Understanding World Religions

Understanding World Religions studies major religions and worldviews current in today's world in order to seek their assistance in work for justice and peace, and to discourage their promotion of selfish privilege and war. Worldviews studied include Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Marxist, and Native American. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is given as a case study for how worldviews impact justice and peace. Further chapters explore Christian social teaching, liberation theologies, active nonviolence, and just war theory. Numerous examples (Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Thich Nhat Hanh, A.T. Ariyaratne, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Etty Hillesum, Marc Ellis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Women in Black) provide concrete models for the reader to consider. The treatment is designed to excite interest and invite further study, rather than to offer a comprehensive picture.