Encyclopedia of World Religions

Covers such topics as ancient religions, Eastern religions, Christianity, new religious movements, comparative studies, and religion as a subject of study

Grade 7 Up-This encyclopedia presents discussions that are unbiased and succinct, reflects modern scholarship and current problems, and includes areas related to religious practices as well as definitions of the religions themselves. And it's interesting to read. Included are the ancient religions (e.g., Aztec, Greek, Egyptian), the major religions (e.g., Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Taoism), indigenous and hybrid religions, and new religions (e.g., Baha'i, Scientology). Excellent comparative essays discuss topics (e.g., the sun, moon, music, dance, sexuality, abortion, science) as they impact upon religious practices. Precepts such as God, eschatology, heaven, and initiation rituals are examined, and other examples of interesting materials such as fairies, tricksters, and clowning are presented. Modern thinkers include Mircea Eliade, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Karl Marx. Entries vary in length from a paragraph to several pages and cross-referencing is extensive. A selected topical bibliography and a thorough index are appended. Certain omissions are surprising. Stonehenge and the Easter Island statues are barely mentioned. The occasional black-and-white illustrations include artwork, maps, and photographs, some of which are poorly reproduced. Overall, however, this is a fine ready-reference resource.
Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This impressive volume on the world's religions attempts to be simple, interesting, and ``not partial to the point of view of one religious tradition or another.'' Beginning with the entry Aaron, the brother of Moses, and ending with Zoroastrianism, a religion begun in Iran by the prophet Zarathustra, this encyclopedia aptly presents religions in two ways: from the ``outside'' (history, teachings, practices, and organization) and ``inside'' (the feelings of the believers, the way they look at the world, and ``the things that are actually important in their religious lives''). Ellwood and Alles's thorough approach to their vast subject answers the questions that teenagers have about religion. A helpful topical outline follows; it groups the entries according to main headings: ``Buddhism,'' ``Christianity,'' ``Confucianism,'' ``Hinduism,'' ``Judaism,'' etc., making even more accessible this informative and comprehensive reference work. (b&w charts, maps, photographs, index, not seen, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 13- 15) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

"The Encyclopedia of World Religions aims to help young people satisfy their curiosity about a very important aspect of their world: religions." So writes Associate Editor Gregory Alles in his introduction. Alles goes on to claim that most reference works are "geared to a college and postgraduate audience," whereas this work "is different in that it aims to address students directly."

Nearly 500 entries cover topics from prehistoric and ancient religions, major contemporary world religions, concepts, symbols, and personages. The entries for major religions are the longest, covering two or three pages and subdivided into sections that discuss history, beliefs, practices, organizations, and significance. The form is a traditional alphabetical arrangement of entries. As such, it's not bad, but is it the best way to introduce young readers to the variety and complexity of religions of the world? The entries for Christianity and Hinduism, among others, are extremely succinct and packed with see references, forcing the reader to flip from one entry to another. There are longer, more comprehensive entries available in The World Book Encyclopedia, to name just one example. The alphabetical arrangement, though useful from a ready-reference standpoint, does not allow for a synthesis of the history, people, and ideas of religious traditions and may not be the best format for satisfying the curiosity of young readers. Facts On File's own Encyclopedia of World Faiths: An Illustrated Survey of the World's Living Religions (New York, 1987) is better in this regard.

Many entries begin with a dictionary-like definition that attempts to capture the content of the entry in a single headline. Prayer is defined as "communication with a religious being, such as a god, spirit, ancestor, or saint." That's pretty good. But the entry for Religion, Definition of begins with the redundant phrase "explaining what religion is." Judaism in America is defined as "the practice of Judaism in the Western Hemisphere." The use of language in this work often suggests an attempt at simplification gone wrong. Although designed for young adults, the authors could have written the text in a way that would challenge readers, all the while remaining accessible to them.

In addition to form and language, the content of entries is also questionable. The entry abortion and religion indicates that Roman Catholicism does not permit abortion even if the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Catholic theology is very complex on this issue. The distinction between direct and indirect abortion, the precise circumstances surrounding the health of the mother, and the medical intervention necessary to save her all determine whether the death of the fetus is morally acceptable. Although all of this might well be beyond the scope of an encyclopedia for young readers, the entry as it stands is misleading.

Finally, the encyclopedia begins with a chart giving the number of adherents to religions worldwide but lacks any citation for the source of these figures. It ends with a supplemental bibliography of works geared for an undergraduate audience and beyond, including one in German. Could no books on world religions for young readers be found?

The target audience for this title is students in grades 6 through 12. Although the concept of providing an accessible reference source on religion for young adults is laudable, students at the lower end of the audience range will benefit just as much from the articles in World Book, and students at the higher end will be much better served by any number of one-volume encylopedias written for adults, such as The HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion [RBB Ap 15 96] and The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions [RBB Jl 97]. Not recommended.