Title Highlight: Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion

Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion
2 volumes: Photos, Maps
Appendices: Documents on Politics and Religion
Selected Readings, Reference Materials, Index (both volumes)

The purpose of this two volume set is to describe the roots of the relations between politics and religion in the modern world and the global connections between these topics. Primarily covering the 19th and 20th centuries, the book looks at diverse subjects including major world religions, geographic regions and countries, secularization, abortion and slavery, individual religious and political leaders from around the world and events ranging from the Crusades to the Holocaust.

Each article is written by a different author, so there are several different viewpoints expressed throughout the encyclopedia. Of particular interest is the appendix dealing with the constitutions of the world. These show that some countries proclaim freedom of religion as a fundamental right (United States) while others require adherence to a particular religion on the part of their citizens (Iran). The book covers contemporary topics showing how religious belief influences political issues like a society’s treatment of homosexuals. It also gives short histories of many of the world’s major religions and how those religions influence the countries and regions where they developed and are practiced.