Sacred Origins of Profound Things: The Stories Behind the Rites and Rituals of the World's Religions (Compass) - Softcover

Panati, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140195335 ISBN 13: 9780140195330

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1996

Synopsis

In this enlightening and entertaining work, Charles Panati explores the origins of hundreds of religious rituals, customs, and practices in many faiths, the reasons for religious holidays and sacred symbols, and the meanings of vestments, sacraments, devotions, and prayers. Its many revelations include:

* Why the Star of David became the Jewish counterpart of the Christian cross

* What mortal remains of the Buddha are venerated today

* How the diamond engagement ring became a standard

* That the first pope was a happily married man

* How Hindu thinkers arrived at their concept of reincarnation

* Why Jews don't eat pork, why some Muslims don't eat certain vegetables, and how some Christians came to observe meatless Fridays

Sacred Origins of Profound Things is an indispensable resource for all those interested in the history of religion and the history of ideas--and an inspiring guide to those seeking to understand their faith.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles Panati, a former physicist and for six years a science editor for Newsweek, has made a career out of exploring the origins of things. He is the author of thirteen fiction and nonfiction books, including the bestselling Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. He lives in Long Island, New York.

From Publishers Weekly:

Sprightly, wry and irreverent, Sacred Origins of Profound Things attempts to explain the arcana of religious practice and dogma like prayer, celestial personae, moral codes, festivals, saints, evil, heaven, hell and miracles. Panati digs up fascinating curios while clearly explaining fundamental tenets of the world's religions. But his Religion 101 remains an awkward hybrid of brief journalistic entries (Panati is a former science writer at Newsweek) and short essays. Furthermore, not all "profound things" are covered equally or thoroughly. The religions of Asia are barely touched on, and aboriginal religions not at all. Of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, it is the last, and Catholicism in particular, that forms by far the largest part of the book. While readers looking for a quick answer will find useful the explanations of why religions affirm this or that belief, they will be frustrated by the lack of an index and the book's narrative rather than encyclopedic structure. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0140195335
• ISBN 13: 9780140195330
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 608