Scripture is no longer an absolute. In the last two centuries, as Westerners have become more keenly conscious of the historical character of their own biblical documents, they have also realized the normative function of scripture in other traditions. W.C. Smith's vastly erudite work asks how it is that certain texts have so seeped into human life - in a rich, complex and powerful way - as to be deemed sacred. Examining the history and use of scripture in the world's major religious traditions, he shows how and why scripture continues to carry momentous and at times appalling power in human...

In this text, Smith is interested not so much in drawing a general outline of the different world faiths through their facts, as giving an insight into the personal significance of these facts for the individuals who practise their respective faiths.

Smith examines how our increased awareness of the history of religion and comparative culture has contributed to our current understanding of humanity and faith, an understanding that is of vital importance in this pluralistic age.

A study of the difference between the terms belief and believe and how the meaning has changed through history, this text reveals that emphasis is purely a modern phenomenon. Smith tackles such questions as: what do the terms belief and believe actually mean?; and is the concept of believing integral to a solid conviction?

Sinceits founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline.