Demonstrating the commonality of the world's religions and our common humanity, this rich and varied anthology of scripture offers a highly useful collection of religious quotations, passages, and excerpts from the holy texts, representing a new, holistic approach to the world's religions. World Scripture is an extraordinary journey through the sacred writings of the world's great religions. Organized by subject, the quotations, passages, and excerpts presented here provide readers with easy access to teachings on several hundred subjects, with quotes from different religious traditions. This unusual anthology provides a new, holistic approach to understanding religion–stressing what unites us rather than what divides us. Among the religious texts represented are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Day Saints, and Zoroastrianism. Also featured are the oral traditions of various religions of Africa, Native America, Asia, and Oceania along with their recorded prayers and proverbs.
ANDREW WILSON holds a PH.D. in Divinity from Harvard University and is currently Academic Dean of the Unification Theological Seminary. Born in Cambridge, UK, Ninian Smart was classically trained at Oxford University in languages, history, and philosophy. He made his lasting international mark, notably at (among the many other universities at which he taught) the University of Lancaster, in the UK, and the University of California at Santa Barbara, in the US. Beginning in 1967 at Lancaster, and 1976 at UCSB, he played a pivotal role at both institutions in helping to establish thriving programs in the academic study of religion--a role that had much to do with not only his many writings on the proper method for conducting the public study of religion, as well as his well-known cross-cultural research on many of the world's religions, but also the long list of graduate students he trained throughout the years.
World Scripture and the Teachings of Sun Myung Moon builds on the foundation of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts (1991). That volume was a pioneering work in the annals of religious literature. Scriptures of the world’s religions were examined systematically to illuminate their universal teachings and highlight their common ground. The Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon commissioned World Scripture based upon the firm conviction that religions have a key role to play in building a world of lasting peace in the twenty-first century. The present volume, the second in the World Scripture series, brings together sacred texts with selections from the Reverend Moon’s teachings. It is no exaggeration to say that his teachings thoroughly cover the multitude of topics espoused by the world’s religions. Often he affirms a particular religion’s doctrine and demonstrates its application in the contemporary world. Occasionally he takes issue with a doctrine and offers a different explanation. And not infrequently, he takes a traditional religious concept and raises it to a higher dimension. For the many people who have come to know and respect Rev. Moon for his interreligious work and his efforts for world peace, these pages offer a doorway into his thought. For those who are already well acquainted with Rev. Moon’s teachings, these pages reveal the rich connections between his thought and the heritage of the world’s religions.