World Religions and Cults Vol. 2 (Download)

As is obvious by the title, this book covers the Eastern Mysticism religions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and so on. There are chapters on ancient Egyptian beliefs and various mythologies. But wait! There's more -- like paganism and Buddhism. Altogether around twenty religions are covered in this book, which is a bit overwhelming. Most chapters are short.

The chapter on Greek mythology is a fascinating example. In addition to the material I expected (a general outline of the gods, and discussion of why understanding this is important in understanding our past) there was also a discussion about how today's culture scoffs at this mythology as we are so far beyond that kind of primitive belief. But it isn't so much that the mythology was about Zeus or Poseidon, but that they were worshiping the force behind those gods. The text asks if we can really say we've moved beyond the worship of wine, or the worship of reason. Ouch. Clearly humanity still worships sex, we still worship youth. Are we really that different?

This is a thought-provoking book.

What a fascinating collection of thorough discriptions of the religions of the world. With an amazing and precise outlining of the beliefs of Biblical Christianity as a comparison. Each chapter describes the specific religion, has a comparative list of main points in which they differ, and are very clear. I thought it would be dry, but found myself intrigued with the religions of friends and family that I hadn’t before then had any understanding of. An amazing shoring up of knowledge to use in apologetics to help others. Wonderful

This book could be used as a resource to refer to. The chapter on the new age faith is particularly critical, as certain new age practices are slowly creeping in to the modern church.

World Religions and Cults, Volume 2, is focused on Moralistic, Mythical and Mysticism Religions. The religions, philosophies and cults discussed in this book are as follows: The New Age Movement (Pantheism, Monism), Taoism, Hinduism (Hare Krishna), Jainism, Sikhism, Paganism, Voodooism, Wicca & Witchcraft, Druidism, Animism (Spiritism), Egypt's Ancient Religion, Norse & Germanic Mythology, Syncretism in Latin American Religions, Greek Mythology, Stoicism (Epicureanism), Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Unitarian.

Understanding the origin of countless world religions is key to understanding the meaning behind their teachings, beliefs and practices. Origins are discussed, including the origin of Christianity. Chapter 22 is dedicated to helping Christians share the Gospel message with the understanding of where origins and teachings differ. Appendices at the end are a tremendous resource. Appendix 1 offers insight into reaching out to various religions with the Gospel message. Appendix 2 is a logical expose on the irrationality of Atheism, polytheism, Deism, and Unitarianism.

The second book of the series focuses mostly on the Eastern Religions and Pagan religions. This book really allows you to compare the various religions and viewpoints featured. It contrasts between the Mystical religions and a Biblical Christian worldview. It is a fantastic resource for both adults and homeschool. From a homeschool standpoint, it is probably best at a high school level. There are multiple authors and I feel like this gives a much more well-rounded viewpoint on the various religions. I think this is a must-read for Christians today. There is so much background and information, and the text is very, very thorough. If you are using for homeschool, I highly recommend the teacher's guide as a companion.