Religion in Five Minutes

Religion in Five Minutes provides an accessible and lively introduction to the questions about religious beliefs, behaviours, and institutions that interest many of us, whether or not we personally identify with a religion. The book offers 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 scholars study religions of groups that no longer exist? All entries are written by an international team of scholars who work on the topics covered; each of its short essays offers readers succinct but also insightful answers along with providing suggestions for further reading. The second edition of Religion in Five Minutes—the lead volume in a series of more focused books on the religions of the world—includes all of the entries from the first but enlarges that volume by 25%—now with 100 answers to common questions, focusing much of the new material on issues of relevance to religion in Europe, from the presence of crucifixes in public government offices in Germany and controversies around Muslim women’s head coverings in France to the role played by Religious Education in the UK. Because each chapter can be read in about five minutes, the book is an ideal supplementary resource for classes but also an engaging read for those curious about the world around them.