When European missionaries first arrived in India in the sixteenth century, they entered a world both fascinating and bewildering. Hinduism, as they saw it, was a pagan mess: a worship of devils and monsters by a people who burned women alive, performed outlandish rites and fed children to crocodiles. But quickly it became clear that Hindu 'idolatry' was far more complex than white men's stereotypes allowed, and that Hindus had little desire to convert....

A simple introduction to the festival Diwali.

Dr. King, one of the greatest civil rights leaders in history, wrote and reflected frequently about love. He understood its transformative power and the essential role love played in his mission as the catalyst for positive change. Now for the first time, in this project of the Dr. King archives published exclusively by HarperCollins, readers will get access to many of King?s writings on love-compiled in a deeply insightful, moving and transformative...

This volume covers the story of the Holy Land, encompassing the three millennia that saw the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar.

Barnaby Rogerson's timely book begins with the contemporary Middle East and the proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies and Shiite Iran. To understand these, he suggests, we must understand the origins of the Sunni-Shia divide, which go back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632, the accidental coup that set aside the claims of Ali, and the slaughter of Ali's son Husayn at Kerbala. These events, known to every Muslim, have created...

A simple introduction to the customs and traditions of the Christian festival of Easter.