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A world-renowned religion scholar explores the worlds major religions and comparable secular systems of thought in this unusually wide-ranging and accessible work. He points out that religions and comparable worldviews should be studied at least as much through their practices as through their beliefs.
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherUniversity of California Press
ISBN-100520207777
ISBN-139780520207776
eBay Product ID (ePID)372842
Product Key Features
Book TitleDimensions of the Sacred : an Anatomy of the World's Beliefs
Number of Pages359 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year1996
TopicComparative Religion, General, Anthropology / General, History
GenreReligion, Social Science
AuthorNinian Smart
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1.3 in
Item Weight17.6 Oz
Item Length9 in
Item Width6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN96-020663
Dewey Decimal291.2
SynopsisA world-renowned religion scholar explores the world's major religions and comparable secular systems of thought in this unusually wide-ranging and accessible work. Ninian Smart considers Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, as well as Marxist-Leninism, Maoism, nationalism, and Native American, African, and other systems of belief. His goal is to advance our understanding of how we as human beings interact thoughtfully with the cosmos and express the exigencies of our own nature and existence. Smart demonstrates that diverse systems of belief reflect several recurring themes: the tendency to worship, the contemplative life, story-telling, a view of history, ethical instruction, guidelines on bodily practices, rituals, and visual icons. He examines each of these themes in relation to specific belief systems. He points out that religions and comparable worldviews should be studied at least as much through their practices as through their beliefs. The result of twenty-five years of research, this comprehensive book is nothing less than an analysis of the entire pattern of human spiritual life, viewed through what Smart calls "the grammar of symbols, the modes and forms in which religion manifests itself."