This book is offered as an aid to the disinterested study of religion.
It is offered, that is to say, to those who are certainly interested in religion and religions, but whose first aim is to seek knowledge and understanding. Of course, it may well be that the reader’s ultimate aim is to discover or formulate beliefs—to come to a view of what it is that one does believe or what one might believe.
However, the assumption of the editors is that understanding is not a barrier to belief: indeed, sometimes it is quite the reverse. It may pose problems for certain specific beliefs, just as an understanding of fairly elementary principles of the working of the Solar System will prove to be an obstacle to the belief that the earth is flat, or acquaintance with foreigners may change one’s belief that all strangers are to be feared. But in each case the knowledge or understanding does not simply negate beliefs, it gives rise to new beliefs—that the earth is round, or that at least some strangers are to be welcomed.Inevitably a single-volume work cannot be completely comprehensive in its range of topics and there has been selectivity based on general as well as specific principles. The general divisions are indicated in the contents list. The more specific principles operating are of three types.
The first is to indicate the range and variety of refigions, religious beliefs and religious forms of life that are found in the world today. Thus in addition to devoting whole divisions of the volume to the Judeo-Christian tradition, to Islam and to the complex of religious beliefs and practices in South and East Asia, we have provided accounts of the indigenous religions of the Americas, of Africa, of Australia and Melanesia. In these latter cases we have been selective and this is true also of the contents of the last division of the volume, devoted to New Religious Movements.
This leads naturally to our second principle, which is to be selective in a way that illustrates the relative weight, size and significance of the various groups under the five general headings. However, not every Christian or Buddhist group can be discussed or even mentioned, but those that are discussed exemplify the basic patterns of belief within that system.
Thus although mention is made of Sri Lanka we have not devoted a separate chapter to the form of Buddhism which has flourished there, on the grounds that, for our purposes, it does not illustrate points that are not covered elsewhere in the book. Equally, traditional religions have existed in all periods of human history and are found in every continent today. In this work there is necessarily here also a selection of examples, rather than an over-reaching attempt to be completely comprehensive. The examples are chosen to bring into dialogue the nature of the subject matter with the type and range of interests which a reader may have.The third principle is to produce a book which is a series of interlinked essays, each of which has its own discrete coherence, as well as its place within a wider and more complex tapestry.
Thus for the many reasons examined in the essays of the opening section, there has been no attempt to impose a single overarching structure, based on a single comprehensive method. The assumption of the editors is that no such method would be sufficient in itself to explore the rich conceptual geography of the idea of religion and religions. Equally no single ‘theory’ or definition of religion will be offered, and again the reasons for this are explored in the opening essays.
However, although the book is planned as a single volume it is written to be read also by those who prefer to sample essays according to the particular issues or questions which are of moment or interest to them.