Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change: 2026 Release ISE

About the Book

Experiencing the World's Religions helps students understand the practices and beliefs of the major religions, at a time when the world is rife with sectarian conflicts and statistics show that Americans are seeking spiritual experience more than ever. By beginning each chapter with personal encounters with people of diverse faiths he has met in his extensive travels, noted religious scholar Michael Molloy brings alive how religions shape both individuals and cultures. In vivid illustrations, Molloy also delves into the art and architecture, celebrations and rituals of the major religions, enriching students' appreciation of the wide-ranging scope of faith and religious practices. This text is written in an exciting and thought-provoking style, like that of the best travel writers, so that students feel as if they are experiencing the world's religions firsthand.

Table of Contents:
Preface

1. Understanding Religion

2. Indigenous Religions

3. Hinduism

4. Buddhism

5. Jainism and Sikhism

6. Daoism and Confucianism

7. Shinto

8. Judaism

9. Christianity

10. Islam

11. Alternative Paths

12. The Modern Search

Reading: Climbing Center Mountain

Answer Key

Notes

Index

About the Author :
Michael Molloy has made the study of religion his life's work. Fascination with religion began with interest in the architecture of temples, mosques, churches, and shrines. Experiencing ceremonies at those places led to a love of religious music and art. In his early graduate work, he focused on the imagery of clouds and darkness in mystical literature. In his doctoral work, he examined the mystical thought of Aldous Huxley, after Huxley had been influenced by Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. To do this, he interviewed Huxley's wife Laura, Huxley's sister-in-law, and friends of Huxley. Molloy received a grant from the East-West Center in Hawai`i to study there, and he received his doctorate from the University of Hawai`i. During this time, he studied in Japan with Abe Masao in Kyoto and with Sobharani Basu at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi. He practiced Zen meditation at Bushinji in Shikoku and later received a certificate from the Oomoto School of Traditional Japanese Arts in Kameoka, Japan. He has written Experiencing the World's Religions (McGraw-Hill) and The Christian Experience (Bloomsbury). Currently he is writing a memoir of his grandparents and parents and their religious background.Molloy has taught many philosophy and religion courses, including World Religions, Asian Philosophies, Western Mysticism, Greek and Roman Philosophy, Ethics, Nietzsche, Religion and the Meaning of Existence, and Indian Philosophy. He is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Hawai`i.   To complement his academic work, he has had three exhibitions of his paintings—"Landscapes of the Mind," "Luminous Darkness," and "Renaissance." He co-directed two radio series ofi nterviews with musicians, writers, and artists on KAIM-FM and Hawai`i Public Radio. He worked on the Inari Shrine Preservation Committee to move the shrine to a new location and then to renovate it.