God & World Religions

Johnson, a retired Lutheran pastor who now teaches world religions at Massachusetts Bay Collegse, has written a useful introduction to the world's religions. His book assumes no previous knowledge of the worlds many religious traditions, and his chapters on Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and others lead readers through a step-by-step examination of the major features and practices of each religion. Extensive notes and bibliographies follow each chapter, and Johnson also provides reading questions designed to provoke reflection about each religious tradition under consideration. An odd feature of the book, though, is Johnson's focus on the contemporary political landscape in chapters titled ""Religion's Impact on Economics"" and ""War and Peace Beliefs,"" because these chapters fail to probe the relationship between specific world religions and their political outlooks. In addition, the book has the flavor of lecture notes thrown together to make a book. Nevertheless, Johnson provides a handy reference work and a helpful starting point for further study of the world's religions. (July)