Have you ever wondered . . .

• what the red dot on an Indian woman's forehead means?
• whether all Buddhist monks practice martial arts?
• if the Emperor of Japan is still considered a god?

Here is a concise, informative guide for anyone looking for answers to basic questions about the world's varied religions. In short, incisive chapters, Winfried Corduan introduces readers to twelve of the world's major religions, including Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Parsi, Shinto and Sikhism. For each, he offers brief...

Drawing on his wide experience and knowledge of other religions as they are actually lived, Winfried Corduan helps you sort through the complex tapestry of faiths around the world.

Christians believe that religion began when God created human beings and revealed himself to them. But is there scholarly evidence for this belief?

In the nineteenth century academic world a stormy debate took shape over the origin of religion. Scholars explored the ancient languages of mythology and then considered evolutionary anthropology. A dominant view emerged that religion began with animism -- the reverent honoring of spirits -- and from there evolved into higher forms, from polytheism on to monotheism.

However, scholars Andrew Lang and Wilhem Schmidt contended there were...

Back in print after more than four decades, The Origin and Growth of Religion is a much-sought-after volume, as it provides a glimpse into philosophy of religion in the early twentieth century. Wilhelm Schmidt, based on his research and observations as an anthropologist, contends the opposite of the evolutionary theory of religion - which is, that all religions of the world originate in monotheistic worship.

Too often skeptics charge Christians with having a blind faith. Unfortunately, believers have added fuel to the charges of skeptics by speaking of their faith illogically. But the Christian faith is not a blind faith. In fact, biblical faith is never a blind, irrational faith. Christianity rests firmly on the stone that was rejected by the builders, which has become the cornerstone--Jesus Christ (Acts 4:11). Living biblically requires thinking biblically, just as ""to think biblically entails to live biblically,"" as Winfried Corduan notes in the Foreword. As followers of Christ, believers...