Hope for the World: A Christian Looks at World Religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Cunfucianism, Christianity, Islam

by Carl Mays

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1879111012
• ISBN13: 9781879111011
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Lincoln-Bradley Publishing Group
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Refreshing Insight

Like the author, Carl Mays, I am a Christian. It is refreshing to read a Christian's description of other religions, without the religions being belittled or painted to be all evil. Mays points out that even though the various religions may have different beliefs regarding how to spend eternity with God, they also have many common "conduct of life" principles for the here and now. The book begins with Francis of Assisi's "Prayer For Our Global Community" and, after presenting brief synopses of the major religions, shows parallel principles such as Put Faith Into Action, Love Others, Work For Peace, Be Considerate of Others, Do Worthy Deeds, Honor Your Parents, Have Child-Like Faith, Find Strength Within and Pray. As a high school teacher, I have already recommended the book to my students. And, I am going to use it with my classes.

Found What I've Been Looking For!

I had been searching for a book that presented the ideas of different religions in a clear, concise way, but couldn't find one. HOPE FOR THE WORLD is exactly what I was looking for! The book has been enlightening and helpful for me during this time when I have so many new questions.

Religions - Alike But Different

I like the way Carl Mays shows the major differences in the religions, while still showing the similarities. Too often, people paint a religion as being "all right" or "all wrong." He points out that as a Christian he accepts Jesus Christ as the way to God, but he also says that all Christians must realize that they are not the only people in the world who advocate high moral and ethical values. He goes on to write, "...there are many professing Christians whose moral and ethical values never reach the lofty heights of some people of other faiths." Thus, Mays is underscoring what Jesus said about not pointing to the splinter in someone else's eye while overlooking the board in your own eye. Mays writes, "On earth, people will never agree upon matters of religion and how best to seek spiritual fulfillment and meaning. To the contrary, even denominations, components, streams or tributaries within each faith will never agree upon certain issues. However, when more people live by the personal and human relations principles that are agreed upon by the major religions of the world, our global community will be changed in a very positive way." Mays also writes, "With other Christians, I find comfort in John 3:16, `For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' Believing that Christ died as a sacrifice for everyone brings us hope in any situation." To me, Mays is saying that he and other Christians are connected to God through Christ, which gives everlasting hope. Then he writes, "As we feel compelled to share the Gospel of Christ, we must also feel compelled to respect and love people of other religious faiths. This is where our relating to them begins - accepting all humans as precious creations, created in God's image. All real missionary and evangelistic work begins with this premise. The work begins with a loving concern for the physical, mental and spiritual condition of every person, worldwide."Carl Mays and his book represent a breath of fresh air to me. He strongly defends his belief in Jesus Christ, while saying we should find common ground with peoples of other faiths. This is a refreshing escape from the people, especially preachers, who say, "If you don't believe exactly the way I do in every respect, then I will have nothing to do with you. I will ridicule you and put you down." Mays is a professional speaker who has spoken to over 2500 corporations, associations, religious institutions, sports teams, schools and universities. He says that when he prepares to work with his clients in the areas of human relations and performance improvement, he determines the things he and they have in common and then conducts a needs analysis. He explains, "This is the approach I believe we should use in relating to people of other faiths. What beliefs do we have in common? What are the apparent needs?"

Simple But Scholarly

Some people have called all religions other than Christianity "evil" religions. But things I have read and discussed with others through the years have led me to believe that even though there are major differences in the religions there are also similar beliefs on how one should conduct his or her life. That is the emphasis of this book. Mays lets it be known that he is a Christian (apparently a conservative one), but at the same time he writes, "As Christians feel compelled to share the Gospel of Christ, we must also feel compelled to respect and love people of other religious faiths...accepting all humans as precious creations, created in God's image..." I like his approach. He also writes, "Hopefully, this book will help readers to better understand some basic religious beliefs and to improve dialogue with people of other faiths."

Good Facts - Easy To Understand

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I began searching for a layperson's guide to the general beliefs of Islam. Much of what I found was really more than I wanted to know. Then when I ran across "HOPE FOR THE WORLD - A Christian Looks At World Religions," I found the brief synopsis of Islam I was looking for. Plus, I was enthralled by the synopses of Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Now I better understand the differences, as well as the similarities of these religions. And, I had no idea of the statistics presented in the book - such as, 33% of the world population is professing Christians, 18% professing Muslims and only 1% professing Jews.