Seeing Through Religion

Seeing Through Religion is a cutting-edge textbook designed to help students in their study and research of the world's religious traditions. Providing the tools to learn this valuable subject theoretically, McGovern argues that religion isn't a thing out there in the world, it's the glasses on your face through which you see the world, shaped by Western history and, in particular, Christianity. By exploring the major religious traditions and comparing stereotypes about them to reality, this textbook establishes how the lens of religion systematically distorts our perception of the world. Topics covered include: What Is Religion? Colonialism and the Two Faces of Orientalism Islam: Does Fear Imply Difference? Buddhism: A Philosophy or a Religion? Hinduism: A Polytheistic or a Monotheistic Religion? Chinese Religion: What Is It, and Where Can We Find It? Indian Religions: How Can One Religion Include Another? Tibetan Buddhism: Is It Still Buddhism? Judaism: A Religion or an...