Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena, The by J. Gordon Melton © 2008
Visible Ink ISBN 978-1-57859-209-7 380 pages Paperback $24.95 (U.S.)
$32.95 (Canada)
What this book is not - a listing of Pagan-friendly articles. In fact,
you
won't find a listing for Pagan or Wicca. What it is - an admittedly
incomplete listing of places and phenomena which stir religious fervor.
Why would this book be of interest to those of us who walk some form of
the
Pagan path? I can think of several reasons, but the most im****tant is
that
the author makes a sincere effort to show that this type of phenomena is
not
limited to spectacular events affecting only followers of major religions.
Oh sure, the apparitions at Lourdes and the life and experiences of Padre
Pio were major Christianity events, but the construction of the Golden
temple at Amritsar in India, while im****tant to Sikhs, is largely unknown
outside of that religion.
While this book is dominated by Christian phenomena (not surprisingly, as
Christianity is the dominant religion in our Western culture), there are
numerous examples drawn from other world religions. And those references
come not just from Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist sources, but from others
as
well.
The author's treatment of the subject of the Black Mass, its relation****p
to
Satanism, and Satanism's creation by the Inquisition is a prime example of
the lengths he goes to in ensuring a fair, balanced presentation. Those
who
know this author's other work will not be surprised at this fairness. He
attended Pagan gatherings while an active Christian minister and sought to
bring groups together rather than building walls between them.
There are frequent mentions of Pagan and Wiccan beliefs throughout this
work, most often in a favorable light. The author is well aware of
similarities between Pagan and Christian beliefs and practices and is not
hesitant to point them out to the reader.
Some of the information is this book brought me up-to-date on events and
beliefs I had encountered many years ago, but which had been dropped or
pushed aside since then. As a historical work, it is quite valuable. The
information is presented in a fair, unbiased manner, and goes to great
lengths to maintain neutrality.
There were a number of editing errors in this book, although none were
major. They mostly consisted of dropped letters or words, but the meaning
was clear in each case. They did not detract from the value of the book
in
any way, although they did, occasionally, cause me to re-read a sentence.
If you are at all interested in religious experiences, and beliefs in
religions beyond the one you currently practice; if you appreciate
unbiased
writing on religious topics; or if you simply want an excellent
comparative
religion resource in your bookcase this is the book for you. It is
affordable. It is well written and easily understandable. It is,
furthermore, a good value.
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