Comparative History

Baffled by Buddhism? Confused by Catholicism? Mystified by Mysticism? World Religions can lift the cloud surrounding the main faiths of the world. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and many more key faiths are explained clearly; providing detailed insight into the key practices and figures of each religion, this is perfect for those beginning their exploration into faith, or for those just needing a quick reference tool. World Religions details the beliefs from modern Scientology to the world's oldest faith - Zoroastrianism - and everything in between.

This invaluable, easy-to-understand guide to world politics and government offers an accessible introduction to more than 80 of the most important theories and big ideas of leaders and politicians throughout history. The Politics Book makes government and politics easy to understand by explaining the big ideas simply. The key events in political history are outlined from the origins of political thinking by Confucius and Aristotle to modern-day activists such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

From the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union to the ongoing struggle for human rights in the Middle East, Condoleezza Rice has served on the front lines of history. As a child, she was an eyewitness to a third awakening of freedom, when her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, became the epicenter of the civil rights movement for black Americans. In this book, Rice explains what these epochal events teach us about democracy.

At the end of the 20th century, many believed the story of European political development had come to an end. Modern democracy began in Europe, but for hundreds of years it competed with various forms of dictatorship. Now, though, the entire continent was in the democratic camp for the first time in history. But within a decade, this story had already begun to unravel. Some of the continent's newer democracies slid back towards dictatorship, while citizens in many of its older democracies began questioning democracy's functioning and even its legitimacy.

A Revolutionary Friendship captures the dramatic, challenging, and poignant reality that there was no single founding ideal-only compromise between friends and sometime rivals.

Backed by Brazil’s wealthy agribusiness groups, a growing evangelical movement, and an emboldened military and police force, Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019. Driven by the former army captain’s brand of controversial, aggressive rhetoric, the divisive presidential campaign saw fake news and misinformation shared with Bolsonaro’s tens of millions of social media followers.

In this urgent new book, Noam Chomsky examines the dangers and prospects of our early 21st century. Exploring challenges such as the growing gap between North and South, American exceptionalism (including under President Obama), the fiascos of Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S.-Israeli assault on Gaza, and the recent recent financial bailouts, he also sees hope for the future. Chomsky surveys the democratic wave in Latin America and the growing global solidarity movements.

A mid-career American Emergency Doc goes off the deep end and relocates with his bewildered wife and five school-aged kids from Upstate New York to exotic Australia. Chaos, hilarity and wild Oz adventures ensue. Briskly paced; informative, insightful and entertaining in equal measure, "Doc Down Under" covers a wide array of timely topics including Australian/ New Zealand family adventure travel and natural history; contemporary Aussie lifestyle and culture, as well as US/ Australian comparative healthcare systems. Doc's philosophical musings focus on the realities of expat family life; the ...

The Qur'anic sura (chapter) of Joseph deals almost entirely with the story of this noble Prophet, his brothers, and their father Prophet Jacob. Since the revelation of the Qur'an fourteen centuries ago, there have been numerous attempts to interpret this sura. The present study is a genuinely new look at the sura - including careful examination of the historical background of its story and detailed comparison with the corresponding Biblical narrative. While referring to interpretations from classical exegetical works, this book offers new insights into the meanings and magnificence of this ...

Traveling across India, interviewing Hindu zealots, armed insurgents, jailed dissidents, and politicians and thinkers from across the political spectrum, Siddhartha Deb reveals a country in which forces old and new have aligned to endanger democracy. The result is an absorbing—and disturbing—portrait. India has become a religious fundamentalist dystopia, one depicted here with a novelist's precise language and eye for detail.

On November 28, 1921, the head of the Bahá’í Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, passed away. There were six Western believers in Haifa on the night of the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Mr. John Bosch and Mrs. Louise Stapfer Bosch from Geyserville, California; Dr. Florian Krug and Mrs. Grace Krug from New York; and Fraulein Johanna Hauff from Stuttgart. All of them were there as pilgrims. The only other Western believer present in Haifa was Mr. Curtis Kelsey from New York, who was in Haifa to install electrical power plants to light the shrines of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.

3 Enoch, also called The Third Book of Enoch, The Hebrew Book of Enoch, and The Book of the Palaces, purports to have been written in the second century A.D. by a Rabbi, who became a 'high priest' after he had visions of an ascension to Heaven, 90 AD - 135 A.D. The book is part of the Merkabah tradition, which are writings with the theme of ascension into heaven. The name is derived from a Hebrew word meaning chariot, referring to Ezekiel's vision beginning in Ezekiel 1:4.

In this brilliantly analytical yet personal book, nondemocratic societies are put under a microscope to reveal the mechanics of tyranny that sustain them. In exposing the inner workings of a "fear society", the authors explain why democracy is not beyond any nation's reach, why it is essential for our security, and why there is much that can be done to promote it around the world.

Drawing on history and popular culture, biblical research and everyday beliefs, Lisa Miller offers a new understanding of one of the most cherished—and shared—ideals of spiritual life. She raises debates and discussions not just about our visions of the afterlife, but about how our beliefs have influenced the societies we have built and the lifestyles to which we have subscribed.

At the heart of the nation's spiritual history are audacious and often violent scenes. But the Puritans and the shining city on the hill give us just one way to understand the United States. Rather than recite American history from a Christian vantage point, Peter Manseau proves that what really happened is worth a close, fresh look.

Through in-depth conversations with spiritually fluid people, renowned scholar Duane Bidwell explores how people come to claim and be claimed by multiple religious traditions, how spiritually fluid people engage radically opposed truth claims, and what this growing population tells us about change within our communities.

Ever wondered why gods are so obsessed with smiting people? Or why religious rules seem oddly fixated on what you can and can’t eat? Holy Crap: A Guide to World Religions takes you on a wildly entertaining ride through the world’s biggest faiths—roasting the absurdities, appreciating the wisdom, and answering life’s big questions (like whether Zeus would survive a paternity test). If you love history, mythology, and humor, this book is your next binge-listen.

Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark are internationally renowned investigative journalists. In Deception, they reveal the decades-long story of Pakistan's nuclear program - and how the United States has been complicit in the spread of nuclear arms. Based on hundreds of interviews from around the world, this work will force Americans to reexamine national priorities.

In his book, Peter Hitchens describes the misjudgements made by politicians over the years that have led to the increase of class distinction and privilege in our education system. This is of course the opposite of what was intended, especially by former Minister of Education Shirley Williams and Margaret Thatcher, her successor in that role, who closed down many more Grammar Schools than Williams.

Are angels, seraphim, and cherubim exactly as the scriptures describe them - spiritual beings made by God for his service? Are demons those same beings acting contrary to their natural purpose? This audiobook draws no conclusions but only asks those questions shouting to us from recently unearthed scrolls, which are thousands of years old.