Such is the power of faith that even many of those who reject the idea of the divine adopt their own forms of religious codes, arguing that morality is not the exclusive preserve of the believer. Concise history of world religions does not ignore the problems and divisions faith has caused, nor the various secular movements that challenge it. Butabove all it is a celebration of the enduring power of belief and the fact that the optimism and comfort it offers, although it has on occasion been something to kill for, has far more often been something to live for--the framework that makes sense of everything"--Foreword, p. 8.

The Concise History of World Religions continues the Concise History series with an authoritative and comprehensive take on major religions and lesser-known faiths of all times and nations. No other text combines the illustrations expertise of National Geographic with the historical focus on faithslarge and smallacross the world. Up-to-date scholarship offers a unique global perspective on the history of faith in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Africa and the Middle East. This is religion presented as history, in the objective manner in which the National Geographic Society excels. Lavish illustrations illuminate the faithful, their houses of worship, and the articles and artifacts of faith. From the great cathedrals to the colorful robes of Buddhist monks to horrors of the Spanish inquisition to the astonishingly intricate paintings of the Hindu gods, the illustrations tell as much of the story as the text.
 
There is nothing else quite like National Geographic's special Concise History series: the time line format combines geography, chronology, and subject area in one complete, but easy-to-understand grid. The 80 timelines with their more than 3,500 entries, plus short articles and feature spreads make it the perfect quick-dip reference; 110 sidebars amplify the illustrated time lines and highlight monuments of faith, words of religious transcendence, and lives of piety and sacrifice; 50 feature essays explore in detail the origins, development and influence of faith; 325 images document all aspects of the religious experience, from architecture and icons to exemplary individuals and acts of devotion; and quotes throughout chapters are drawn from prayers and sermons that embody the religious attitudes of each era.
 
The Concise History of World Religions is a fantastic journey with National Geographic, following the rise and fall of faiths across centuries and around the world. It's a book as beautiful as it is useful, as authoritative as it is entertaining. A book to buy, to give, to treasure.

Presents a comprehensive guide to religions throughout history, from the origins of spiritual belief to modern organized religions and churches, and discusses how religion has affected and helped shape the history of the world.