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A must-have for any serious student of comparative religion is a general guide to the religions of the world. Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions is most useful for the Christian student of comparative religion. Its author, James Beverly, is a devout Christian and admits that he views all religions through that glass.
One might expect to see a clear bias from an avowed Christian, but Beverly is adamant about approaching each subject with love and tolerance, and this approach serves his readers well. The information is set out for us, and while there is analysis based in Christian thought, it's not intrusive; use it or not as you choose. The facts he sets out are no more or less valid no matter which you choose. I found no evidence of the twisting of facts to serve an agenda which is a good signal, in my opinion. It means that Beverly believes his faith is strong enough to withstand an honest comparison with any other. I found it all quite refreshing as well as reassuring.
That said, I must admit that the section on Witchcraft was disappointing. I can't set it down to any bias on the part of the author since he is clearly trying hard to make sense of what is a difficult subject to begin with. But either he got bad information and wasn't able to work through it, or he was simply overwhelmed by the amount of often conflicting information available about Wicca, Neo-Paganism and the other religions which he seems to think are virtually interchangeable. For example, in spite of a separate chapter on Satanism, he does cite Satanism in this chapter, implying that some witches are Satanists, which is simply not true. (Satan is a Christian construct and Wicca has no roots in Christianity or even in the other two great Mid-East religions, Islam and Judaism.) He uses Witch, Wiccan and Pagan almost interchangeably, and while it's often difficult to differentiate -- ask any six Neo-pagans what they believe in or call themselves and you'll get at least twenty answers -- it's worth doing so if you're trying to be fair to the faith.
I don't believe that the few drawbacks of this book are going to be too problematic for most readers. What is critical is that for the most part Beverly has done his homework, and he has been consistent in presenting his information fairly. That makes this a valuable reference.
Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World
One might expect to see a clear bias from an avowed Christian, but Beverly is adamant about approaching each subject with love and tolerance, and this approach serves his readers well. The information is set out for us, and while there is analysis based in Christian thought, it's not intrusive; use it or not as you choose. The facts he sets out are no more or less valid no matter which you choose. I found no evidence of the twisting of facts to serve an agenda which is a good signal, in my opinion. It means that Beverly believes his faith is strong enough to withstand an honest comparison with any other. I found it all quite refreshing as well as reassuring.
That said, I must admit that the section on Witchcraft was disappointing. I can't set it down to any bias on the part of the author since he is clearly trying hard to make sense of what is a difficult subject to begin with. But either he got bad information and wasn't able to work through it, or he was simply overwhelmed by the amount of often conflicting information available about Wicca, Neo-Paganism and the other religions which he seems to think are virtually interchangeable. For example, in spite of a separate chapter on Satanism, he does cite Satanism in this chapter, implying that some witches are Satanists, which is simply not true. (Satan is a Christian construct and Wicca has no roots in Christianity or even in the other two great Mid-East religions, Islam and Judaism.) He uses Witch, Wiccan and Pagan almost interchangeably, and while it's often difficult to differentiate -- ask any six Neo-pagans what they believe in or call themselves and you'll get at least twenty answers -- it's worth doing so if you're trying to be fair to the faith.
I don't believe that the few drawbacks of this book are going to be too problematic for most readers. What is critical is that for the most part Beverly has done his homework, and he has been consistent in presenting his information fairly. That makes this a valuable reference.
Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World
