
Human Rights and the World's Major Religions
William H. Brackney(Author)
Praeger Publishers Inc
2nd Edition
Published on 1. October 2013
Book
Hardback
512 pages
978-1-4408-2811-9 (ISBN)
Description
Based on the celebrated five-volume set published in 2005, this updated one-volume edition offers readers a concise yet complete understanding of the interplay between the major religions and human rights.
In a world where religious beliefs have become inseparable from the events of the day, ranging from the ongoing strife in the Middle East to cases of sexual abuse by clergy and controversy over circumcision laws in Europe, this is an invaluable work. It offers readers a comprehensive examination of the way the world's five major faiths-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism-view and have viewed human rights from ancient times to the present. An overview of each tradition is provided, followed by chapters that show how human rights have been shaped and understood in the tradition from the earliest textual evidence to the contemporary era.
Considering the differences among religious traditions globally, the book shows how each faith advanced the cause of human rights in unique ways. Contributors track the development of ideas, opinions, and issues, documenting both the advancement and violation of human rights in the name of religion. Demonstrating that human rights discourse cannot be divorced from religious history and experience, the book covers such issues as the right to life, the rights of women, punishment for crimes, war and peace, slavery, and violence.
In a world where religious beliefs have become inseparable from the events of the day, ranging from the ongoing strife in the Middle East to cases of sexual abuse by clergy and controversy over circumcision laws in Europe, this is an invaluable work. It offers readers a comprehensive examination of the way the world's five major faiths-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism-view and have viewed human rights from ancient times to the present. An overview of each tradition is provided, followed by chapters that show how human rights have been shaped and understood in the tradition from the earliest textual evidence to the contemporary era.
Considering the differences among religious traditions globally, the book shows how each faith advanced the cause of human rights in unique ways. Contributors track the development of ideas, opinions, and issues, documenting both the advancement and violation of human rights in the name of religion. Demonstrating that human rights discourse cannot be divorced from religious history and experience, the book covers such issues as the right to life, the rights of women, punishment for crimes, war and peace, slavery, and violence.
Reviews / Votes
[W]ell written and addressing the most essential questions about the intersection of human rights and religion, it is a good introduction to the world's major religions. . . . Recommended. * Choice *More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
928 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4408-2811-9 (9781440828119)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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E-Book
10/2013
2nd Edition
Praeger Publishers Inc
from
€67.39
Available for download

William H. Brackney
Human Rights and the World's Major Religions
E-Book
10/2013
2nd Edition
Praeger Publishers Inc
€65.99
Available for download
Persons
William H. Brackney, PhD, is Millard R. Cherry Distinguished Professor of Christian Thought and Ethics at Acadia Divinity College and the faculty of theology at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. His published works include more than 30 titles, among them, Human Rights and the World's Major Religions, Studying Christianity, and most recently, Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity.
Content
Foreword
Introduction
Chronology
PART I: THE JEWISH TRADITION
ONE: "Judaism" and Human Rights in the Greco-Roman World
TWO: Human Rights in the Medieval Halachah
THREE: Human Rights in Practice: The Liberal Jewish Tradition in North America
PART II: THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION
FOUR: Christian Theological Foundations of Human Rights
FIVE: Religious Liberty: The Cornerstone of Human Rights
SIX: Christian Responses to the United Nations Declarations
PART III: THE ISLAMIC TRADITION
SEVEN: The Worldview of Islam
EIGHT: Decline, Colonial Domination, and the Quest for Revival and Reconstruction
NINE: Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights
PART IV: THE HINDU TRADITION
TEN: Are There Human Rights in Hinduism?
ELEVEN: Dharma (Duty) and Human Rights
TWELVE: Individual and Collective Rights
THIRTEEN: Untouchables and Human Rights
PART V: THE BUDDHIST TRADITION
FOURTEEN: Are There Human Rights in Buddhism?
FIFTEEN: Human Rights as Skillful Means
SIXTEEN: State, Society, and the Buddhist Order
SEVENTEEN: Buddhism and Caste
Notes
Sources Relating to Religious Traditions and Human Rights
Human Rights Bibliography
Index
Introduction
Chronology
PART I: THE JEWISH TRADITION
ONE: "Judaism" and Human Rights in the Greco-Roman World
TWO: Human Rights in the Medieval Halachah
THREE: Human Rights in Practice: The Liberal Jewish Tradition in North America
PART II: THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION
FOUR: Christian Theological Foundations of Human Rights
FIVE: Religious Liberty: The Cornerstone of Human Rights
SIX: Christian Responses to the United Nations Declarations
PART III: THE ISLAMIC TRADITION
SEVEN: The Worldview of Islam
EIGHT: Decline, Colonial Domination, and the Quest for Revival and Reconstruction
NINE: Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights
PART IV: THE HINDU TRADITION
TEN: Are There Human Rights in Hinduism?
ELEVEN: Dharma (Duty) and Human Rights
TWELVE: Individual and Collective Rights
THIRTEEN: Untouchables and Human Rights
PART V: THE BUDDHIST TRADITION
FOURTEEN: Are There Human Rights in Buddhism?
FIFTEEN: Human Rights as Skillful Means
SIXTEEN: State, Society, and the Buddhist Order
SEVENTEEN: Buddhism and Caste
Notes
Sources Relating to Religious Traditions and Human Rights
Human Rights Bibliography
Index