World Religions in America: An Introduction

by Jacob Neusner

Native American religions, Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and most other world religions have something in common: They are all practiced in America. Americans are religious people. We cannot fully understand America, says volume editor Jacob Neusner, without making sense of its diverse religious life. We need to understand what religion is thought to be, how it works, and why it matters to people. The contributors to this volume provide basic information about each religion, give its history, review the figures who founded it, and emphasize how each religion appeared in America. Throughout, concern is fiven to two questions: How does religion shape American life? and How does religion impact the political life of this country? Each chapter ends with questions for discussion, essay topics for further study, and a section that examines significant vocabulary in each tradition. This book will bring insight to the reader, ignite discussion, and allow an understanding of the many peoples and religions of America.

Genres: Religion, School, Nonfiction, Textbooks

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Neusner was educated at Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (where he received rabbinic ordination), the University of Oxford, and Columbia University.

Neusner is often celebrated as one of the most published authors in history (he has written or edited more than 950 books.)Since 1994, he taught at Bard College. He also taught at Columbia University, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, and the University of South Florida.

Neusner was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He is the only scholar to have served on both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. He also received scores of academic awards, honorific and otherwise.

Reviews

[Margali Ea]

Admittedly my father wrote this book, so go ahead and disregard my review if you like. The information is really illuminating, and dusts away any misconceptions you might have about oft referred to religions, such as Scientiology and Christian Science.

[Marlene]

Good basic text.

[Shawn Dougherty]

Clear concise unbiased information on different religious organizations.

[Jo]

This review is about the 4th Edition of the book. This well-written book is the only one you need to get a solid, broad education on the various faith traditions of the majority of Americans. I was particularly interested in Chapter 20, “Religion and Women in America” written by Eleanor J. Stebner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about religious traditions in the United States.

[Emily]

This was my textbook for my world religions class and it was easy to read and follow. Each religion was written on by an expert of that religion and the study questions at the end of each chapter were helpful. I usually don't keep textbooks, but I think I'm going to keep this one.

[David Horney]

read for school

[Maggie]

Very in-depth for the amount of space dedicated to each religion, this book was a fulfilling read and one I'll keep on the shelf after the class is over.