World Religions and Their Missions

Schleiermacher maintained that «to make proselytes out of unbelievers is deeply engrained in the character of religion.» But why do religions proselytize? Do all religions seek conversions? How are religions adapting their proclamations in a deeply plural world? This book provides a detailed analysis of the missionary impulse as it is manifested across a range of religious and irreligious traditions. World Religions and Their Missions systematically compares the motives and methods of the «missions» of Atheism, the Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Mormonism. The text also develops innovative frameworks for interreligious encounters and comparative mission studies.

About the Author :
Aaron J. Ghiloni (PhD, University of Queensland) is a faculty member at Trinity College Queensland (Australia), an affiliate lecturer at Australian Catholic University, and an honorary research fellow at the University of Queensland. Ghiloni is the author of John Dewey among the Theologians.

Review :
«'World Religions and Their Missions' is a valuable contribution to a range of sub-disciplines in religious studies, including mission studies, scholarship on religion and globalization, and inter-faith dialogue. Aaron J. Ghiloni and the contributing authors explore what it means for a religion to be considered 'missionary, ' the long shadow cast by Christianity (so often taken as the normative model of 'religion'), and the strategies of religious missions in the twenty-first century. The exploration of seven religions/non-religions is framed by three nuanced chapters on the varieties of mission, the comparative study of mission, and a democratic framework in which mission and inter-religious dialogue can both take place and flourish.» (Carole M. Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Sydney) «Religious mission is widely associated with winning converts to a particular way of believing, but this book shows that mission among the world's religions is conceived in diverse and complex ways. Written largely by representatives of the major religious traditions, including atheism, this comparative study will serve as an invaluable resource on a topic often overlooked or ignored among researchers and teachers in religious studies.» (James Cox, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, University of Edinburgh) «The imperative within many religions to propagate their beliefs and convert those of other religions has been little studied in the past. Despite being somewhat antithetical to today's trends toward inter-religious dialogue and multiculturalism, the imperative of propagation is a strong element in many religions and shows no signs of diminishing. 'World Religions and Their Missions' fills a gap in the literature of the study of religion by an academic analysis of this phenomenon. This interesting book records information that has not been systematically recorded before, reveals perspectives that are not easily accessed by those outside a faith tradition, and produces a framework that can serve as a basis for further research.» (Moojan Momen, Author of Understanding Religion: A Thematic Approach)