“The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies is a unique one-stop resource. Although religion continues to be a powerful source of personal faith and a significant factor in domestic and international politics, astonishingly studies show that most people are religiously illiterate. Morreall and Sonn’s tool kit will prove essential for all (students, media, policymakers and the general public) who want to understand religions and their impact today.”
―John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
“A decade after 9/11, the world still seems to be torn between competing religious and political ideas. John Morreall and Tamara Sonn provide us a road-map based on objective analysis and scholarly research that offers us a method of understanding the nature of our world. Most important, they give us hope. Anyone interested in making sense of our times should be reading this book.”
―Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University
“An invaluable guide for students of religion! The overview of Religious Studies theory is one of the clearest I have read.”
―Ravi M. Gupta, College of William and Mary
“This is a highly intelligent, accessible and thoughtful contribution to religious studies by two of the most respected and accomplished scholars of religion working in the field today.”
―Mumtaz Ahmad, International Islamic University, Islamabad
“The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies is a unique one-stop resource. Although religion continues to be a powerful source of personal faith and a significant factor in domestic and international politics, astonishingly, studies show that most people are religiously illiterate. Morreall and Sonn’s toolkit will prove essential for all (students, media, policymakers, and the general public) who want to understand religions and their impact today.”
John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
“A decade after 9/11, the world still seems to be torn between competing religious and political ideas. John Morreall and Tamara Sonn provide us a roadmap based on objective analysis and scholarly research that offers us a method of understanding the nature of our world. Most important, they give us hope. Anyone interested in making sense of our times should be reading this book.”
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University
“An invaluable guide for students of religion! The overview of Religious Studies theory is one of the clearest I have read.”
Ravi M. Gupta, College of William and Mary
“This is a highly intelligent, accessible, and thoughtful contribution to religious studies by two of the most respected and accomplished scholars of religion working in the field today.”
Mumtaz Ahmad, International Islamic University, Islamabad
This unique introductory textbook is a complete overview of Religious Studies, providing students with the essential knowledge and tools they need to explore and understand the nature of religion.
In a lively and engaging way, the authors draw together the main elements of Religious Studies, allowing the reader to develop an integrated understanding of religion. The book provides:
- an overview of the roles of religion in society; an account of the historic development of Religious Studies, and an introduction to some of the major theories and methods the tools used in the study of religion;
- an exploration of the diversity of world religions through overviews of some of the early religions; the family of Western monotheisms (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam); Indian traditions (Hinduism and Buddhism); Chinese traditions (Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist); and less familiar religions such as Zoroastrianism, Shinto, and Native American religion;
The attractive design, lively text, numerous illustrations, side bars, text boxes, questions, and activities all make The Religion Toolkit an exciting and thought-provoking book to use.
From the Back Cover
“The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies is a unique one-stop resource. Although religion continues to be a powerful source of personal faith and a significant factor in domestic and international politics, astonishingly, studies show that most people are religiously illiterate. Morreall and Sonn’s toolkit will prove essential for all (students, media, policymakers, and the general public) who want to understand religions and their impact today.”
John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
“A decade after 9/11, the world still seems to be torn between competing religious and political ideas. John Morreall and Tamara Sonn provide us a roadmap based on objective analysis and scholarly research that offers us a method of understanding the nature of our world. Most important, they give us hope. Anyone interested in making sense of our times should be reading this book.”
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University
“An invaluable guide for students of religion! The overview of Religious Studies theory is one of the clearest I have read.”
Ravi M. Gupta, College of William and Mary
“This is a highly intelligent, accessible, and thoughtful contribution to religious studies by two of the most respected and accomplished scholars of religion working in the field today.”
Mumtaz Ahmad, International Islamic University, Islamabad
This unique introductory textbook is a complete overview of Religious Studies, providing students with the essential knowledge and tools they need to explore and understand the nature of religion.
In a lively and engaging way, the authors draw together the main elements of Religious Studies, allowing the reader to develop an integrated understanding of religion. The book provides:
- an overview of the roles of religion in society; an account of the historic development of Religious Studies, and an introduction to some of the major theories and methods the tools used in the study of religion;
- an exploration of the diversity of world religions through overviews of some of the early religions; the family of Western monotheisms (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam); Indian traditions (Hinduism and Buddhism); Chinese traditions (Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist); and less familiar religions such as Zoroastrianism, Shinto, and Native American religion;
The attractive design, lively text, numerous illustrations, side bars, text boxes, questions, and activities all make The Religion Toolkit an exciting and thought-provoking book to use.
About the Author
John Morreall is Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. He has published widely in the philosophy of religion, and on the comic dimensions of world religions. His book Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion (1999) won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book 2000. He is also the author of Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (2009), published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Tamara Sonn is the Wm. R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary. Her books include Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam (with J. Neusner, 1999) and Islam: A Brief History, 2nd edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). She was senior editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003), and associate editor of The Islamic World Past and Present (2004). She is currently an editor of Oxford Islamic Studies Online, and of Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (2009). In addition, Sonn is editor-in-chief of Oxford Bibliographies Online: Islamic Studies, and co-editor-inchief of Wiley-Blackwell’s Religion Compass.
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