The World's Religions [antikvár]

Preface to the second edition This book needed revision primarily because of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent emergence of "new" states from under the imperial aegis of Russian-based Communist rule. There were, in addition, those under a wider Stalinist conquest who once again saw independence: the nations of Eastern Europe, together with Mongolia. The Communist system established by Tito in Yugoslavia also dissolved into messy and often warring nations. AH this changed the political and religious landscape. In Europe varying forms of Christianity, notably Catholicism in Poland, where it had a decisive part in the disintegration of the Soviet empire, reemerged: in the Caucasus, varieties of Orthodoxy and Islam; in Central Asia, also Islam; and in Mongolia, Buddhism. Judaism was also able to be itself again in Russia. And so we have here taken some pains to record these events: the latter part of the chapter on Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union has been rewritten. A new final chapter (25) has been composed, to reflect on the twentieth century, now that it is coming to a close. This takes into account the pluraHsm of the scene in the latter half of the century particularly. It emphasizes the way the facts of rehgion (and ideology) should be taught — through informed empathy, and in an open manner. At last we humans are beginning seriously to stress the way religions should be understood, rather than presented in a dogmatic and narrow manner. But there is still a large struggle for so many so-called religious people are more interested in dogmatizing their opinions than in illuminating how people actually behave, and how traditions develop. The religions are a wonderful resource for humanity. But they live together now: they have to, as our global civilization emerges out of the jet and the Internet. In reflecting at the end on the uses of religious studies, I of course want to show how a book Uke this has a small part to play.