We all know what religion is - or do we? Confronted with religious pluralism and cultural diversity, it manifests itself in many forms. What is Religion? serves not only as an introduction to the different belief systems flourishing throughout the modern world, but asks us to consider how the very boundaries of faith might be drawn now and in the future. How might religion interact with political ends, or permeate culture, society and everyday life? Is the post-secular world in thrall to 'religions' of its own kind - materialism, humanism, medicine, science? And what logic separates...

We all know what religion is-or do we? Confronted with religious pluralism and cultural diversity, it manifests itself in many forms. "What is Religion?" serves not only as an introduction to the different belief-systems flourishing across the modern world, but asks us to consider how the very boundaries of faith might be drawn now and in the future. Looking in depth at six separate religious traditions, the book takes a comparative rather than isolationist approach to each faith, and focuses on crucial moral and sociological questions.