Religion in 5 Minutes [Paperback]

Religion in Five Minutes provides an accessible and lively introduction to the questions about religion and religious behaviour that interest most of us, whether or not we personally identify with - or practice - a religion. Suitable for beginning students and the general reader, the book offers more than 60 brief essays on a wide range of fascinating questions about religion and its study, such as: How did religion start? What religion is the oldest? Who are the Nones? Why do women seem to play lesser roles in many religions? What's the difference between a religion and a cult? Is Europe less religious than North America? Is Buddhism a philosophy? How do we study religions of groups who no longer exist? Each essay is written by a leading authority and offers succinct, insightful answers along with suggestions for further reading, making the book an ideal starting point for classroom use or personal browsing.Preface Aaron W. Hughes and Russell T. McCutcheonReligion1. Is everyone religious? Russell T. McCutcheon2. Where does the word religion come from? David McConeghy, Independent Scholar3. What does it take for something to be classified as a religion ? Robyn Faith Walsh, University of Miami4. Can sports be a religion? Russell T. McCutcheon5. What is the difference between religion and mythology? Robert B. Tapp, University of Minnesota6. What is the difference between religion and philosophy? Nathan Dickman, Young Harris College7. What is the difference between a religion and a cult? Jason Blum, Davidson College8. Do all religious adherents believe in the concept of a higher power? Steven Ramey, University of Alabama9. Do all religions have sacred books? Russell T. McCutcheon10. Do all religions have miracles? Russell T. McCutcheon11. How did religion start? Nickolas Roubekas, University of Vienna