Five Voices Five Faiths: An Interfaith Primer

By Anantanand Rambachan, Amanda Milly Hughes, Hughes

Book Overview

In this unique book about the major religious traditions of the world, a practitioner from each tradition-Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam-introduces the basics of his or her faith and participates in a conversation about the challenges of being faithful in the modern world. Each essay and conversation is followed by a list of suggestions for further reading. Written for the non-specialist, Five Voices Five Faiths is an accessible book in which neighbors honor both our differences and our common bonds.

Some may say that my only obligation to other non-Christian believers is to preach the good news of God in Christ Jesus. They may also believe that participating in interfaith dialogue and relationship, by the very nature of the task, causes me to disobey the gospel mandate to go into the world and make disciples of all people. I understand the position, and for much of my life subscribed to it. But today, as a middle-aged woman, with grown children and aging parents, another line from the Christian gospels compels me. Today, I reflect more deeply on the new commandment Jesus gave, to love one another as he has loved us. In order to be obedient to that commandment, I understand myself to be required to participate in conversations in which I am not afforded the last word or the luxury of full agreement, compliance, or conversion. This love requires that I involve myself in the lives of others, even when my most basic human instinct is to run, to hide, and to avoid the unfamiliar. The love that Jesus commands of me requires that I, as he has done before me, kindle and engender deep relationships with those others: the outcast, the unfamiliar, the different, and the very ones that we presume constitute the greatest threat to our institutional and cultural norms.
-from the Introduction, by Amanda Millay Hughes

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561012726
• ISBN13: 9781561012725
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Cowley Publications
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent information, albeit brief!!

Concise (sometimes painfully so) overview of the faiths covered. We used this book for a "Religions of the World" group held at my church. It was a good "starting point". It generated much discussion, and raised many questions for which we sought answers from other sources. Just a note...for the buddhism session we used a book by the title of "Living Buddha, Living Christ" (by Thich Naht Hanh)which was excellent.

An introduction to five major religious traditions of the world

Five Voices Five Faiths: An Interfaith Primer is an introduction to five major religious traditions of the world for lay readers, as presented by five practitioners of each religion. A different faithful individual speaks for Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, providing a plain-terms summary of the basic tenets of each followed an intriguing interview that tests how the ideals of each faith co-exist (or conflict) with one another. Ultimately a tribute to both the differences and the common bonds between faiths, Five Voices Five Faiths is deeply reverent, respectful, and spiritual, and an excellent beginners guide to analysis, comparison, and contrast between religious ideals.