Introduction to World Religions

Beginning with the origins and philosophy of religion, we learn how faith began with man’s awe and dread of nature and the unknown. Rudolph Otto’s 1917 book on religion’s origins is used to show how all cultures, no matter how far away they are from each other, have similar myths and social taboos. Karl Marx called religion “the sigh of the oppressed creatures”  but at the same time admitted its values. In more than one nation, fish equals prosperity, bread equals sustenance, and the non-predatory dove equals peace.

Some of the religions discussed here are rather obscure in the history books. Viking religion is rarely studied, perhaps because it was practiced by few and didn’t last more than a few centuries. Much of what we know about the Viking gods is based on second hand accounts by German and Arab travelers, with a few more accurate accounts by Icelandic monks. The Norsemen began converting to Christianity by 900, and their paganism was gone by 1100. Did the end of Viking dominance destroy their confidence and lead them to Christianity? Their religion was based on war, so they were not “oppressed” as Karl Marx would say.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam get plenty of attention in this book. They are the three most prominent religions, all involve monotheism, and all three originated in the Middle East. But unlike other books, this one goes deeper, describing the different branches of Christianity throughout the world. But there’s still something missing here. Christianity in the USA is different from that of other countries. Throughout the USA, the Protestants are split into many sects, like Pentacostals, Methodists, Baptists, Jehova’s Witnesses, Mormons, etc. I would like to have seen this discussed in greater detail. Judaism is also practiced differently in the USA than in Britain, and Reform Judaism is very popular here. The Jewish community in Britain has a chief Rabbi, which would horrify the independent Democracy-loving Americans.

There is one religious group here in the USA that gets no mention at all, and that is the Snake Handlers of Tennessee. They’re a tiny sect, but a colorful and dynamic one. I would love to read more about those Christians who worship Jesus by placing venomous snakes in their hands. Perhaps the author doesn’t take them seriously?