Recommend some basic books on differences and/or similarities in different religions

[Anonymous]

I did not grow up in a very religious house and I'm trying to gain a basic understanding of some of the different religions. I'm not looking to start a big debate, just curious in learning more. If there are thousands of different relgions, what makes mine the right one? Struggling a bit for answers and want to learn more. What makes one religion right or better than the next? I don't have a solid foundation so any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anything by Karen Armstrong! A History of God is a good start.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't really recommend Karen Armstrong - she's very good on the Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Christianity, Islam), but she has a very strong monotheistic slant, and doesn't seem to give a religious overview without bias - she's also unfortunately rather dismissive of Eastern traditions.

I would stick to one of the "overview" books like Religion for Dummies (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=religion+for+dummies&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Areligion+for+dummies), to give you more factual understanding of tenets, traditions, and history of major religions. There's a lot more than just the Abrahamic trio.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the recommendation for Karen Armstrong's books. Huston Smith is also a tremendous resource; look for his book The World's Religions.

I would also point out that I don't think it is necessary to believe that a religion is "right" or "better than the next" in order to practice it.

[Anonymous]

God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World



http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-One-Eight-Religions/dp/0061571288/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364406230&sr=1-1&keywords=god+is+not+one

[Anonymous]

There is a book by Nivian Smart, World Religion.

It was my text book at University for intro to world religions.

[takoma]

Rather than looking for "the right one", I would suggest that God (if there is such a thing) is too great and incomprehensible for anyone to fully understand, so every religion is an attempt to reach an unreachable place, and you should pick the one that makes you most comfortable, while continuing to accept that others may have equal validity.

[Anonymous]

I like Karen Armstrong, but you need to know that she's been criticized for giving certain difficult issues, especially within Islam, a free pass.

[Anonymous]

Not really a comparative religion book, but Roland Barthes' "Mythologies" is one of the most stimulating and outright interesting books on the ways human beings structure parts of their life. Things that are seemingly mundane, but parallel heavily to the rituals of religious life. We read it one of my religious studies classes in college.

http://www.amazon.com/Mythologies-Roland-Barthes/dp/0374521506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364425433&sr=8-1&keywords=roland+barthes+mythologies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't really recommend Karen Armstrong - she's very good on the Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Christianity, Islam), but she has a very strong monotheistic slant, and doesn't seem to give a religious overview without bias - she's also unfortunately rather dismissive of Eastern traditions.

I would stick to one of the "overview" books like Religion for Dummies (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=religion+for+dummies&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Areligion+for+dummies), to give you more factual understanding of tenets, traditions, and history of major religions. There's a lot more than just the Abrahamic trio.

^^Agree^^

[Anonymous]

I'm the 13:44 poster and I don't know that I fully agree with some of the critiques of Karen Armstrong mentioned here, particularly when you take some of her most recent work into account. I particularly like The Case for God (if I have the name right).

I see God as a mystery and humans as always straining toward the mystery but never arriving at a full understanding of it. That's the power of it, really, and the transformative potential of it. This is why I like the mystics from various traditions, and why I really enjoy a book like Sr. Elizabeth Johnson's Quest for the Living God.

My sense is that Karen Armstrong shares this affinity for the mystics and for using spiritual practices to access a divine

[Anonymous]

9:36 here, hit enter accidentally. Anyway, I think Armstrong is a fan of using spiritual practices to access a divine reality, which is what I think God is. I don't find her dismissive of traditions other than the Abrahamic faiths.

[Anonymous]

I teach comparative religion to teens. My go-to text is How To Be A Perfect Stranger by Stuart Matlins and Arthur Magida. It's designed to be a guide book of sorts to religious practice across the spectrum of faith. It definitely is not the way to learn all of the details related to each religion's history/dogma/rituals, but if you want a concise snapshot that compares and contrasts with very little bias, it's a great book to have in your library.

[Anonymous]

another vote for "God is not One"....very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Not a book, but if you are curious to find a religion that fits your beliefs, this site has a (somewhat cheesy, but helpful) "belief-o-matic" quiz.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/index.aspx