Major Religions of the World -- by Marcus Bach

 

Read.

Absorb.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Read.

Absorb.

Sleep.

Repeat.

It was a good, short book, so I was in no hurry to get through it. And, getting through in a hurry would've been OK for the brainless, or some comic books, but this was obviously much deeper than many others, despite its short length.

Marcus Bach's survey book leaves the reader with plenty of time to think about what they've read. He also wasn't out to impress anyone with unusual words that only a few might understand. Bach showed reader empathy and was very inclusive in his writing.

He kept it simple, and that helped the book, considerably.

The world, and its people, encompass a large variety of adaptations, and probably more tolerance than the lesser observer might realize. Some marriages do not combine into one church, remaining split as they were before the wedding ceremony. In some countries, and regions, denomination diversity is also practiced. Old Spain had the Convivencia in which Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together in relative peace. 

However, on their borders, Christians were engaged in the Reconquista, eventually pushing Islam out of the country in 1492.

I've often wondered that if a polyglot can speak different languages, why can't someone practice different religions if they seriously want to? The idea tests the boundaries of religious tolerance for some, but why waste time worrying?

The chapter on Shintoism also probed such thinking in terms of life after death. "To get religion like a Christian," said a Japanese student, "to study it like a Buddhist, to live it like a Confusionist, and to enjoy it like a Shintoist, this is a good arrangement."

Bach eventually addresses the individual relationship of one person and their choice(s).

"I think that persons are wise when they visit people of other lands," he wrote. "I advocate strongly a sympathetic understanding of the other person's point of view. But most important of all, we should first mine the acres of diamonds in our own expression of faith."

Bach wrote about the basics, and beginnings, of Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Shinto, Confucianism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism. This could also be a good reference to keep around.