Includes glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Brief contents: Introduction -- 1. Religions of tribes and city-states (religions of Americas and Africa) -- 2. Religions arising in India (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism) -- 3. Religions of China and Japan -- 4. Religions that influenced east and west (ancient religions of Iraq and Iran) -- 5. Religions of the family of Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) -- 6. Religion in the twenty-first century (new forms of older religions, globalization and world religions. Introduction: Defining religion, defining religious terms, common features of most religions, distinctive features of the book, historical development, worldview, point of view of the text, vocabulary, internet readings.