Part 1 Opening Up to Other Traditions 1 --
1 Why Learn About Other Faiths? 3 --
"I Read the News Today, Oh Boy" 3 --
Catching Up with the Constitution 4 --
"I Don't Have to Bother with This! I'm an Agnostic (or: an Atheist)!" 6 --
"Hey, This Sounds Familiar!" 8 --
The Academic Obstacle 8 --
2 Lots of Different Names, Some Familiar Ideas 11 --
Humanity and the Eternal 13 --
Interconnectedness with All Creation 14 --
Beyond Words, Beyond Mind 16 --
3 Speaking Softly and Dropping the Stick 19 --
Non-Sectarian Knees 19 --
Six Ways to Alienate Someone Whose Faith Is Unfamiliar to You (and What to Do Instead) 21 --
2. Folow the (Unflattering) Lead of the Media 21 --
4. Talk About What's "Normal" 22 --
5. Use Attack Language to Describe Someone's Faith 22 --
6. Stomp on Toes That Are Already Bruised 22 --
The Best Advice: Don't Pretend to Have All the Answers 24 --
When in Doubt, Repeat: "We're All in the Same Boat" 24 --
4 The Roots of Judaism 29 --
Close-Up on the Decalogue 30 --
The Ten Commandments 31 --
The Kingdom and the Dispersion 32 --
Fundamental Precepts 33 --
In Depth: Some Key Aspects of Judaism 34 --
A Community Gathered 35 --
5 Modern Jewish Experience 37 --
Reactions to the Modern World 38 --
The Orthodox Tradition 39 --
Conservative Judaism 40 --
The Pressures of the Outside World 41 --
Two Extraordinary Modern Events 44 --
6 Jewish Ritual and Celebration 47 --
Life: The Ultimate Religious Ceremony 47 --
What Happens in the Service? 49 --
The Basic Service Consists of 50 --
Chanukah (Hanukkah) 51 --
Part 3 Christianity 55 --
7 Christian Beginnings 57 --
The Man at the Center of the Faith 57 --
Christianity in the World 60 --
Cultural and Historical Adaptability 60 --
An Unfinished Faith 61 --
Development, Conflict, and Acceptance 62 --
The Protestant Reformations 64 --
Beyond the Divisions 65 --
8 The Many Christian Denominations 67 --
What Catholics Believe 68 --
Challenge and Change 70 --
The Orthodox Church 71 --
Shared Origins, Different Rites 72 --
The Orthodox Church Today 73 --
Other Major Denominations 75 --
Different Drummers: "Distinctive" Protestant Movements 76 --
9 Christian Celebration 79 --
The Feast of the Assumption 84 --
10 The Early History of Islam 89 --
Expansion and Evolution 94 --
11 The Later Development of Islam 97 --
Division and Discord 97 --
Beyond Liberal and Conservative 101 --
12 Ramadan and Other Observances 105 --
Important Islamic Life Rituals 107 --
The Marriage Ritual 107 --
Funerals and Mourning Periods 108 --
Other Important Islamic Holy Days 109 --
13 That Old-Time Religion 113 --
The Biggest of Big Tents 114 --
The Indus Valley Civilization 115 --
The Faith Develops: Circles of Life 118 --
14 God's Many Faces 123 --
One God, Many Gods 123 --
Does Hinduism Celebrate a Single God or a Profusion of Gods? 124 --
Having It Both Ways 125 --
A Brief Introduction 126 --
Some Other Important Deities 127 --
15 Respect for Life and Personal Growth 129 --
"Watch Out for Rebirth" 130 --
Religion, Religion Everywhere 131 --
Where's the Sabbath? 131 --
16 The Prince Who Left the Palace: Buddhist Origins and Doctrine 137 --
The Legend of the Buddha 137 --
Nirvana (Before It Was a Rock Band) 139 --
Teaching, Living, Dying 143 --
17 Mahayana and All That 145 --
The Two Schools of Buddhism 146 --
Theravada Buddhism 147 --
Theravada Scriptures 147 --
The Mahayana School 148 --
Mahayana in Black and White 149 --
18 Zen and Other Buddhist Schools Popular in the West 151 --
What Is the Sound of Zen Beginning? 151 --
Bodhidharma Gets Things Started 152 --
Other Buddhist Sects 155 --
The Pure Land School 155 --
Part 7 Nature, Man, and Society in Asia 157 --
19 Confucianism: Human Relations 101 159 --
Opposition, Departure, Return 161 --
Other Literary Stuff 162 --
Confucianism Tops the Charts 165 --
The Changing, Changeless Way of Confucius 166 --
20 Taoism: The Effortless Path 169 --
"Not to Be Impolite, But ..." 169 --
Nature: Close to the Ground 170 --
Words: The Tao Te Ching 170 --
Who Founded Taoism? 172 --
Back and Forth with Buddhism 174 --
How Has Taoism Expressed Itself? 175 --
What Was That About Immortality? 175 --
What Was That About Release? 176 --
21 Shinto: Harmony and Clarity 177 --
Shinto: The Basics 177 --
1868: Drawing the Line 179 --
1945: A New Direction 180 --
The Heart of Shinto 181 --
Part 8 Old Paths, New Paths 185 --
Ancient Egyptian Worship 187 --
Ancient Egyptian Worship: The Cultural/Historical Setting 188 --
Two Ancient Egyptian Creation Myths 189 --
Key Concepts from Ancient Egyptian Observance 190 --
Ancient Greek Worship 191 --
Ancient Greek Worship: The Cultural/Historical Setting 191 --
The Ancient Greek Creation Myth 192 --
Key Concepts from Ancient Greek Observance 193 --
Ancient Mayan Worship 194 --
Ancient Mayan Worship: The Cultural/Historical Setting 194 --
The Ancient Mayan Creation Myth 195 --
Key Concepts from Ancient Mayan Observance 195 --
Ancient Druidic Worship 196 --
The Druids: The Cultural/Historical Setting 196 --
(Conjecture on an) Ancient Druidic Creation Myth 197 --
Key Concepts from Ancient Druidic Practice 197 --
Ancient Aztec Worship 198 --
Aztec Worship: The Cultural/Historical Setting 198 --
The Ancient Aztec Creation Myth 199 --
Key Concepts from Ancient Aztec Observance 199 --
23 Nonscriptural Nature Religions 201 --
African Traditions 206 --
Spirits, Good and Bad 207 --
Native American Traditions 207 --
24 Modern Times: New Forms 211 --
What Is a "New Religion"? 211 --
Seven New Faiths ... and a Movement 212 --
The Nation of Islam 213 --
A Distinctive Practice 214 --
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness 214 --
Core Practices and Beliefs 216 --
Transcendental Meditation 217 --
A Non-Faith "Faith"? 218 --
Persecution and Revival 219 --
The Dance of the Seasons 219 --
The Winter Solstice 220 --
The Spring Equinox 220 --
The Summer Solstice 221 --
Equality and Harmony 222 --
The New Age Movement 225 --
Additional New Religious Practices 226 --
Aquarian Concepts Religious Order 226 --
Northlight: Pathways to Freedom 227 --
Self-Realization Fellowship 227 --
Synchronicity Contemporary High-Tech Meditation 228 --
World Prayer Chain 228 --
25 All Down in Black and White 229 --
Scripture as Meeting-Place 229 --
The Limits of Language (Holy or Not) 230.
