The Joy of Sects

by Peter Occhiogrosso

Book Overview

Religion is one of the oldest human activities and even in the present day pervades almost every aspect of life, but with so many seemingly incomprehensible beliefs, laws, rituals, and terminologies, you can't tell the players without a program. The Joy of Sects overcomes this confusion by presenting a rich trove of information in a concise, browsable format. It is a guidebook to the world's religious traditions not only for the devout follower but...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385425651
• ISBN13: 9780385425650
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 656 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Joy of Reading This Book

This is an excellent book on comparative religions and I enthusiastically recommend it. It is highly informative and also fun to read. One reviewer here quoted his favorite subtitle appearing in the chapter on Hinduism: "It's my karma and I'll cry if I want to." One of my favorites appears under Buddhism--"Stop the wheel, I want to get off." These subtitles give you a flavor of Occhiogross's style of writing, which makes this book so enjoyable. The book contains numerous sidebars (boxed text) and subheads, which make it very easy to read and comprehend. For example, one such boxed text is titled "You Say Potato: Where Islam Parts Company With Christianity." This is followed by two columns--one labeled "A Christian" and one labeled "A Muslim"--where points of comparison are given. I also found useful the glossary (called "Coming to Terms") that appears at the end of each chapter. Key words of that particular religion under discussion are defined and a pronunciation guide is given when necessary. If you are an average reader like me who is curious about world religions, this book will not disappoint you.

Joy of Sects by Occhiogrosso

This is an excellent reference guide for religious scholars and theorists. It describes Christianity, Judaism, Taoism and a pletora of the world religious traditions. The work describes the progression of the early Christian traditions from democracy toward more hierarchy and orthodoxy. A number of New Age sects are described in detail. Some controversial sayings of Jesus Christ are quoted. For instance, Christ made the following statement in Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and cares about his father or his mother or his wife or his children or his brother or his sisters or even his own soul, he can't be my student." This statement would be consistent with Christ's teachings because the thrust is to be concerned about your neighbor. Love one another is far more inclusive than concern for family members or for oneself. Christ's teachings are universal in nature. They extend beyond the community where you live. The Taoists are concerned with the connectivity between nature and the earth. Even famous religionists are described. Abu Hamid al-Ghazsali (1058- 1111) was a considerable Islamic scholar of jurisprudence and Sufi practices. This work will be useful for any student project on the subject of religious theory and scholarship.

Broad yet humorous

For year I had wanted to study comparative theology, but had been daunted by the breadth of the task. When I found Joy of Sects, I was hoping for a broad review of the major world religions. I got this and much more. Not only are the six major eastern and western religions covered, but so too are many of their sects and sub-sects. In what could otherwise be dry reading, the author has managed to find an appropriate balance between reporting the facts behind each faith, and finding the humor in each and religion in general. Playful, and non-offensive. Yet the work goes deeply enough into each topic as to give the read the history and spiritual nature of each belief systemI would recommend this work to anyone even remotely interested in comparative theology or even those mildly interested in what their friends and neighbors believe.

Ever wonder what "karma" and "jihad" really mean?

Very well put together. I was very impressed at the level of reaserch done...I walked away from it being more informed about all of the religous traditions, and that's a good thing, coming from a religious studies major in college. . I recommend this for everyone...it sure makes for great cocktail party conversation!

A thorough and lively compendium

I've read many books on religion, and The Joy of Sects is a standout for its depth and breadth. History, sects, leaders, theology, terminology - all are made crystal clear for major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as for New Age and shamanism. Yet although the approach is exhaustive, it's not exhausting: the author manages to avoid the ponderous or slanted tone of many such books. The Joy of Sects is entertaining and even playful without in any way being disrespectful of or cynical toward any religion - a real feat in this genre. Highly recommended not just as an even-handed reference source, but for the pure fun of reading.