General books of interest

The Oxford handbook of religion and science, edited by Philip Clayton and Zachary Simpson, associate editor. (2006)
Here for the first time is a single-volume introduction to the debate between religion and science, written by the leading experts. Making no pretence to encyclopaedic neutrality, each chapter defends a major intellectual position - at the heart of the book is a series of 'pro' and 'con' papers, covering each of the current 'hot topics' (such as evolution versus creation, naturalism versus the supernatural). In addition to treatments of questions of methodology and implications for life and practice, the Handbook includes sections devoted to the major scientific disciplines, the major world religions, and the main sub-disciplines in this exciting and ever-expanding field of study" -- Amazon.com.

God's mechanics : how scientists and engineers make sense of religion, Guy Consolmagno. (2007)
Brother Guy Consolmagno, scientist and Vatican astronomer, sees past the differences between science and religion and embraces the connections between them. In this volume, he explores the way scientists and engineers reconcile these two seemingly divergent world views. . (drawn from Syndetics)

The atlas of religion , Joanne O'Brien and Martin Palmer ; consultant editor, David B. Barrett. (2007)
O'Brien and Palmer (International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture, UK) offer a series of world maps that depict current popular religions, their history, new religious movements, the proportion of nonbelievers, state attitudes to religion, finance, religious education, and so-called fault lines, or areas of religious conflict. Unexpected gems are maps indicating religious involvement in social issues such as environmental protection and ethical investment, the status of women in religion, natural holy places, and predicted future trends. The book ends with extensive notes and tables delineating fundamentals of the various major religions and presenting demographic information on subjects such as life expectancy, poverty, literacy, and even Internet usage--all intended to place a country's religion in a social context. Summing Up: Highly recommended. (Choice magazine review, courtesy of Syndetics)

Sea of faith : Islam and Christianity in the medieval Mediterranean world, by Stephen O'Shea. (2007)
"O'Shea vividly captures and recreates not only the enmity between the two religions but also the sectarian rivalries and political intrigues within each religion. Yet the relationship between Christianity and Islam was marked not only by bloody Crusades and wars of conquest. As O'Shea so eloquently points out, Christians and Muslims also experienced long periods of rapprochement, signaled by the long peace at Cordoba in the early Middle Ages and in the intellectual and social flourishing at Toledo and Palermo in the 11th century...offers an unparalleled glimpse of the struggles of each religion to establish dominance in the medieval world as well as at the strategies for living together that the religions enacted as they shared the same territory" -- Publisher's Weekly, courtesy of Syndetics.

Atlas of the world's religions, edited by Ninian Smart and Frederick W. Denny. (2007)
This superbly illustrated reference work remains the only comprehensive visual guide to the worlds religious traditions. There are eight entirely new double-page spreads that illuminate such topics as the spread of the Latter-day Saints throughout the world, Pentecostal Christianities today (perhaps numbering more than 500 million adherents, or nearly one-fourth of the global Christian population), contemporary diasporic communities, South American religions, as well as extensive updates to many existing pages, 20,000 new words of text, fresh maps and illustrations. (drawn from Global Books in Print) Recommended.

Do morals matter? : a guide to contemporary religious ethics by Ian S. Markham. (2006)
Contents include : Thinking about ethics -- Why not do wrong? -- Is the ethical a human construct or a factual realm? -- Do you just do what is right or do you try to predict the outcomes? -- Natural law and virtue ethics -- Ethics and the Bible -- Learning from the wisdom of the world -- Humanism : do we need God to realize that people just matter? -- Becoming a morally serious person -- Taking an ethical position.

How to be a perfect stranger : the essential religious etiquette handbook, edited by Stuart M. Matlins & Arthur J. Magida. (2006)
"We... live in a remarkably diverse society, and it's increasingly common to be invited to a wedding, funeral, or other religious service of a friend, relative, or coworker whose faith is different from our own... This easy-to-read guidebook, with an 'Everything you need to know before you go' checklist, helps the well-meaning guest to feel comfortable, participate to the fullest extent possible and avoid violating anyone's religious principles - while enriching their own spiritual understanding" -- Book jacket.

Opening the doors of wonder : reflections on religious rites of passage, by Arthur J. Magida. (2006)
"Are religious rites of passage all they are cracked up to be? To answer that personal question, Magida sought the memories and wisdom of representatives of the five major world religions. ... he embarked upon a quest to learn whether other religions practice similar rites, how and when such rites are observed, and whether others' experiences of them mirrored or contradicted his own. What he gathered and presents here are insights into the effects of religious rites of passage from 20 high-profile persons, including Catholic comedian Julia Sweeney, Hindu self-help guru Deepak Chopra, Jewish Ms. magazine founder Letty Pogrebin, Buddhist monk Robert Thurman, and Muslim Yusuf Islam (singer-songwriter Cat Stevens). In the end, Magida's book amounts to a primer of world religions, including a brief history of each and its rites. : (Donna Chavez writing in Booklist)

In the name of heaven : 3,000 years of religious persecution, by Mary Jane Engh. (2006)
"Novelist Engh puts her narrative skills to good use by launching these 22 articles on episodes of religious persecution throughout the world in an attention-grabbing, dramatic manner. ... Engh maintains reader friendliness as, often covering vast swathes of time remarkably succinctly, she summarizes the persecution of other gods' worship by monotheistic pioneer King Akhenaton in ancient Egypt, then of other tribes' deities by the early Jews, and on through the ages to the French Revolution's anticlerical pogroms, and the campaigns against Mormons and Native American religion in the nineteenth-century U.S. Every chapter concludes with a paragraph or two on Engh's sources and recommendations for further reading. .." (drawn from Booklist, courtesy of Syndetics)

Encyclopedia of gods : over 2,500 deities of the world, by Michael Jordan. (2005)
Although this reference represents the most comprehensive listing available of the deities of principal religions, it is not exhaustive. Many primitive societies are reluctant to speak the names of deities to outsiders for fear of divine punishment. As a result, this book has geographical gaps and other lapses that can be accounted for by cultural differences. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order, without being broken down into ethnic or cultural groups, and each entry is listed under the name by which the deity is most commonly known. (drawn from Ravonne A. Green, writing for Library Journal)

Online databases

Oxford Reference Online

Access to Oxford Publishing's major reference book collection online.

You can either search across all titles, or just look in the volume you need. Remember you will need your library card number to access via Oxford Reference Online.

Titles include:

• Dictionary of the Bible
• The Oxford Companion to the Bible
• The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible
• A Dictionary of Buddhism
• Oxford Dictionary of Islam
• A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
• The Oxford Companion to Philosophy
• The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
• The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions

Useful websites

This is a starting list of general religion-based internet websites of interest. For websites on specific religions, please see the religion specific pages.

• Academic Info Religion Gateway
  Contains academic studies of the world's major religions.
• Adherents.com
  Holds statistics on world religious affiliation, including famous adherents, religious references in fiction, films, etc.
• BBC: Religion & Ethics
  Contains a number of general interest sections relating to various world religions and ethics. Listen to broadcasts of the BBC's many programs devoted to exploring various religions, such as Missionaries. Equally compelling are the fractious message boards. The site is rounded out by an interactive multi faith calendar, which shows the religious festivals and celebrations of eight world faiths.
• Beliefnet
  Contains a wide variety of discussion on spiritual matters, including quizzes, social and poltical issues, and reviews.
• Freedom From Religion Foundation
  Maintains the protection of the constitutional principle of separation of state from church.
• FutureChurch NZ
  A platform for emerging forms of spiritual community - building on the Christian story, but not limited by past traditions.
• Holidays and Observances
  Contains information about major religious holidays around the world.
• Index of faiths and practices
  
• Journal of religion and popular culture
  University of Saskatchewan web-based, peer-reviewed journal committed to analysis and interpretation of the interrelations between religion and religious expression and popular culture.
• New Zealand Religious History Bibliography
  Compiled by Peter Lineham. (Also contains chapters of his publications)
• Religion Online
  Holds full texts by recognized religious scholars - more than 1,800 articles and chapters. Topics include Old and New Testament, Theology, Ethics, History and Sociology of Religions, Comparative Religion, Religious Communication, Pastoral Care, Counselling, Homiletics, Worship, Missions and Religious Education
• Sacred Text Archive
  Includes texts of nearly a thousand of the core texts of religion, mythology, and folklore.
• The Revealer
  It can be difficult to sift and winnow through the myriad of material offered on the web. Jointly sponsored by the New York University Department of Journalism and New York University's Center for Religion and Media.
• Symbols
  The use of symbolism in the world's major religions.
• Virtual religion index
  Designed to advance research in matters of religion
• World's Major Religions and Belief Systems
  Short introductions to the world's religions.

Contact Us:

Interested in finding out more about what the library holds on beliefs? Found a topical online resource you'd like to share? Contact us at enquiries@wcl.govt.nz. We'd love to hear from you!