Reviews for Handy Religion Answer Book

The average rating for Handy Religion Answer Book based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-10-23 00:00:00 Chris Defendorf The Handy Religion Answer Book by John Renard is a very useful resource for those who wish to know and understand the beliefs and structures of the five main world religions and a handful of other Eastern religions and traditions. This is a very good starting point for any person interested in the subject matter or has a class and needs or wants a study guide or reference tool. However, there are some problems with it. Daoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism are predominately more philosophical than religious. The author acknowledges this, which begs the question, why then were these worldviews included? Why not other worldviews as well? There are plenty of traditions and faiths in the world not included in this book. The book also offers a brief glimpse into a few denominations of larger faiths, like Mormonism in Christianity or Sufism in Islam. I wish it expanded on this and included some others like Seventh-Day Adventists and the Moravians instead of adding traditions that don't really profess to be religions. Another minor critique is how the author also uses theological terms used in Western religions interchangeably with those of Eastern. The problem with that is a reader could be confused or mislead to believe something about a religion that isn't quite accurate. Such as salvation is not really a term or major theme in Hinduism or Buddhism. Moksha and Nirvana are these faiths' goals, and they do not equate salvation in comparison to Christianity. I wish the author would more clearly define his words and explain his answers better. Furthermore, my main problem with this book, and with the author, stems a bit from my previous point. According to the book, the author teaches Comparative Religion courses. At some points in the book, John Renard tries to reconcile the irreconcilable. It can be argued that from my previous problem stated, this is were it came from. He tries too hard to make these religions appear very similar, when in various cases, they really aren't. Renard should have simply given the information, similarities and differences in all, instead of trying to equate them too much to one another. Such as when he tries to make Christianity and Islam seem as though they have more in common then they really do. I also found this in his 101 Questions and Answers on Islam, and see it has carried over to this book. My final issue with this book, is that it appears to have some basis in some liberal theological scholarship. He states in the chapter on Judaism how the Torah (Old Testament) was all written after the Babylonian Exile instead of by the authors and times that the ancient texts state. This is not agreed upon by every theologian and should be looked into more by the author and reader. My conclusion then is, that this book is a great resource. I would recommend it for a classroom setting, a teacher or student. It does, however, have some problems and slants to it. Other than that, it was a good read.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-06-25 00:00:00 David Hartley Renard, J. (2012). The handy religion answer book. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. Citation by: Robbie Biddle Type of Reference: Handbook Call Number: Ref 291 Content/Scope: Is a handbook that targets grades nine and up. It contains information on all the world religions. It has a timeline that explains when specific religions were created. Accuracy/Authority/Bias: This book is written by a man that has over forty years studying and teaching experience in the field. It is now in its 2nd edition. Arrangement/Presentation: The book is arranged in question and answer format that is easy to follow. The book answers more than one thousand religion specific questions. The book contains both a glossary of religious terminology and maps that help supplement the literature. Relation to other works: In relations to other works this book gives a general knowledge of different world religions. Its straightforward question and answer format would be appealing to most students. Accessibility/Diversity: This book is accessible to lower level students because the straight forward answers do not require as much synthesis as more complex texts. The various questions combined however could be synthesized together to create a higher level of thinking. Cost: $34.95 Professional Review: Rollyson, C. (2012). Reference reviews: August 2012. School Library Journal Retrieved June 25, 2013, from