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ladiicatherine's review against another edition
1.0
I want to start off this review by saying that I did not finish this book!
There are a lot of subjects that I don't know about that I want to know more about. Top among those subjects is religion. I've never been a religious person. Spiritual, perhaps, but never overly religious. My parents never forced me to go to church, they never really forced their religion upon me, and I've always been free to explore that area if I wanted to so I could ensure that my beliefs are what I want or envision them to be. I never really wanted to go exploring in that direction until recently, but I didn't want to go take a class at the local college because that's a chunk of change to spend with a chance that I'll still walk away potentially confused. Instead, I scoured the internet for books that may be of assistance to me. When I came upon this book, I thought it seemed like it would be a good fit.
It's not!
The book is beautifully laid out but, to my brain, it just adds to my confusion as I was trying to learn and absorb the material. The charts and pictures really don't add anything for me, they weren't helpful. The actual text itself? It was very, very repetitive and that's not how I learn. You can tell me something over and over again and I might never get it even after the fifteenth time! I was expecting a far more in depth look at each religion, prepared to be exposed to the beauty of each of them, and get sucked into the material in some sort of cohesive way. This was just repetitive and felt, to me, like it was all over the place. I'm not saying that this book would be bad for all individuals! No, it's just not how I learn.
I would recommend this if a wall of text is far too much (and it can be, absolutely!) for you and you need to have the visuals and the repetitiveness to absorb the material. My brain just wasn't equipped for this particular style.
There are a lot of subjects that I don't know about that I want to know more about. Top among those subjects is religion. I've never been a religious person. Spiritual, perhaps, but never overly religious. My parents never forced me to go to church, they never really forced their religion upon me, and I've always been free to explore that area if I wanted to so I could ensure that my beliefs are what I want or envision them to be. I never really wanted to go exploring in that direction until recently, but I didn't want to go take a class at the local college because that's a chunk of change to spend with a chance that I'll still walk away potentially confused. Instead, I scoured the internet for books that may be of assistance to me. When I came upon this book, I thought it seemed like it would be a good fit.
It's not!
The book is beautifully laid out but, to my brain, it just adds to my confusion as I was trying to learn and absorb the material. The charts and pictures really don't add anything for me, they weren't helpful. The actual text itself? It was very, very repetitive and that's not how I learn. You can tell me something over and over again and I might never get it even after the fifteenth time! I was expecting a far more in depth look at each religion, prepared to be exposed to the beauty of each of them, and get sucked into the material in some sort of cohesive way. This was just repetitive and felt, to me, like it was all over the place. I'm not saying that this book would be bad for all individuals! No, it's just not how I learn.
I would recommend this if a wall of text is far too much (and it can be, absolutely!) for you and you need to have the visuals and the repetitiveness to absorb the material. My brain just wasn't equipped for this particular style.
jedi_indyjones's review against another edition
5.0
I love the Big Ideas Simply Explained as they do a great job at presenting insightful information with useful infographics. I have had the privilege of reading [b:The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained|8493026|The Philosophy Book Big Ideas Simply Explained|Will Buckingham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327927560l/8493026._SX50_.jpg|13358574] and [b:The Politics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained|17385448|The Politics Book Big Ideas Simply Explained|Kate Johnsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365621022l/17385448._SX50_.jpg|24193254], as well as currently reading [b:The Bible Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained|35354152|The Bible Book Big Ideas Simply Explained|D.K. Publishing|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516202379l/35354152._SX50_.jpg|56715692] along with my Bible reading. These books break down each subject into a digestible and understandable format, compete with useful timelines and frames it within context of the larger related world. Over time I am sure I will read these all, but so many will correlate to my religious/myth/history reading that will line up to supplement what else I plan to read, so many will have to wait. The Religions book is a great reference book to have on your shelf, similar to [b:The Eliade Guide to World Religions|314976|The Eliade Guide to World Religions|Mircea Eliade|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223675766l/314976._SY75_.jpg|305812]. It's easy to pick up and find what you are looking for and get a good rundown on it. I can't recommend this series enough.
rick_sam's review against another edition
3.0
I received criticisms, remarks from a friend on this topic. He is friendly, often writes in newspapers on this topic. As he is writing for general public; I expect him to bring more content.
I wanted this person to give a more serious, thoughtful understanding of religion. Apparently, he gave usual popular internet arguments or opinions on Religion.
I mean, I wanted him to put more effort in educating himself, having a thoughtful response. He's on his way to get a PhD.
It would be beneficial for a discussion, rather than saying,
"Religion is a tool, used to control people."
This does not discredit the idea of God (genetic fallacy). I shared this book, so he can go through different religions and be more informed.
Hinduism was most interesting to me. I wish more people would talk about religion openly, rather than cower.
The Book is a survey of religious ideas.
I think, this would be have much better if Religious ideas were more systematized or hierarchical.
I was thinking, a lot of religious groups treat each other with disdain. Wish, there was a book that would give how each religion view each other throughout centuries.
I would recommend this to anyone, who wants to go through a concise description of religions of humanity
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
I wanted this person to give a more serious, thoughtful understanding of religion. Apparently, he gave usual popular internet arguments or opinions on Religion.
I mean, I wanted him to put more effort in educating himself, having a thoughtful response. He's on his way to get a PhD.
It would be beneficial for a discussion, rather than saying,
"Religion is a tool, used to control people."
This does not discredit the idea of God (genetic fallacy). I shared this book, so he can go through different religions and be more informed.
Hinduism was most interesting to me. I wish more people would talk about religion openly, rather than cower.
The Book is a survey of religious ideas.
I think, this would be have much better if Religious ideas were more systematized or hierarchical.
I was thinking, a lot of religious groups treat each other with disdain. Wish, there was a book that would give how each religion view each other throughout centuries.
I would recommend this to anyone, who wants to go through a concise description of religions of humanity
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
rartastic's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very informative and easy to digest, while also being respectful of all the different religions and branches of those religions included. I noticed early on that for each section, the language was such that the tenants or stories of each of the belief systems was fact. Not a whole lot of qualifiers (i.e. According to this myth, the god supposedly did xyz.) just straightforward telling.
With so many different religions to cover, this saves time and makes the whole book easier to read. And comes across very respectful as well. As a believer in one of the included religions myself, I appreciated that very much.
With so many different religions to cover, this saves time and makes the whole book easier to read. And comes across very respectful as well. As a believer in one of the included religions myself, I appreciated that very much.
connie575's review
5.0
This is a wonderful book for learning of the many different religions world wide. It is in an easy to read format. Each chapter has to do with a different religion or a different branch of a religion. Easy to stop and pick it back up. I did not realize how diverse Buddhism and Hinduism were. India's religious history was fascinating. I found this book enlightening and interesting. I recommend it for anyone interested in the diversity of the world's religions.
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