Bowker (Gresham College, London) has written or edited numerous reference works and monographs in comparative religious studies, including The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions (CH, Nov'02) and The Complete Bible Handbook (CH, May'99). Here he presents a phenomenological and historical survey of religious beliefs and practices that is much more detailed and comprehensive than Armstrong's A History of God (CH, Apr'94). His book is structured around two- to four-page articles and, with the index, can function as an encyclopedia. Bowker effectively transitions from topic to topic to provide a coherent and accessible narrative that would also serve well as a textbook. He begins with fundamental questions regarding the existence and human experience of the divine; introduces primal religious categories such as mythology and ritual; and continues with detailed discussions of Indian, Asian and Abrahamic religions. He traces the historical development of beliefs about the divine and presents articles on significant topics, texts, and thinkers within each religion. Bowker works with a broad phenomenological conception of "God" that is comprehensive enough to include the beliefs of these disparate religions, even those that are often considered nontheistic. The text is enhanced with color illustrations and informative sidebars on nearly every page. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. J. Gresham Fontbonne University

The former dean of Trinity College, Cambridge University now at Gresham College, Bowker (The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions) quotes a poem by R.S. Thomas to explain the purpose of his book: "the better ventilating of the atmosphere of the closed mind." Throughout, he opens doors to many spiritual and religious traditions, describing ways in which people "have made their own discoveries of God and have developed and changed our understanding of who and what God is, and of how God became real to them." The result is a fascinating, all-purpose book, beautifully illustrated in the DK manner. After the introductory material, the text is divided into sections on the religions of India, the religions of other Asian countries, and the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). With articles like "Jihad and Martyrdom," "Temples of India," "From Tagore to Gandhi," "Sex and Tantra," "Kabbalah," "Thealogy (feminist theology)," and "Celtic Christianity," the range is obviously wide. The maps, time lines, and comprehensive index are also helpful, and readers are encouraged to explore further with the help of a very good bibliography. Though similar information can be found in many introductory books on world religions, including the more traditional The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions (edited by Bowker; see review below), this work lends itself more to pleasure reading than reference and will appeal to the casual reader interested in the variety of colorful religious rituals and symbols presented here. Highly recommended for high school and public libraries as well as undergraduate collections in academic libraries. Gary P. Gillum, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Having already written a lushly illustrated overview of the beliefs and practices of the world's religions (World Religions, also from DK), Bowker turns his attention to God and produces a book chock-full of facts, stories, legends and illustrations about the ways that religious traditions have developed their beliefs in God. Bowker first examines the ideas of Nietzsche, Feuerbach, Freud and others to demonstrate that all individuals and societies grapple with the meaning of God. In roughly chronological order, Bowker surveys the history of belief in God in animistic religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He explores various aspects of this belief, such as the meaning of dharma, the concept of wisdom and the nature of pilgrimage. Yet Bowker's book contains numerous problems. First, he never explains what he means by God. Is God the same as the Sacred or the Divine? Without a clearer explanation, many of the religions that he examines Buddhism, for example cannot be said to have a God. Second, does God indeed have a history? That implies that God would have had a beginning and will have an end, which runs counter to the notion that God is eternal and ahistorical. Third, because he does not provide a clear definition of God, Bowker levels the differences among the world's religions so that it appears that the God of Judaism is the same as the God of Hinduism. At best, Bowker provides a superficial overview of the history of belief in God for the "religion lite" crowd. (June) Forecast: Despite its problems, expect strong sales: this strikingly illustrated coffee-table sensation is a Main selection of both the BOMC and the One Spirit Book Club. Religion Notes July Publication (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved