Religion, Politics and Society focuses on the four major global religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam—together with minor religions like the Ahmadiyya, Confucianism, Sikhism, Seventh Day, Adventism and Traditional African Religion as well as on Secularism. The foundational premise of this book is that while spiritual beliefs differ, all humans are equal in dignity and have equal rights. No religion is more exalted than others; there are no chosen people. We all belong to the global human family. Our religious and cultural diversity is a cause for celebration, not conflict.

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A rich, fascinating intellectual odyssey, this book places religion in a wide historical and politico-economic context to reveal its dynamics and entanglements with multifarious forces that have impacted its development over the centuries. Respectful in tone, vast in scope, thrilling in detail and replete with instructive case studies, it is a journey that challenges common conceptions about human identity, spirituality and purpose.

Alamin Mazrui

Professor of Sociolinguistics and Cultural Studies Rutgers University

This astonishingly wide-ranging and generous work explores the role of religion in societies through time and across the world, and its relationship to politics and economics, art and culture. It is a book about humanity’s search for truth, both in the physical and metaphysical spheres, a search often corrupted by power and greed, but with the potential for showing us how to live well together on our beautiful but threatened planet.

Elizabeth Jones, MA

Teacher, Quaker, Former Co-editor of Christian Today, UK